How to use HWP to PDF Converter and Viewer
- 1Drop your .hwp or .hwpx file into the box or click Choose a file. The viewer (about 4 MB) loads the first time you use it.
- 2Scroll through the pages to read the document. Open the Text tab to see or copy just the words.
- 3Pick a PDF quality and, if you only need part of the document, type a page range such as 1-3, 5.
- 4Leave Selectable, searchable text on so you can search and copy text in the PDF, then click Download PDF.
- 5Use Print to send the pages to a printer or your system's Save as PDF, or Download .txt for plain text.
What HWP files are and why they are hard to open
HWP is the document format of Hancom Office Hangul (한글), the word processor used across Korean schools, universities, companies and government. Contracts, school notices, job applications and official forms often arrive as .hwp (the older binary format) or .hwpx (the newer zipped XML format). Microsoft Word, Google Docs and macOS Preview cannot open them, which leaves many foreigners in Korea and people abroad stuck.
This tool reads both formats directly in your browser. It uses rhwp, an open-source HWP renderer compiled to WebAssembly, to lay out pages with their tables, shapes, images, headers and footers, so what you see is close to the original page layout rather than a text dump.
A real PDF, with text you can search
Each page is drawn at 150, 200 or 300 dpi and placed into the PDF, so tables, boxes and pictures look the same as in the viewer. On top of each page the tool adds an invisible text layer with the document's real text, positioned over the words. That means you can search the PDF, select sentences and copy them, or paste them into a translator. Turn the option off if you only want images.
Prefer a fully vector PDF? Click Print and choose Save as PDF in your browser's print dialog. That route keeps text as sharp vector fonts at any zoom.
Honest limits
- Pages are drawn with fonts on your device. Hancom-only fonts (HY fonts, Hamchorom) are replaced by similar Korean fonts, so line breaks can move slightly and a page may not be pixel-identical to Hancom Office.
- If your device has no Korean font at all, the tool loads the free Noto Sans KR and Noto Serif KR fonts (about 5 MB) so text never shows as empty boxes.
- Password-protected HWP files need their password. Very old HWP 3.0 files and unusual objects (some charts, OLE objects, form controls) may display incompletely.
- Large documents work, but a 500-page PDF at 300 dpi needs a lot of memory; use a page range or Standard quality.
Frequently asked questions
How do I open an HWP file without Hancom Office?
Drop the .hwp or .hwpx file on this page. It opens in your browser on Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone or Android, with no installation or account.
Is my document uploaded to a server?
No. The file is read and converted entirely in your browser. Only the viewer program and fonts are downloaded from this site; your document never leaves your device.
Can I copy and search text in the converted PDF?
Yes, as long as Selectable, searchable text is on. The PDF contains an invisible text layer over each page image, so search, select and copy work in any PDF reader.
Does it support HWPX files?
Yes. Both the classic .hwp (HWP 5.0) format and the newer .hwpx format open in the same viewer.
Will the PDF look exactly like the original?
Usually very close: tables, images, shapes, headers, footers and page breaks are kept. Fonts that only exist in Hancom Office are replaced with similar ones, so wrapping can differ slightly. Check the preview before you download.
Can I translate an HWP document?
Open the Text tab and click Copy text, or download the .txt, then paste it into your translator. The searchable PDF also works with translation apps that read PDFs.