Extract text from Applix Words documents (AW)
To convert AW documents to another format, you need Applixware or other Text software.
To convert other file formats to the "Word Processor Document" file type, you need software like Applixware or a similar tool.
The .AW file extension is most commonly associated with Applix Words, a legacy word processor included in the Applixware suite. It is also frequently utilized as an Answer Wizard file in older versions of Microsoft Office and Microsoft Access, storing index data for the local help system. In the gaming industry, .AW files act as proprietary soundbanks or system resources for Audiokinetic Wwise and Nintendo GameCube or Wii consoles. Occasionally, Nemetschek Allplan uses this extension for CAD reinforcement steel schedules.
The massive disadvantage of the .AW format is its obsolescence and fragmentation. The Applix Words format is entirely abandoned; modern operating systems and web browsers cannot natively open it. Answer Wizard files are tied to legacy Microsoft Help systems that no longer function on Windows 10 or 11. These are proprietary, closed formats that trap your data. Attempting to open them usually results in an OS error message or forces you to hunt down outdated software from the 1990s.
For Applix Words documents, converting to DOCX, PDF, or RTF is highly recommended to restore readability and allow editing in modern suites like Microsoft Word. If you are dealing with an audio .AW file from a game archive, converting to WAV or MP3 is necessary to play the sound outside the game engine. Be aware that complex document formatting from Applixware, or proprietary compression algorithms from Nintendo soundbanks, may be lost during extraction.
Because these formats are heavily fragmented and completely undocumented, standard online converters fail to process them. Often, only the original legacy software can properly read or export the data. However, convert.guru provides a pragmatic workaround. Just drag and drop your file to identify the true underlying format. We inspect the file signature to determine if it is an Applix document, an Answer Wizard index, a Nintendo soundbank, or even a misnamed PDF. convert.guru will then extract the raw text or internal content, and show it or convert it if a supported structure is detected.
Convert.Guru analyzes your AW file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted 24, 75, TEMPLATETENANT, PA and W files.
If you want to convert AW file to PA, W, CSV, JSON, XML, YAML, YML, TOML, INI, CFG, CONF or DAT, you can use Applixware or similar software from the "Word Processing or System Help" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert DBF, XML, SQLITE, XLSX, SQL, TSV, ACCDB, YAML, MDB, CSV, ODS or JSON files to AW, try Applixware or another comparable tool in the "Word Processing or System Help" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our AW converter.