How to convert HWP files to PDF
HWP is the document format of Hangul, the Korean word processor used widely by Korean government offices and schools. If you received an .hwp file and don’t have Hancom Office, here is how to open it and turn it into a PDF.
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HWP and HWPX
HWP is the native format of Hangul (Hancom Office Hangul), the word processor most Korean government offices and schools use. HWPX stores the same kind of document in an open, XML-based format and is becoming more common in the public sector. Converting either one to PDF lets anyone open it with the layout intact.
If you have Hancom Office
Open the document in Hangul and choose Save as PDF (or print to a PDF printer). This is the most faithful conversion: fonts and tables stay exactly as designed, and the text in the PDF remains selectable and searchable.
Without Hancom Office
- Hancom Office Viewer: a free viewer from Hancom that opens HWP files and can print them to PDF. It needs to be installed.
- Hancom Docs (web): Hancom’s web service can open the document and download it as PDF. It needs an account and uploads your file.
- A browser converter: converts right in your browser with no install and no upload, and also works on phones.
Converting in your browser
- Open the HWP to PDF page of AlphaConverter.
- Drag in your HWP or HWPX files; several at once is fine.
- Press Convert and download the PDF, or download several as one ZIP.
The document never leaves your device, so forms containing ID numbers or contact details are safe to convert.
What to check in the result
- Fonts: if a font used in the document is not on your device, a similar one is used and line breaks can shift slightly. Check page count and tables before submitting.
- Selectable text: PDFs made by the browser converter store each page as an image, so text cannot be selected or searched. Run Scanned PDF OCR afterwards if you need searchable text.
- Complex layouts: equations, unusual table borders and grouped objects may look different from the original. For important filings, double-check in Hangul if you can.
Typical situations
- An upload system only accepts PDF
- Opening a Korean official document on a Mac or phone without Hangul
- Sending a résumé or cover letter as PDF so the layout cannot break