I agree with 100%! The day i can get wordperfect for mac, i'm ditching my pc. Right now i've 8g of docs in perfect, so i'm not using any converting programs, or anything else; too much trouble. I've even contacted wp execs, and got back a snotty email telling me this was the manager's business, not mine! Maybe they are in cahoots with bill gates. I just converted to Mac, after 6 disastrous months with Windows 10 on HP spectre. Is CrossOver still the best approach? I downloaded/purchased WordPerfect Viewer for Mac from the lawbox before checking this blog. Really cheap, $6, problem is that once a document is converted from word perfect to word it can’t be converted back. . WordPerfect Viewer is NOT an editor: it converts your WPD documents into a format that can be read on your Mac. WordPerfect Viewer supports documents from most versions of WordPerfect, including WordPerfect 4-11 (Windows), and WordPerfect 1-3.5 (Mac). Access a complete list of all the software products, Books & Training that Corel has to offer.
The main reason to make use of word processing software such as Microsoft Word or Corel WordPerfect is so that you can effectively share ideas and thoughts. When it comes to documentation of events, historical facts, thoughts, and ideas, our world has evolved from an oral documentation society to a written documentation society. And thus, with the invention of the computer, it became even more crucial to document things in writing.
In the showdown between Corel Word Perfect and MS Word, the battle was actually won long ago. Many loyal users begrudgingly switched to MS Word from WordPerfect because their employers or universities were switching. It just made document sharing much easier. For some users, the switch was easy; for others it was done kicking and screaming back in the 1990’s to 2000’s.
Corel WordPerfect Versus MS Word: Basics
Corel headquarters are in Canada with office locations in the U.S., the U.K, Germany, Japan, China, and Taiwan. MS Word, as most people know, comes out of Microsoft, which was company founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen back in 1975. As a result, MS Word has an advantage as far as working out bugs and kinks and develop new features goes.
Corel WordPerfect was primarily known for its ability to produce impressive, professional documents, presentations, and reports. Because of this, Word Perfect was very popular with those in the legal profession for a long time.
In fact, initially, users were more evenly split between Word and WordPerfect. At one time the federal courts required that proposed orders were in WordPerfect, which meant much of the legal and justice agencies were using it. WordPerfect added formatting fixes via reveal codes and specialized built-in tools such as pleading numbering, a pleading editor, and the ability to redact text.
But the tides have turned. Even lawyers and others in the legal profession have switched to MS Word. It appears Corel has been losing market share for well over a decade and thus WordPerfect seems to be in danger of being swept out into the sea of obscurity.
Corel WordPerfect Versus MS Word: Interface
When it comes to interface, you won’t find a huge difference between earlier versions of MS Word and WordPerfect. The newly developed WordPerfect Office X8 functions even more like Microsoft Office and includes programs for spreadsheets, presentations, and illustration projects as well as word processing. Many users like this all-in-one functionality.
WordPerfect versus Word: SpellCheck
In both Word and WordPerfect misspelt words are underlined with a red line. Most users will not see much difference between the two programs where this feature is concerned. Some users report that Grammar check for WordPerfect is actually better than the one in Word.
WordPerfect versus Word: Pricing
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The one big difference between Corel WordPerfect and MS Word is in the pricing structure. MS Word offers a free trial after which you will need to pay to upgrade and then pay renewal fees annually. MS Word also offers an online cloud version at a monthly subscription price. MS Word charges for installation of the software on additional devices, and you can be locked out of the software if your copy is not genuine. In fact, you can be locked out even if it is genuine if your computer has to be wiped or otherwise restored.
Corel WordPerfect Office X8 can be purchased for a one-time purchase price of around $200 and can be installed on several devices without incurring additional licensing fees. This is a huge advantage over the pricing structure of MSWord, especially for the budget-strapped or budget conscious user.
WordPerfect versus Word: Special Features
Corel WordPerfect does seem to have listened to feedback from its users and it has made some improvements. WordPerfect now features (at no extra cost) the ability to produce and share and even edit PDF files. With the PDF functionality, eBook Publisher, and Mail Merge Expert, WordPerfect functionality rivals that of MS Word.
Word Perfect vs MS Word: Sharing Files
The big issue when it comes to using WordPerfect over MS Word is with file compatibility. The company website claims that WordPerfect is compatible with MS Word and other frequently used file types. User reviews indicate that there are still some issues with this compatibility and that documents created in WordPerfect and shared with non-WordPerfect users may still experience readability problems.
If you are one of those loyal users that are using WordPerfect and find that it’s working for your needs, there’s no reason to stop using it. It is still an effective word processing software. If you have experienced issues with document compatibility with non-WordPerfect users, you may want to consider saving your files in a plain text or rich text format before sharing them or using an open source software such as LibreOffice Writer.
Word Perfect vs MS Word: Final Thoughts
Those of us who write are so different in our needs and ability to focus. I could not possibly give you a definitive recommendation as to which word processor would be best for you. For those who are currently using MS Word for shorter documents, the occasional letter or school report, a free text editor might suit your needs. For those who need to do more editing and formatting than many text editors offer, though, WordPerfect is a perfectly viable and less costly option.
MS Word power users won’t be happy with WordPerfect at all and will be better off looking at something like OpenOffice. If you’re just looking to escape the constant renewal and licensing fees associated with MS Word, I suggest switching instead to a free, open source program such as LibreOffice Writer or something with fewer distractions on the screen such as Scrivener or Apple Pages for the Mac.
WordPerfect was created by Corel the makers of CorelDraw for Mac although like WordPerfect, Corel discontinued the product many years ago. Corel recently brought back CorelDRAW for Mac but it seems they have no plans to release WordPerfect on Mac again.
If you have a lot of old WordPerfect files from years ago that you need to open in macOS or a PC user has sent you documents in the WPD format, this is obviously a problem.
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The good news is there are still plenty of ways to open WordPerfect files on a Mac although it’s not quite as simple as for Windows users. Even if a PC user doesn’t have WordPerfect installed, they can open them in Microsoft Word as instructed by Microsoft here.
Alternatively, Windows users can even simply change the WPD file extension to DOC and open it in Word.
In the Mac version of Microsoft Word, neither of these methods work but there are other workarounds and apps that you can use instead.
Here’s some easy ways to open WordPerfect files on a Mac.
1. Gmail
If you’ve got a Gmail account, the simplest thing to to do is email yourself the WordPerfect document and Gmail will allow you to view the contents of the attachment.
When you click on the attachment, Gmail will also give you some options to open and edit the document with third party apps such as CloudConvert, DocHub and Google Drive.
2. NeoOffice
NeoOffice is an open source alternative to Microsoft Word for Mac and a Mac oriented adaptation of the free office suite OpenOffice.
NeoOffice isn’t as flashy as Microsoft Word but it’s free to use and opens many different format of files including those in WordPerfect format.
NeoOffice supports the following formats:
WordPerfect 4.2 DOS (.wp)
WordPerfect 5.1 DOS/Win (.wp)
WordPerfect 6.0-12.0 DOS/Win (.wpd)
WordPerfect for Macintosh 3.5e (WPD4)
WordPerfect for Macintosh 3.0-3.5.4 (WPD3)
WordPerfect for Macintosh 2.1 (WPD2)
WordPerfect for Macintosh 2.0.x (WPD2)
WordPerfect for Macintosh 1.0.x (WPD0) Kutools for excel torrent.
WordPerfect 5.1 DOS/Win (.wp)
WordPerfect 6.0-12.0 DOS/Win (.wpd)
WordPerfect for Macintosh 3.5e (WPD4)
WordPerfect for Macintosh 3.0-3.5.4 (WPD3)
WordPerfect for Macintosh 2.1 (WPD2)
WordPerfect for Macintosh 2.0.x (WPD2)
WordPerfect for Macintosh 1.0.x (WPD0) Kutools for excel torrent.
Wordperfect For Macbook Air
Note that the free version of NeoOffice will only let you open documents but not save them. However, the Classic Edition is just $15 and allows you to fully edit and save documents.
3. LibreOffice
LibreOffice is another free alternative to Microsoft Office that like NeoOffice, can open documents in WPD format.
It’s extremely easy to open WordPerfect document in LibreOffice. Simply go to the File menu and browse to the WordPerfect document on your Mac. Sling tv mac os.
4. WordPerfect Document Viewer
WordPerfect Document Viewer is a simple app that allows you to open WordPerfect files on a Mac.
Little app factory. It’s not free but it’s available from the Mac App Store for just $4.99 which is worth paying if you regularly just need to read WPD documents.
5. Use An Online Converter
Wordperfect For Mac Os X
There are various online conversion tools which can convert WPD files to another format such as DOC that you can open in other applications.
One option is CloudConvert which can convert WordPerfect files in WPD format to many other formats. Another option is Zamzar which can convert WPD files to DOC that you can then open in Microsoft Word.
Can Google Docs Open WordPerfect Documents On Mac?
Google Docs cannot open WordPerfect documents on Mac. The only google product that can preview WPD files is Gmail. However, Google Docs will offer you the possibility of converting the document via CloudConvert or DocHub. DocHub doesn’t work for WPD files but CloudConvert will.
Other Options
Clipgrab for mac. If all of the above options fail and you can’t open the WordPerfect files on your Mac for any reason, you can use your iPad or iPhone to open WordPerfect files.
Wordperfect For Mac
There is a WordPerfect viewer for iPad and WordPerfect Viewer for iPhone which are official Corel products and allow you to open (but not edit) WPD documents.
Finally, the best solution is to install Windows on your Mac so that you can run WordPerfect on your Mac too.