Extract text from compressed archives (LZW)
To convert LZW archives to another format, you need 7-Zip or other Compressed software.
To convert other file formats to the "LZW Compressed Archive" file type, you need software like 7-Zip or a similar tool.
The .lzw file is a legacy compressed data container utilizing the Lempel-Ziv-Welch dictionary-based lossless compression algorithm. Originally popularized on older Unix systems, these files are primarily used for archiving large datasets to save disk space. Beyond standard Unix archives, the .lzw extension is also famously used for compressed game data in the original 1997 Grand Theft Auto and for distributing patent data by the Japan Patent Office (JPO). For standard archives, you can open .lzw files using multi-format extractors like 7-Zip.
The .lzw format is highly problematic for modern users. It is a legacy standard that lacks basic modern features like password encryption, solid compression, or file recovery records. Many .lzw files are heavily proprietary. For instance, game-specific .lzw files cannot be extracted by standard tools, requiring custom modding utilities instead. Similarly, the JPO patent files are actually disguised GZ (GZIP) files containing complex XML data. Because of these archaic limitations, users frequently need to extract and convert these files into universal formats like ZIP, 7Z, or plain TXT.
This file format is difficult to open or convert using generic web tools because standard online converters fail to parse the proprietary game structures or specialized Unix compressions hidden inside. Often, only the original extraction utility or specific game engine can properly export the data. If our analysis detects a supported underlying or embedded format like GZIP or XML, viewing or conversion may still be possible.
Convert.Guru analyzes your LZW file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted TIF, TIFF, CONF, PDF, PNG, JPG, C1, LZF and JZ files.
If you want to convert LZW file to ZIP, RAR, 7Z, TAR, GZ, BZ2, XZ, LZMA, CAB, ACE, ARJ or LHA, you can use 7-Zip or similar software from the "Data Compression Archive" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert XXE, 7Z, Z, PAK, LHA, DEB, UUE, TAR, LZH, ZIP, PKG or RAR files to LZW, try 7-Zip or another comparable tool in the "Data Compression Archive" 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 LZW converter.