CWK may stand for “ClarisWorks” as it is most commonly associated with the aforementioned software as its document’s file extension. Claris was acquired by Apple in the late 90’s which re-branded the software as AppleWorks but is still using the CWK file format in all its documents.
ClarisWorks, now AppleWorks, was developed as an integrated suite of office programs for use in both Mac and Windows operating systems. This application offered functionality like word processing, spreadsheet, database, drawing, image editing, and terminal communication. No matter what the functionality was, ClarisWorks used the CWK file extension to denote a document with any of the above mentioned component.
The software was designed to integrate seamlessly; thus, CWK files contain embedded frames within other documents. Meaning, components like spreadsheets, images and others can be embedded within other components like a word processed document for instance. When Apple acquired the software, they maintained the CWK file format but they made it exportable in other formats and so CWK is widely supported by other applications, even competitors like Microsoft Word.
CWK files can be opened and/or modified using the appropriate version of ClarisWorks and AppleWorks running in either a Mac or a Windows operating system. When AppleWorks was discontinued in 2007 though, CWK became a legacy file format though it is still usable in the iWork software albeit with limited support. Below are other programs that can open CWK files:
| Mac OS | Apple PagesApple Keynote
Apple Numbers AppleWorks ClarisWorks |
| Windows | AppleWorksClarisWorks |
