Extract text from Maple Classic worksheets (MWS)
To convert MWS worksheets to another format, you need Maplesoft Maple or other Data software.
To convert other file formats to the "Mathematical Worksheet" file type, you need software like Maplesoft Maple or a similar tool.
The .MWS file is a legacy Maple Classic Worksheet created by Maplesoft Maple. It is utilized by engineers, mathematicians, and students to store mathematical computations, symbolic math expressions, 2D/3D plots, and formatted text.
The main disadvantage of the .MWS format is its proprietary, outdated nature. It was superseded by the XML-based MW format starting in Maple 9. You cannot open .MWS files natively in standard web browsers, text editors, or free spreadsheet software. If you do not possess an active, paid Maple software license, the data inside the file is essentially locked and inaccessible.
Users typically need to convert .MWS files to MW to update them for modern Maple environments, or export them to PDF or TEX (LaTeX) for sharing academic research and reports. Converting to PDF preserves the visual layout of complex equations and graphs, though you will lose the interactive calculation capabilities of the original file.
Because .MWS is a closed, binary format - often utilizing a Microsoft Compound internal structure - standard online converters consistently fail to parse its mathematical syntax. Explain clearly why this file format is difficult to open or convert: often only the original Maplesoft Maple software can properly read, execute, or export the complex symbolic data. However, convert.guru can still identify the file format, inspect the file, and show text or internal content. If our analysis detects a supported underlying or embedded format, viewing or conversion may still be possible. Just drag and drop your file to see what it is and convert it if supported.
Use Convert.Guru to open and convert your MWS file.
Users also converted MW, MWX, PDF, DFW and BAR files.
If you want to convert MWS file to BAR, CSV, JSON, XML, YAML, YML, TOML, INI, CFG, CONF, DAT or DB, you can use Maplesoft Maple or similar software from the "Mathematical Worksheet Storage" 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 MWS, try Maplesoft Maple or another comparable tool in the "Mathematical Worksheet Storage" 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 MWS converter.