XPS to ABW Converter

Free online XPS to ABW conversion — quick and easy

Drop files here. 1 GB maximum file size or Sign Up
to
Facebook Amazon Microsoft Tesla Nestle Walmart L'Oreal

Works Everywhere

Access the XPS to ABW converter from any operating system — Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, or Android.

Format Fidelity

Converting XPS to ABW preserves your document as closely as possible — visual accuracy is a priority.

Off-Device Processing

Cloud servers do the heavy lifting — your XPS to ABW conversion never bogs down your local machine.

How to convert XPS 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

XPS (XML Paper Specification) is a fixed-layout document format developed by Microsoft, first released with Windows Vista and .NET Framework 3.0 in November 2006. Conceived as Microsoft's alternative to Adobe's PDF, XPS uses XML-based page description markup within a ZIP-based Open Packaging Conventions container. Each page is described as a FixedPage element containing paths (vector shapes with fill and stroke), glyphs (text positioned at precise coordinates), images, and canvas groupings — all specified with exact coordinates for pixel-precise rendering. The format embeds all required resources: fonts are subset and included, images are stored within the package, and the complete rendering specification travels with the document. Windows includes the XPS Document Writer as a virtual printer, allowing any application to generate XPS output through the standard print dialog. One advantage is exact visual fidelity — XPS documents render identically on any compliant viewer because every element is positioned absolutely, with no interpretation variance. Native Windows integration is another strength: XPS viewing, creation, and printing are built into Windows without additional software, and the .NET Framework provides APIs for programmatic XPS generation. While XPS did not achieve the ubiquity of PDF as a universal document format, it remains used in Windows printing infrastructure, enterprise document workflows, and scenarios where the Windows platform provides native end-to-end support.
Developer: Microsoft
Initial release: November 2006
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

Why convert XPS to ABW?

ABW is the native format for AbiWord — useful for lightweight document editing without heavy office suites.

What opens ABW files?

You can open ABW files with AbiWord and other compatible open-source word processors.

Does XPS to ABW conversion keep formatting?

Convertio preserves layout, text, and structure as closely as possible. Complex elements may need minor adjustments afterward.

Can I convert multi-page XPS to ABW?

Yes — all pages in your XPS document are processed and included in the resulting ABW file automatically.

Is XPS to ABW conversion free?

Yes, Convertio offers free XPS to ABW conversion. Premium plans are available for heavier usage and larger files.

Does it work on Mac and Linux?

Absolutely — the converter runs in any browser, so it works on Windows, macOS, Linux, and mobile devices alike.

XPS to ABW Quality Rating

5.0 (3 votes)
You need to convert and download at least 1 file to provide feedback!