Accessing .DB files?

Question

I need to find a way to access .DB files created with Microsoft Works Word Processor on a windows 10 pc, but i need to open them on a windows 11 pc.

I am not the best with a pc but am not the worst, I can get into This Pc/My Computer, Drive C, D, E etc, program file folder/s & look for obvious programs but not all programs, most of the file names etc mean nothing to me too, so please plain simple terms as to what to try.

They were cut from the windows 10 pc files, burned to cd.

Using the windows 10 pc they were cut from, I have tried copying them from the cd, opening up the relevant drive from the "this PC", then down to program files, down to microsoft works word processor & opening that folder & pasting them back into the afore mentioned folder, then opening the works word program & open folder/file, then selecting the file/s, but it still won`t open.

I am still unable to properly open & read the file.

It is only words for greetings cards but it would be immensely helpful to be able to acces it again properly.

At the time of writing this I am in the process of trying a System Restore on the windows 10 pc, just waiting for it to finish.

Thank you kindly in advance for any help given in this matter.

Answer 1

Hello Fred Astair,

First thing worth clarifying — Microsoft Works database files typically use the .WDB extension, not .DB. If your files do end in .DB, they may have been created by a different program entirely, and we would need to look into that further.

That said, Microsoft Works has been discontinued since 2013 and is no longer supported on modern Windows, so opening these files natively on Windows 11 isn't possible. However, there is a straightforward workaround — use a free online converter to convert the .WDB files into a more modern format like CSV, which can then be opened easily in Excel or Notepad on your Windows 11 PC. Simply search online for "WDB converter" and a few options will come up. Then just upload the file, select CSV as the output, and download the result.

One thing to keep in mind though — you mentioned the files wouldn't open even on the original Windows 10 machine with Works installed. If the online converter also fails to process the file, it is possible the files were corrupted during the cut-and-burn process, which would unfortunately make them unrecoverable.

Hope this works out for you. Let me know how it goes.

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