AWS File

What are AWS files and how to open them

Are you having problems opening an AWS 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 AWS files.

What is an AWS file?

AWS files have multiple uses, and Ability Office Spreadsheet is one of them. Read more about the other uses further down the page.

Ability Office Spreadsheet

These AWS files contain the spreadsheets created in Ability Office, an office tool software developed by Ability. This software is used to create spreadsheets, presentations, databases, and you can edit photos. Ability Office can load files from Microsoft Office 2016, 2013, 2010, 2007, and 2003.

How to open AWS files

Important: Different programs may use files with the AWS file extension for different purposes, so unless you are sure which format your AWS 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 AWS openers which you will find listed below.

Last updated: August 22, 2026

All known file formats using extension .AWS

While Ability Office Spreadsheet is a popular type of AWS-file, we know of 3 different uses of the .AWS file extension. Different software may use files with the same extension for different types of data.

AppleWin SaveState

AppleWin SaveState files store everything needed to pause and later resume the entire state of an Apple II emulation session. These files are written by the AppleWin emulator when a Save State operation is triggered (for example by pressing F11), and can be loaded back via the Load State command to restore memory, hardware settings, and peripheral states exactly as they were when saved.

State includes CPU registers, RAM contents, the status of inserted cards and slots (such as Mockingboard sound cards or the Z80 or Mouse card), currently mounted disk drives and their disk images, display mode, and internal subsystems of the Apple II model being emulated. Not saved yet are some hardware components: for example, Uthernet cards and SAM sound-adaptive modules are not persisted in save state files, and the hard disk image state is not fully captured. Disk image files are named in the state, but only their base file names are stored (not full paths), which means the emulator may need to be pointed to their correct locations when restoring.

Version history: there are two main versions of this format. The earlier "v1" is a binary format; the later "v2" format is YAML-based (human-readable) and supports a broader range of hardware components. AppleWin can still load old v1 files, but newer hardware features are only supported in v2 format.

Technical identifier: files begin with the ASCII signature "AWSS" at byte offset 0.

Ariane WorkSpace

Ariane WorkSpace files store visual programs designed in the Ariane environment by the GREYC laboratory. They represent data-flow graphs that link together operators (image loaders, viewers, processing steps, control structures) into entire workflows for data or image processing. These files are written by Ariane when a graph is saved (via File → Save) and are read back later to reload or modify the visual program.

These files are XML documents with structured tags that record each item in the graph: its type (operator, viewer, loader, etc.), its position in the editor, its connections to other items, its parameters (numeric or string), input and output slots. When execution or code generation occurs, Ariane uses the file's content to follow the graph structure, apply each operator in sequence, and produce the resulting outputs or script.

The file begins with the standard XML declaration including version and encoding, and contains specific fields including INSLOTPARAMETER, ARIANE VERSION, CONNECTIONLIST, ENDSLOTINDEX, X-COORDINATE, Y-COORDINATE, ENDSLOTTYPE, IDENTIFIER, PARAMETERS, ENDITEMID, ITEMLIST, NICKNAME, BINARY, OUTPUT, TIMAGE, GRAPH. These internal keywords help Ariane identify components, their layout, connection structure, parameter values, and item identifiers.

Various apps that use files with this extension

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

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