AWD File

What are AWD files and how to open them

Are you having problems opening an AWD file or are you simply curious about its contents? We're here to explain the properties of these files and provide you with software that can open or handle your AWD files.

What is an AWD file?

AWD files have multiple uses, and Artweaver Document is one of them. Read more about the other uses further down the page.

Artweaver Document

These AWD files contain the paint documents created in Artweaver, a full-featured painting software. Artweaver has realistic brushes, a friendly interface, teamwork, and a powerful core to support all the tools and features provided. Artweaver is an excellent tool for expert and beginner painters. One of the features that allow teamwork is that your team can simultaneously work on the same document over LAN or the internet.

How to open AWD files

Important: Different programs may use files with the AWD file extension for different purposes, so unless you are sure which format your AWD file is, you may need to try a few different programs.

While we have not verified the apps ourselves yet, our users have suggested ten different AWD openers which you will find listed below.

Last updated: August 22, 2026

All known file formats using extension .AWD

While Artweaver Document is a popular type of AWD-file, we know of 3 different uses of the .AWD file extension. Different software may use files with the same extension for different types of data.

Away3D scene

These AWD files are the scene formats used by Away3D, a 3D graphics software used to create video games and Adobe Flash applications. Away3D has a 3D world editor, a graphics engine, a 3D physics engine, and the compressed AWD file format. Away3D is used to create 3D animation models for Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR.

Microsoft At Work Fax Document

Microsoft At Work Fax Document files hold images of documents sent or received by Microsoft Fax (also called Microsoft At Work Fax), a faxing component built into Windows Messaging and Microsoft Exchange for Windows 95. These files store faxed pages so they can be viewed or printed later with the original layout preserved.

These files are produced by Microsoft Fax when it saves fax transmissions - typically incoming faxes. They encode text and page structure so that each page appears as an image while retaining the ability to include attachments, editable documents, subject lines, recipient information, and scheduling details.

These documents are structured as OLE Compound Document (also called Compound File) format files, using Microsoft's multi-stream storage format. Internally they include a fax header section with details like submitting system name or subject, recipient block(s) with address data, and one or more bitmap G3 or similar compressed image data blocks for the page content.

One identifying signature is the OLE file magic number D0 CF 11 E0 A1 B1 1A E1 at the start of the file. Other internal strings include "ATWORK FAX", "ROOT ENTRY", "DOCUMENT INFORMATION", "PAGE INFORMATION", and "PERSISTENT INFORMATION".

Various apps that use files with this extension

These apps are known to open certain types of AWD files. Remember, different programs may use AWD files for different purposes, so you may need to try out a few of them to be able to open your specific file.

Help us help others

File.org helps thousands of users every day, and we would love to hear from you if you have additional information about AWD file formats, example files, or compatible programs. Please use the links below or email us at submit@file.org to discuss further.