DJVU to ABW Converter

Convert DJVU to ABW — AbiWord format, free online

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Open Format

ABW uses clean XML structure — your DJVU content becomes easily parseable and interoperable with other tools.

Fast Processing

Cloud servers convert your DJVU to ABW in seconds — no delays and no burden on your local device resources.

Platform Independent

Access the converter from any device — Windows, Mac, Linux, or mobile. A web browser is all you need.

How to convert DJVU to ABW

1

Select files from Computer, Google Drive, Dropbox, URL or by dragging it on the page.

2

Choose abw or any other format you need as a result (more than 200 formats supported)

3

Let the file convert and you can download your abw file right afterwards

About formats

DjVu (pronounced "deja vu") is a document format developed at AT&T Labs by Yann LeCun, Leon Bottou, Patrick Haffner, and Paul Howard, first released in 1996. The format was specifically designed for storing scanned documents and images at very high compression ratios while maintaining visual quality suitable for on-screen reading. DjVu achieves this through a layered approach: the document image is separated into a foreground layer (text and line art at full resolution), a background layer (photographs and textures at reduced resolution), and a mask layer that determines which layer is visible at each pixel. This separation, combined with purpose-built compression algorithms for each layer type, typically produces files 5-10 times smaller than equivalent JPEG or PDF scans. One advantage is exceptional compression on scanned pages — a 300 DPI color scan that might occupy 25 MB as TIFF or 500 KB as JPEG typically compresses to 40-80 KB in DjVu while preserving legible text. The progressive rendering model is another strength: DjVu files stream efficiently over networks, displaying a readable low-resolution version almost immediately while progressively refining to full quality. The format supports multi-page documents, embedded text layers for searchability, hyperlinks, annotations, and a shared dictionary mechanism that further compresses collections of similar pages. DjVu is widely used by libraries and archives for digitized historical documents and manuscripts.
Developer: AT&T Labs
Initial release: 1996
ABW is the native document format of AbiWord, a free and open-source word processor originally developed by AbiSource in 1998 and later maintained as part of the GNOME Office suite. The format stores document content as well-formed XML, describing paragraphs, character formatting, page layout, headers and footers, tables, lists, footnotes, and embedded images in a human-readable structure. ABW files use a straightforward markup where document sections map to XML elements with attribute-based styling, making the format transparent and easy to parse programmatically. AbiWord was designed as a lightweight alternative to heavyweight office suites, running efficiently on older hardware and resource-constrained systems while still providing core word processing functionality. One advantage is the clean XML foundation — ABW files can be inspected, transformed, and generated using standard XML tools and scripting languages without requiring the AbiWord application itself. The lightweight nature of both the format and its parent application is another practical strength: AbiWord and its ABW format are commonly found on Linux distributions targeting older computers and educational deployments in developing countries through projects like OLPC. ABW files can be converted to mainstream formats like DOC, ODT, and PDF through AbiWord's built-in export or through document conversion tools.
Developer: AbiSource
Initial release: 1998

Frequently Asked Questions

What is ABW format?

ABW is AbiWord's native document format — an XML-based format used by the lightweight open-source word processor.

What programs open ABW files?

AbiWord is the primary editor. LibreOffice Writer and some other word processors can also import ABW files.

Why convert DJVU to ABW?

ABW is lightweight and open — useful if you work with AbiWord or need a simple XML-based document format.

Is this converter free to use?

Yes — DJVU to ABW conversion is free online. Paid tiers offer additional features for frequent converters.

Can I convert ABW back to other formats?

Yes — ABW files can be re-converted to DOC, PDF, ODT, and other formats using the same converter tool.

Does the conversion preserve text content?

The converter extracts and preserves text and structure from your DJVU file in the resulting ABW document.