Free online WDB to XLSX converter

Modern Excel and business systems generally cannot open Microsoft Works database files directly, so older contact lists, inventories, and address books often need conversion before they can be edited or shared. Converting the records to .xlsx also provides a current format for archiving and spreadsheet-based analysis.

What the WDB format is

.wdb is the database format used by Microsoft Works, a discontinued productivity suite for Windows. Works users stored small databases such as address books, customer lists, inventories, and personal records in WDB files; files may come from Works versions 2 through 9.

A WDB file is a database rather than an Excel workbook. It may contain fields, records, calculated values, forms, reports, and Works-specific layouts. Those features do not have direct equivalents in a spreadsheet, so conversion normally preserves record values and field names rather than the complete database design.

What the XLSX format is

.xlsx is the XML-based workbook format used by current Microsoft Excel versions and supported by LibreOffice Calc and other spreadsheet applications. It supports multiple worksheets, formulas, formatting, sorting, filtering, charts, and structured tables.

XLSX is suitable when WDB records must be edited in a current spreadsheet program, imported into another system, shared with users who do not have Microsoft Works, or retained in a broadly supported format.

How to convert WDB to XLSX

The built-in converter on 101convert.com can perform the conversion without installing legacy software:

1. Make a backup copy of the original .wdb file.
2. Open the WDB-to-XLSX converter on 101convert.com.
3. Upload the file, choose XLSX as the output format, and start the conversion.
4. Download the resulting workbook and open it in Microsoft Excel or LibreOffice Calc.
5. Compare the workbook with the source, checking the record count, field names, dates, numbers, and representative records.

Do not upload confidential records to an online service unless its handling and retention policies are acceptable. For sensitive data, use Microsoft Works locally if it is already available:

1. Open the WDB file in the Works Database application.
2. Use File → Save As or File → Export and select a delimited text or CSV format, if that option is available in the installed Works version.
3. Open the exported file in Excel or LibreOffice Calc. In the text-import dialog, select the delimiter used by Works and the correct character encoding.
4. Set identifier columns such as postal codes, telephone numbers, and account numbers to text before loading them, then use File → Save As and select Excel 2007–365 (*.xlsx).

Microsoft Works does not provide a modern native XLSX workflow, and legacy Works installations may require an older Windows environment. The separate Microsoft Works 6–9 Converter was intended mainly for opening Works word-processing files in Microsoft Word; it is not a general WDB-to-XLSX converter.

Quality and compatibility limits

• Records and field values usually transfer, but Works forms, reports, database layouts, macros, relationships, and some calculated fields may be omitted or flattened.
• A wrong CSV delimiter can put every value in one column. A wrong encoding can damage accented or non-Latin characters.
• Import postal codes, product codes, telephone numbers, and other identifiers as text to preserve leading zeroes and prevent unwanted numeric conversion.
• Review dates after conversion. A value such as 03/04/2020 can represent different dates under different regional settings.
• If the WDB contains multiple related tables, the XLSX file may represent them as separate sheets or ordinary columns without preserving database relationships.
• Keep the original WDB unchanged until the XLSX has been checked against the source and a verified backup has been made.