Extract text from WS2 files
To convert your WS2 file to another format, you need MicroPro WordStar 2000 or other Text software.
To convert other file formats to the "Legacy Document" file type, you need software like MicroPro WordStar 2000 or a similar tool.
The .WS2 extension primarily identifies documents created by MicroPro WordStar 2000, a legacy word processor from the 1980s. Unlike plain text, these files rely on a proprietary binary structure to handle formatting, indexing, and printer commands. While they were once the standard for professional writing, they are now effectively 'digital fossils.'
The Problem: Modern word processors, including Microsoft Word, have long since deprecated the import filters required to render these files correctly. Opening a .WS2 file in a standard text editor will display your text interspersed with garbled control characters and binary noise. Proprietary lock-in means you cannot simply copy-paste the content without significant cleanup.
The Solution: To recover your data, you must convert the file to a modern standard. For preserving the original layout for archival purposes, PDF is the recommended target. If you need to edit the text, converting to DOCX or RTF (Rich Text Format) will strip the obsolete WordStar headers while retaining paragraph structure.
Note for Gamers: If you found this file in a game folder (e.g., a Visual Novel by WillPlus or Nihon Falcom), it is likely a compiled script or resource archive. These are not documents and converting them to text will result in unreadable code. These should generally be left alone to ensure the game functions correctly.
Convert.Guru analyzes your WS2 file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted TXT, LOOP, AMI, WTC and WS1 files.
If you want to convert WS2 file to TXT, RTF, DOC, DOCX, ODT, PAGES, TEX, LATEX, MD, MARKDOWN, LOG or NFO, you can use MicroPro WordStar 2000 or similar software from the "Legacy Word Processing Document" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert PDF, DOC, ASC, TODO, NFO, MEMO, README, DOCX, JPG, TXT, NOTE or RTF files to WS2, try MicroPro WordStar 2000 or another comparable tool in the "Legacy Word Processing Document" 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 WS2 converter.