How to open HWP files and save them as PDF
How to open .hwp and .hwpx files without installing anything, how to save them as PDF, and what this tool can't do.
What are HWP and HWPX files?
HWP is a word processor format used across Korea, especially by government offices, schools and universities. Official letters, job postings, school notices and application forms often arrive as .hwp.
HWPX is the newer format: the same kind of document stored as XML files in a zip. Only the file extension differs, and both open here.
Mac, iPhone and Android have no built-in app for either one, which is why so many people get stuck.
Opening a file
Tap Choose file on the start page and pick your file. On a computer you can drag it onto the page.
The first time, your browser downloads the reader. After that the browser keeps it, so it's faster.
Pages appear in order. Pages near the screen are drawn first, so even a long document shows up quickly.
If the document has a password, you'll see a password box. The password is used on this device only.
What this tool does and doesn't do
Reading the file and drawing pages is done by rhwp, an open source reader written in Rust and compiled to WebAssembly so it runs in your browser. Your file's bytes are never sent anywhere.
Save as PDF draws each page as an image, the same as on screen, and puts them into one PDF. Standard is 150 dpi and Sharp is 200 dpi. Because pages are images, you can't select text inside the PDF.
Why images? We also tried printing pages as text-based PDF, and on one table of contents page whole lines went missing. A PDF that silently drops text you can see on screen is worse than a bigger file, so we use images.
Need the text? Tap Copy text to get all the text in reading order.
Editing isn't supported. You can view, print, save as PDF and copy text.
If your device doesn't have a font the document uses, a similar font is used instead. On phones without a Korean serif font, we draw with Noto Serif KR from this site. That's why line breaks can shift a little.
On Mac and Windows
Works in Safari, Chrome, Edge and Firefox. Downloaded files are usually in your Downloads folder.
Download PDF saves to Downloads. Print opens your browser's print dialog.
On iPhone and Android
Save the file from KakaoTalk or Mail to Files (iPhone) or My Files (Android) first, then choose it here.
On iPhone, Download PDF asks where to save. On Android it goes to Downloads.
Long documents can take a while on a phone and may run out of memory. If that happens, use a computer.
Common problems
It says the file didn't open: the file is damaged or in a format the reader can't handle yet. Your file is untouched. Ask the sender for a PDF.
The fonts look different: your device doesn't have the document's font, so a similar one is used. The content is the same.
The PDF is big: pages are stored as images. Pick Standard for a smaller file.
I can't select text in the PDF: the PDF is images. Use Copy text to take the text separately.
The first open is slow: the reader is downloading. It's faster next time.
Some pictures are blank: a few old picture formats (WMF) can't be drawn yet. It happened in 1 of the 16 test files we checked. If it matters, ask the sender for a PDF.
Open source software and fonts
This tool uses the software and font below. The license text is reproduced as is.
rhwp (github.com/edwardkim/rhwp) 0.8.6
MIT License Copyright (c) 2025-2026 Edward Kim Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions: The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software. THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
Noto Serif KR is used as a stand-in font (SIL Open Font License 1.1). Full text at /fonts/OFL.txt.
"Hangul", "Hancom", "HWP" and "HWPX" are registered trademarks of Hancom Inc. This service and rhwp are independent and not affiliated with, sponsored or endorsed by Hancom.