Extract text from Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheets (WKU)
To convert WKU spreadsheets to another format, you need Lotus 1-2-3 or other Spreadsheet software.
To convert other file formats to the "Lotus 1-2-3 Spreadsheet File" file type, you need software like Lotus 1-2-3 or a similar tool.
A .WKU file is an obsolete, proprietary spreadsheet format originally created by early DOS and Windows versions of Lotus 1-2-3. In the 1980s and 1990s, businesses relied heavily on this format to store tabular data, financial calculations, macros, and reporting formulas.
Historically, these files were managed natively by IBM Lotus 1-2-3. However, the software suite was discontinued, making it virtually impossible to access the data natively on modern machines.
You need to convert .WKU files because modern spreadsheet applications like Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets have dropped all legacy support for this extension. Attempting to open a .WKU file today will trap your historical financial data behind an outdated architecture.
The most pragmatic conversion targets are standard CSV for raw data extraction, or XLSX if basic grid structures can be salvaged. Keep in mind that due to the format's age, complex macros and proprietary 1980s formulas will be lost during the conversion process, leaving only the raw cell values.
This format is notoriously difficult to process because it is a closed binary structure. Standard online converters fail because they lack the specific decoders for Lotus legacy formats. Often, only the original software can properly read or export the data. If our analysis detects a supported underlying or embedded format, viewing or conversion may still be possible.
Convert.Guru analyzes your WKU file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
If you want to convert WKU file to , you can use Lotus 1-2-3 or similar software from the "Spreadsheet Data Storage" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert files to WKU, try Lotus 1-2-3 or another comparable tool in the "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 WKU converter.