Free online SXW to DOCX converter

Older StarWriter documents may need conversion when Microsoft Word, Microsoft 365, or a document-management system accepts DOCX but not SXW. The converted file is also easier to edit, share, and archive with current office software.

What the SXW format is

SXW is the native text-document format used by StarOffice Writer and early OpenOffice.org Writer releases, especially version 1.x. It predates OpenDocument Text, so an SXW file is not the same format as .odt, although both are associated with Writer applications.

SXW files are found mainly in older office archives, backups, and documents created on legacy Windows, Linux, or Solaris systems. They can contain formatted text, styles, tables, images, headers, footers, footnotes, and basic fields.

What the DOCX format is

DOCX is the XML-based Microsoft Word format introduced with Microsoft Office 2007. Word, Microsoft 365, LibreOffice, Apple Pages, and many document-management systems can open it.

A DOCX file is a ZIP-based package containing XML document parts and related resources such as images and style definitions. Compared with the older binary DOC format, DOCX is better suited to current word processors, automated document systems, and long-term interchange, although applications can still render the same file differently.

How to convert SXW files

Current LibreOffice Writer is the most practical desktop option because it can open legacy SXW files and export DOCX without uploading the source document.

1. Install a current desktop version of LibreOffice.
2. Open the .sxw file in Writer. If double-clicking it does not work, use File → Open and select the file manually.
3. Review page breaks, fonts, tables, images, headers, footers, footnotes, numbered lists, and other layout-sensitive content before exporting.
4. Choose File → Save As.
5. Set the file type to Word 2007–365 (*.docx), or the equivalent Microsoft Word DOCX option shown by your LibreOffice version.
6. Choose a new filename ending in .docx and select Save.
7. If LibreOffice warns that the format is not its native format, choose Use Word 2007–365 Format.
8. Open the resulting DOCX in the Word or Microsoft 365 version that will be used by the recipient, and inspect the layout again.

For several files, LibreOffice can convert from a terminal without opening its user interface:

mkdir converted
libreoffice --headless --convert-to docx --outdir converted input.sxw

On some systems the executable is named soffice rather than libreoffice. Use a separate output directory so the conversion does not overwrite the original; scripts should also quote filenames containing spaces.

Converting without installing software

You can convert an SXW file on 101convert.com for free without installing software. Upload the file, select DOCX as the output format, start the conversion, and download the result. Do not upload confidential or regulated documents unless the service’s current privacy and retention terms meet your requirements.

Quality and compatibility limits

Ordinary text, paragraph styles, tables, and common images usually transfer successfully, but old SXW documents can render differently because their original fonts, printer metrics, and Writer layout engine may no longer be available. Missing fonts can change line wrapping, page breaks, and page counts.

Inspect complex tables, floating frames, drawing objects, text boxes, fields, charts, embedded OLE objects, equations, section formatting, manual page breaks, and numbered lists. StarOffice-specific features may be substituted or discarded. Macros should not be expected to transfer because SXW and DOCX use different document and macro systems.

Keep the original .sxw file because conversion is not guaranteed to be reversible. For a fixed-layout archive or final-distribution copy, export a separate PDF after verifying the DOCX.