Extract text from Settings and workspace files (GWS)
To convert GWS Workspace files to another format, you need GeoMedia or other Backup software.
To convert other file formats to the "Hardware Config & GIS" file type, you need software like GeoMedia or a similar tool.
A .GWS file primarily serves one of two distinct functions: a router configuration backup for D-Link networking hardware, or a GIS project workspace created by GeoMedia. D-Link .GWS files contain critical gateway parameters such as Wi-Fi passwords, port forwarding rules, and firewall configurations. GeoMedia .GWS files act as project files that save window layouts, map styling, and database connection strings for spatial analysis.
Both formats present severe conversion challenges. D-Link backups are proprietary, compressed, and often encrypted binary files. You cannot simply open them in a text editor to read a forgotten password, nor can you transfer a .GWS file from an older D-Link router to a newer model without risking bricking the device. GeoMedia workspaces suffer from similar vendor lock-in. They do not contain the actual map data, just pointers to it. You cannot convert a .GWS file directly into a QGIS or ArcGIS project natively.
Because these are highly proprietary, application-specific state saves, standard online converters fail to process them. They require the original software or hardware to properly read or export the data.
If our analysis detects a supported underlying or embedded format - such as the Microsoft Compound File Binary structure used in GeoMedia files - viewing metadata or extracting internal XML/text may still be possible. For D-Link users, the only safe "conversion" is restoring the file via the router's web interface. For GeoMedia users, the best workaround is opening the file natively and exporting individual map layers to open standards like SHP or GeoJSON.
Convert.Guru analyzes your GWS file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted VMT, PCG and RDM files.
If you want to convert GWS file to SHP, KML, KMZ, GPX, GEOJSON, TOPOJSON, TIF, TIFF, ECW, SID, IMG or DEM, you can use GeoMedia or similar software from the "Settings Backup & GIS Project" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert LAZ, KMZ, DTM, CSV, DEM, PRJ, LAS, GPX, DSM, SHP, DBF or KML files to GWS, try GeoMedia or another comparable tool in the "Settings Backup & GIS Project" 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 GWS converter.