Open files with ABW extension quick and easy. 4 steps
It can be very frustrating when you have a ABW file and you cannot open it. But do not worry, in most cases solution to your problem is very simple. Follow the instruction in steps 1-4 listed below and you should be able to solve your problem and open the ABW file with ease.
ABW File Extension
- File type AbiWord Document
- File developer AbiSource
- File category Text Files
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File popularity rating
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What is a(n) ABW file?
ABW is a document file format created by the open-source word processor AbiWord. It is a text-based format that saves all document components, such as fonts, margins, page layout and other formatting details in ASCII ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) form. ABW files can contain images, tables, lists, charts, styles and embedded objects.
ABW documents are highly portable as they retain all the text formatting and other information. However, they can only be opened and edited with AbiWord or its compatible programs. Although the ABW-format is a standard format, it is less popular than more common formats like the DOC and DOCX formats.
How to open ABW file?
ABW file icon should be displayed in a manner characteristic to the program which supports such file type. If ABW file icon is of the form of generic blank page icon or similar it means that given format is not associated with any program installed on the system. Below are listed some of the most popular causes of such situation
Check the ABW file for errors
- No program that supports ABW files is installed on the system
- No program that supports ABW files is associated with this extension (system registry has no entries related to programs that should be used to open ABW files)
- The file is of unknown or unverified origin and is most probably infected. In such case user must exercise extreme caution in order not to allow the virus propagate to other files in the system (follow the instructions displayed in the dialog box in your antivirus software.
- ABW file may be incomplete, which will prevent the system from opening it (this could be the case with file downloaded from the internet or copied from other sources)
- The file is corrupted
How to solve encountered problems?
In order to solve the following problems, follow the instructions:
Step 1. Select, download and install relevant software. The list of programs supporting files with ABW extension can be found below:
Programs that can open ABW files
Step 2. Associate software supporting ABW with this file format
- Right-click on the ABW file
- Select "Open with" option
- Choose appropriate program from the list and select the location where the program is installed
- Confirm your selection by clicking on the "OK" button
Step 3. Scan the ABW file using an antivirus software
Step 4. Verify whether the file has been properly downloaded from the internet or copied from an external storage medium. If not, then re-download or copy the file again.
In 95% of cases following these steps should solve problems with ABW files. Sometimes, although rarely, the cause of encountered problems may be different.
Last resort – an IT expert
Should all the above-mentioned solutions fail to resolve problems with ABW file extensions, there is one last thing you can do – contact an IT expert. You can also try to contact one of the developers of software that supports ABW files.
