Convert WordStar .WS to Plain Text
When you need the words and nothing else — searchable, greppable text extracted from every document in the archive.
TL;DR
Install the free WordStar Converter trial, add your .ws files, choose TXT, and convert. You get clean UTF-8 text with high-bit wrap unwrapped and extended characters decoded — ready for search or a script.
How to convert WordStar to plain text (TXT) — step by step
Install WordStar Converter (free trial)
Download the installer for Windows 10/11. The trial converts up to 10 files with all features enabled.
Add the whole archive
Point the app at the top of your folder tree. Subfolders are scanned recursively, including uppercase .WS names from DOS.
Choose TXT as the output format
Select plain text. Encoding is normalised to UTF-8 so extended WordStar characters do not become mojibake.
Index, search, or script against it
Feed the text into Windows Search, grep, or your own extraction script — then convert the documents that matter to DOCX or PDF.
Why extract plain text from WordStar files?
Plain text is the fastest way to make an unreadable archive answerable. Once every .ws file has a .txt sibling, you can search decades of documents for one clause, policy number, or name.
A naive dump of a .WS file is not plain text. Bit 7 of many characters is a wrap flag, not a letter. A native unwrap step is what makes grep actually work.
Safer than online WordStar converters
Searching for a "free online WordStar converter" means uploading your files to someone else's server — a real problem for contracts, case files, personnel records, and anything else confidential. WordStar Converter runs entirely on your Windows PC: files are converted locally and never leave your machine. It also handles thousands of files in one batch, which no upload-one-file-at-a-time website can do.
The free trial converts up to 10 files with every feature enabled — for most people that's the whole job. Larger archives are covered by a one-time $39.95 lifetime license. No subscription, no watermarks, no uploads.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free way to convert .WS to plain text?
Yes. The free trial of WordStar Converter converts up to 10 files with full features — no signup and no watermarks. Unlimited conversions are a one-time $39.95 license (no subscription).
Is this an online converter? Do my files get uploaded?
No. WordStar Converter is a Windows desktop app. Every conversion runs locally on your PC. Nothing is uploaded.
Can I convert an entire folder of WordStar files at once?
Yes. Point the app at a folder (it scans subfolders), select plain text as the output, and it batch-converts .ws, .wsd, and .ws3–.ws8 files in parallel.
Which WordStar versions are supported?
WordStar Converter reads classic WordStar documents through Release 7, including high-bit wrap flags, print controls 00h–1Fh, 1Bh xx 1Ch extended characters, 1Dh symmetrical sequences, and dot commands. EOF is 1Ah. Microsoft Word has no WordStar import filter. LibreOffice has a limited WordStar filter that often mangles wrap flags and sequences — a native parser is the reliable path.
Why does a .WS file look like garbage in Notepad?
Classic WordStar set the high bit on the last character of a word to mark a wrap. Notepad treats those as Latin-1 characters. The converter unwraps them into ordinary spaces and line breaks.
Related
Make your WordStar archive searchable today
Free trial converts 10 files to text — batch, offline, nothing uploaded.
Free trial
Full app features — up to 10 files
Windows 10 or 11
Download the Windows installer for the full 10-file trial. Same app you unlock with a license — 100% local on your PC.