Extract text from Lotus 1-2-3 worksheets (WKE)
To convert WKE worksheets to another format, you need Lotus 1-2-3 or other Spreadsheet software.
To convert other file formats to the "Legacy Educational Worksheet" file type, you need software like Lotus 1-2-3 or a similar tool.
The .WKE file extension represents a Lotus 1-2-3 Educational Version Worksheet. This is a legacy spreadsheet format used extensively in computer literacy classes and academic environments during the late 1980s and 1990s. These files were generated by Lotus 1-2-3, a pioneering spreadsheet software later acquired by IBM.
The main disadvantage of the .WKE format today is its extreme obsolescence. It is a proprietary, closed format that is entirely unsupported by modern operating systems, web browsers, or standard office suites. Modern spreadsheet tools like Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets dropped support for legacy Lotus files years ago. Users need to convert these files to access historical data, financial records, or academic work locked inside.
The best conversion targets for a .WKE file are CSV (Comma Separated Values) for raw data extraction, or XLSX and ODS to preserve basic cell grid structures. Be aware that legacy macros, specialized charts, and formatting unique to the Lotus environment are almost always lost during conversion.
This format is exceptionally difficult to open or convert because it relies on an undocumented binary structure designed specifically for restricted educational licenses. Often, only the original DOS-based software can properly read or export the data. Even if full structural conversion fails due to proprietary locks, our platform can inspect the underlying file, extract raw readable text, and help you salvage the embedded data.
Convert.Guru analyzes your WKE file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted WK!, ADN and WG1 files.
If you want to convert WKE 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 "Educational 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 WKE, try Lotus 1-2-3 or another comparable tool in the "Educational 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 WKE converter.