WPS (Microsoft Works)
Also known as: .wps file, Microsoft Works document, Works word processor
WPS is the word-processor document format from Microsoft Works, a discontinued low-cost office suite bundled with many home PCs. A .wps file holds formatted text, but Works was retired, so the format is now legacy.
- Microsoft Works word-processor document
- Works suite is discontinued; format is legacy
- Convert to DOCX or PDF to keep access
What WPS is
Microsoft Works was a budget alternative to Office, often pre-installed on consumer PCs into the late 2000s. Its word processor saved documents as .wps, holding text and basic formatting.
Works was discontinued and replaced by Microsoft Office Starter, so .wps is a dead-end format. Note that .wps is also used by the unrelated WPS Office suite, which can confuse file-type detection.
Opening WPS files today
Recent versions of Word do not open Works .wps directly; Microsoft once offered a Works converter, and office suites like LibreOffice can import many .wps files. The safe move is to convert to DOCX or PDF.
These are tiny text documents that use little space. Convert old .wps files mainly so you can still read them, not to save storage.