SOYATOOLS / GUIDES
How to open a Microsoft Works database (.wdb) file on Windows 11
A .wdb file is a database made in Microsoft Works, such as an address list or a customer list. Microsoft no longer makes or supports Works, and Excel does not open .wdb files, so on Windows 11 the file often opens nowhere. A viewer that reads the Works database format can show the records and save them in a format Excel opens.
Why Windows 11 and Excel won’t open it
Works databases use their own file format, which only Works and a few importers read. Without Works installed, Windows has no program for the file, and Excel does not list .wdb among the file types it opens, so it reports that the file format or file extension is not valid. Renaming the file to .xls, .xlsx or .csv does not convert it.
Not every .wdb file is a Works database: some developer and security tools use the same extension for their own files.
1. Open the .wdb file
- Install WPD File Viewer from Microsoft Store.
- Choose Open and select the .wdb file, double-click it, or drag it into the window.
- The records appear as a table, with the field names in the first row. Forms and reports are not shown. A database with up to 60 records is shown as one sheet; longer ones are shown on A4 pages, with the field names repeated on each page.
- Viewing, and selecting and copying text, are free. Copied text comes out as text, not as spreadsheet cells.
2. Save it as Excel or CSV (Pro)
- Save as Excel saves an .xlsx file with the field names as the first row. The first row is also set to print on every page in Excel.
- Export → Save as CSV (UTF-8) saves a CSV file (UTF-8 with BOM) that Excel and other spreadsheet apps open.
- Save as PDF and Export → Print are also part of Pro. For several files, Convert files → Word saves each .wdb as .xlsx, and Convert files → PDF saves PDFs.
Pro is a one-time $9.99 purchase in Microsoft Store, not a subscription. After saving, compare important values, totals and dates with the table in the app.
Which Works versions were tested
We tested real databases from Works for DOS (2.0, and 2.x or 3.0 files, which cannot be told apart from their bytes) and from Works for Windows (these files do not record the exact Works version), including a 4.5 MB database with 13,325 records that its owner said was saved in Works 6. That one took about 41 seconds to open. Every sample database we found opened and saved as PDF, Excel and CSV.
We found no sample files from Works 2000 (Works 5), Works 7, 8, 8.5 or 9, Works for DOS 1 or Works for Windows 2, so those were not tested. If a database is stored in a way the app can’t read yet, it says so instead of showing a wrong table. Databases from Works for Mac are not supported.
Limits
- Only records and field names are shown and saved. Forms, reports and filters are not.
- Dates are converted by the conversion engine and can be read differently from what was meant: in one test file, a date entered as 1/1/04 appears as 1904-01-01. Check important dates against what you expect.
- Damaged or incomplete files are not repaired. The app tells you it can’t read the file.
- A .wdb file from another program is reported as not being a Works database (or as damaged).
- Very wide databases print across several pages rather than shrinking the text too small to read.
- The app is a viewer and converter. It does not edit the database.
Other ways
- If an old PC still has Microsoft Works, open the database there and use File → Save As to save it as a CSV (comma-separated) file. Excel opens CSV files directly.
- LibreOffice Calc can also import Works databases; WPD File Viewer uses LibreOffice 26.8.1 as its conversion engine. In our tests the import did not keep the field names, which is why the app reads them from the file and adds them as the first row. If you use LibreOffice directly, check the first row.
Is the file uploaded?
No. The database is read on your PC only and the original file is not changed. See the Privacy Policy.
For Works documents and spreadsheets (.wps, .wks), see how to open Microsoft Works .wps and .wks files.