Extract text from PCB workspaces (GWK)
To convert GWK workspaces to another format, you need GC-Prevue or other Cad software.
To convert other file formats to the "PCB Manufacturing Job File" file type, you need software like GC-Prevue or a similar tool.
The .GWK file format is a proprietary workspace or job file created by GraphiCode GC-Prevue and related PCB (Printed Circuit Board) CAM software. It bundles imported Gerber data, NC drill files, and user annotations into a single package for viewing and verification before manufacturing. You can open these files using GraphiCode GC-Prevue or GWKView.
Users need to convert .GWK files because they lock you into the GraphiCode ecosystem. Most PCB fabricators will reject a .GWK file outright, requiring standard GBR (Gerber RS-274X) or ODB++ formats instead. Furthermore, the format is proprietary and often relies on internal GZIP compression, making it impossible to read or edit with a standard text editor.
The best conversion targets are GBR for actual manufacturing, PDF for visual design review, or ZIP / GZ to unpack the contents. Converting typically requires exporting the original layers directly from the GraphiCode software, which may result in the loss of proprietary setup data, layer colors, or specific view states.
Because this is a closed, proprietary format, standard online converters fail to process it. Often, only the original software can properly read or export the exact CAD data. If our analysis detects the supported underlying GZIP structure, extracting the embedded standard Gerber formats may still be possible.
Convert.Guru analyzes your GWK file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted GBX, ZIP, FIG, DGN and IPC files.
If you want to convert GWK file to CSV, JSON, XML, YAML, YML, TOML, INI, CFG, CONF, DAT, DB or SQL, you can use GC-Prevue or similar software from the "PCB Gerber Viewer Workspace" 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 GWK, try GC-Prevue or another comparable tool in the "PCB Gerber Viewer Workspace" 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 GWK converter.