The file extension HWP is associated with Hangul, which is a Korean word processor developed by Hancom, Inc. The Hangul word processor was created in 1989 and is named after the Korean alphabet. The word processing application is commonly used in South Korea and is commonly used to create and save documents written in Hangul.
Since the inception of the Hangul word processor, Hancom has since created the Hancom Office Suite, which is a group of productivity applications that are compatible with Microsoft Office. The Hancom Office Suite offers three different applications which include Hanword, Hancell, and Hanshow. Hanword is a word processor, Hancell is a spreadsheet application, and Hanshow is a presentation application similar to MS PowerPoint. Documents which are created with Hangul can also be opened using alternative open source software applications.
The file extension HWP is categorized as a text file type which contains document formatting, graphics, text, and other elements which are used to create professional looking documents. Since the documents are written in the Korean language, HWP files also contain Asian fonts which require a special font pack to be installed if the document is opened in an application other than Hangul or Hancom Office.
How to Open HWP Files
The most common way to open HWP files is by using the Hangul word processor or the Hancom Office Suite. Both applications are available as a paid download on the Hancom website and are designed for use with the Windows and Linux operating systems. If you are using iOS, you can use Hancom Office Viewer to open and view the contents of the file extension HWP. Mac OS X users must use Planamesa NeoOffice which is available as a free download on the NeoOffice.org website.
You can also opt to open HWP files using OpenOffice, which is an open source cross platform suite of productivity applications. OpenOffice is available as a free download on the OpenOffice.org website and is designed for use with Windows, Mac OS X, and the Linux operating system. LibreOffice is another multiplatform application which will open the file extension HWP as well. LibreOffice is available as a free download on the LibreOffice.org website and can be used with Windows, Mac OS X, and the Linux operating system.
HWP files can also be opened with Microsoft Word or any text editing application with an Asian font pack installed. If you are using the Windows operating system, you can open HWP files with WordPad, Notepad, TextPad, or Microsoft Word. For Mac OS X, HWP files can be opened using Apple TextEdit, AbiSource AbiWord, MacroMates TextMate, BareBones Software BBEdit, Bean OS X, or MacVim. For the Linux operating system, you can use BSD Vi, AbiSource AbiWord, gEdit, GNU Emacs, Leafpad, Pico, Nano Editor, or Vim to open and view the contents of the file extension HWP.
