HWP files for foreigners in Korea: a practical guide
The international office at your university emails an application form. HR shares the new leave policy. A notice from your district office comes with an attachment. All of them end in .hwp or .hwpx, and your laptop has no idea what to do with them.
It is not you. HWP is the file type of Hangul (한글), the word processor made by Hancom, and it is the default in Korean public offices, many schools and a lot of companies. The person who sent it may never have thought about whether you can open it. Korean public institutions have been moving from .hwp to the newer .hwpx, so you will see both.
You do not have to buy anything. What to do depends on whether you need to read the file, fill it in and send it back, or pass it on to someone else.
First: what do you need to do with it?
| Situation | What you need | Use |
|---|---|---|
| A notice, policy or announcement | Read it, maybe translate it | Convert to PDF |
| A form you have to fill in and return | Edit it and save as HWP or HWPX | The HWP editor |
| A form you have to print, sign and hand in | Fill it in, then print | The HWP editor, then print or save as PDF |
| A file you must upload somewhere that only accepts .hwp | Change the format properly | HWPX to HWP |
School, scholarship and visa paperwork
Universities, graduate schools and language institutes in Korea often send forms as HWP: applications, scholarship forms, dormitory paperwork, and documents your school asks you to complete for a visa or residence matter. These usually have to come back filled in, either as a file or printed and signed.
For those, you need something that edits the document and saves it as HWP again. The HWP editor opens the file in your browser with English menus that follow Hangul's own (File, Edit, View, Insert, Format, Page, Table, Tools). Type into the boxes, then save as HWP or HWPX. If it has to be printed, print straight from the editor or save a PDF through the print dialog.
Fill in an HWP form in your browser
These forms tend to carry your passport number, alien registration number or bank details. Most free HWP converters online upload the file to their server. The tools on this site run in your browser and the file stays on your device.
One thing to watch: Hancom's fonts are not included in the editor, so a line can break slightly differently from the original. Reopen the saved file and check that each answer is still inside its box and the page count has not changed.
Company notices and HR forms
At a Korean company, internal notices, policy updates and HR forms often travel as HWP attachments. If you only need to read them, convert them to PDF. The layout, tables and page numbers stay as they were, and the text is real text, so you can select a paragraph and paste it into the translator you already use.
For forms such as leave requests or expense sheets, use the editor as above and save in the format you received. Some companies protect documents with security software (DRM). Those files cannot be opened by our tools, or by most software outside the company. Ask a colleague or your IT team for a version you can open.
If you are on a Mac at work, the options are a little different. We have a separate guide for that.
How to open HWP and HWPX files on a Mac
Government forms and notices
Notices from public offices, and application forms attached to government announcements, are increasingly HWPX. Before you download the attachment, look on the same page for a PDF version: some offices post both. If there is only the HWP or HWPX, convert it to PDF to read it, or open it in the editor to fill it in.
A common trap is the phone. Hancom says its free Hancom Office Viewer app for Android does not support HWPX, so a notice that arrives on your phone may simply show nothing. The file is not broken. Open it on a computer instead.
Reading it in English
There is no special trick. Once the document is a PDF with real text in it, you can copy any part of it into a translator. For .hwpx files, the HWPX to text tool shows the whole body text with a copy button, which is handy for a long notice. Tables lose their grid in that mode, so for forms the PDF is easier to follow.
Pull the text out of an HWPX file
On your phone
Plenty of this paperwork arrives on KakaoTalk or in a mobile inbox. The HWP editor also opens in a phone browser with no app to install, so you can read a form and type short answers there. The fonts download once on first use, so the first screen takes a moment, and long forms with many tables are much easier on a computer.
Sending it back
- Return the file in the format you received, unless the instructions say otherwise.
- If they ask for .hwp and you have .hwpx, convert it. Renaming the file only changes the name, and the system on the other side will not be able to read it.
- Compare the page count with the original before you send it.
- If a Korean colleague or classmate has Hangul, ask them to open it once. It takes thirty seconds and catches layout surprises.
Asked for an .hwp but you have an .hwpx?
When to just ask
If you only need to read something, replying with "Could you send this as a PDF?" is often the fastest route, and nobody will find the question strange. The HWP file only matters when you have to edit it and send it back.
Related reading
What is an HWP file, and how do you open it without Hancom?
How to open HWP and HWPX files on a Mac
HWPX to PDF: convert it free (and why Word can't open it)
What is HWPX, and how is it different from HWP?
HWP to PDF without Hancom Office, free and private
Free HWP editors ranked by what they can save
Convert HWPX to HWP for a Korean submission
HWP to Word: why the layout breaks and what survives
Is it safe to upload Aadhaar, PAN or work files to PDF sites?
Common questions
- Can I translate an HWP file?
- Yes, in two steps. Turn it into text you can copy: convert it to PDF, or for .hwpx use HWPX to text, which shows the whole body with a copy button. Then paste the text into the translator you already use. Translators do not take .hwp files directly.
- Can I fill an HWP form on my phone?
- Yes. Open the HWP editor in your phone browser, type into the boxes and save as HWP or HWPX. Nothing to install. For long forms, a computer is easier, and check the page count before you send it.
- Can I open an HWP file in Google Docs or Word?
- Not with their built-in features. Google Docs does not import .hwp, and Word does not open HWPX. Convert the file to PDF to read it, or use an editor that saves HWP to fill it in.
- Is it safe to put a form with my alien registration number into an online converter?
- Most online converters upload the file to their server, so think twice. The tools on this site run in your browser and do not send the file anywhere. You can also ask the sender for a PDF.
- They want the form back as HWP, but I only have a Mac.
- Open it in the HWP editor in your browser and choose Save as HWP. Check the page count and tables before you send it.
- Is EZPZ File made by Hancom?
- No. EZPZ File is not affiliated with Hancom. HWP and HWPX are Hancom's formats; our tools are built separately on the open-source rhwp document engine.
Last updated October 14, 2026 · Accurate as of October 2026. Hangul version support follows Hancom's official FAQ pages.
