How to open .SDW files on Mac
To open .SDW files on Mac, if you have Apache OpenOffice available on your Mac, open the .SDW file from within the suite (File → Open).
Step-by-step instructions
- If you have Apache OpenOffice available on your Mac, open the .SDW file from within the suite (File → Open).
- If you cannot install a compatible desktop suite on macOS, transfer the file to a Windows or Linux PC with Apache OpenOffice to open/convert it.
Common issues
The .SDW file won’t open or is treated as an unknown format
Many modern apps do not support legacy StarWriter formats, so the file may not be recognized or may open with the wrong program.
- Open the file in Apache OpenOffice (File → Open) rather than relying on automatic app selection.
- On Linux, ensure your desktop’s MIME database recognizes *.sdw as application/vnd.stardivision.writer (this mapping exists in shared-mime-info).
Formatting looks wrong after opening
Legacy word-processing formats can render differently in modern software due to missing fonts, layout changes, or partial import support.
- Try opening the file in Apache OpenOffice and then save it as .ODT to stabilize formatting.
- If fonts are missing, install equivalent fonts on the system and re-open the document.
File opens, but you can’t share it easily
.SDW is a legacy format and may not be supported by recipients’ software.
- In Apache OpenOffice, use File → Save As to convert to .ODT (or another widely supported format your recipient needs).
- Keep the original .SDW as a backup in case conversion changes formatting.
Security note
.SDW is a document format; opening untrusted documents can still be risky due to parser vulnerabilities in office software—prefer opening unknown files in a sandboxed or up-to-date environment.