Microsoft Works is a basic entry-level office or home productivity software suite that includes a word processor, a spreadsheet and a database. Microsoft Works is packaged in most Windows-based PC for free, allowing users who doesn’t yet purchase and upgrade to Microsoft Office a way to create their documents, workbooks and databases.
Over the time, many users may opt to use full featured Microsoft Office with the like of Word, Excel, and Access, and has uninstalled Microsoft Works. When Microsoft Works no longer existed or installed, the files that created by it cannot or unable to be opened anymore. It’s the case for databases in. wdb file extension created by Microsoft Works.
When Works DB file cannot be opened, read, extracted or viewed as there is no more supported program Microsoft Works installed on the system, it’s almost considered lost. If there is important data inside the database, Works Database Converter, a third-party program can be used to try to salvage the data into the database.
Note: If you still have Microsoft Works installed, just use the Works Database to export and save the database in CSV or other transferable format that can be used to import into Excel, Access or other program.
Works Database Converter is useful when users only has the database file created by Microsoft Works, but without the program to open the DB. Works Database Converter can convert old Microsoft Works Database (*.wdb) files (e.g. MS Works 3 and 4) into a spreadsheet compatible with all versions of Microsoft Excel. The data extraction is done on a ‘best-effort’ basis, which works reasonably well provided that you only have one table of data per file that you process. Some compatibility may affect numeric fields.
Works Database Converter is a Java applet, and requires Java program to be installed to run.
Run Works Database Converter using Java Webstart.
Tip and Trick