What to check when an HWP file won’t open
Common reasons a Hangul (HWP) file won’t open or looks empty, and the order to check them in.
When an HWP file won’t open, it is usually not because the file is broken but because of protection settings or format differences. Check the following in order.
1. Check whether it’s a distribution document
Many documents from Korean government agencies are ‘distribution documents’ that block editing and copying. Distribution documents can only be opened in Hancom Office or the Hancom viewer, and other tools, including DocDori, do not open them.
2. Check for a password or DRM
Documents protected by a company security program (DRM) open only on that company’s computers. DocDori also doesn’t open password-protected HWP files. Ask the sender for a copy with the protection removed.
3. Check whether it’s a very old HWP
DocDori reads the HWP 5.0 format used since Hangul 2002. For older documents in HWP 3.0 or earlier, save them in the newer format in Hancom Office first, then open them.
4. Check that the extension matches the actual format
An HWPX file whose extension was changed to .hwp, or a file whose download was cut off, may not open. Try getting the original again.
What you can do once it opens
For HWP 5.0 documents, you can read the body and tables, extract them to TXT, or convert them to an HWPX copy for editing. For details, see the Opening Hangul files guide.
If it still won’t open
- Send the same file to someone else and see whether it opens in Hancom Office. If it doesn’t open there either, the file itself is very likely damaged.
- If you received it as an email attachment, try downloading the attachment again. If the file is smaller than it should be, the download was interrupted.
- A single document can be up to 25 MB. If it’s larger, ask the sender to split it up.
Frequently asked questions
Can the protection on a distribution document be removed? DocDori does not remove protection. The author applied it on purpose, so if you need to make changes, the right approach is to ask the author for an unprotected copy.