Extract text from Lotus 2 worksheets (WK2)
To convert WK2 worksheets to another format, you need Lotus 1-2-3 or other Spreadsheet software.
To convert other file formats to the "Legacy Spreadsheet Document" file type, you need software like Lotus 1-2-3 or a similar tool.
A .WK2 file is a legacy spreadsheet document created by Lotus 1-2-3 Release 2. Originally developed by Lotus Software (and later acquired by IBM), this software was the dominant spreadsheet application in the 1980s and early 1990s. The file stores data organized in rows and columns, alongside legacy formulas, cell formatting, and primitive macros.
The massive disadvantage of the .WK2 format today is its age and proprietary nature. Files are stored in a closed 16-bit binary structure that is completely incompatible with modern web browsers or text editors. Furthermore, modern spreadsheet applications like Microsoft Excel no longer support this format; Microsoft intentionally removed the legacy Lotus importers from recent versions due to security vulnerabilities and low usage. This makes accessing the raw data highly frustrating for archival or recovery purposes.
To modernize the data, converting to CSV (Comma Separated Values) is the safest, most reliable choice to preserve the raw numbers and text. For retaining basic layout grids, XLSX or ODS are ideal targets. Note that any ancient Lotus formulas, charts, or macros will almost certainly break or be lost during the transition.
Standard online converters often fail to process .WK2 files because they lack the highly specialized legacy decoders required to parse the old binary structures. Often, only the original software running in a virtual machine can properly read or export the fully formatted data.
Convert.Guru analyzes your WK2 file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
If you want to convert WK2 file to XLS, XLSX, XLSM, XLSB, ODS, CSV, TSV, TAB, DIF, SLK, WK1 or WK3, you can use Lotus 1-2-3 or similar software from the "Legacy Spreadsheet Data Storage" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert WQ1, XLSM, NOTES, QPW, WK3, WB2, WKS, XLSB, 123, XLS, WB1 or XLSX files to WK2, try Lotus 1-2-3 or another comparable tool in the "Legacy Spreadsheet Data 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 WK2 converter.