BWW File

What are BWW files and how to open them

Are you having problems opening a BWW 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 BWW files.

What is a BWW file?

A .BWW file is a Bagpipe Notation file.

Bagpipe Notation is a text-based file format used to encode musical scores written for bagpipes. Its primary purpose is to store full notation - including melody notes, embellishments, tempo, mappings to MIDI and frequency, and print formatting - for use in specialized bagpipe music software. It allows tunes to be played back via MIDI or visualised as sheet music.

Files in this format are produced by bagpipe scoring tools such as Pipe Transcribe, Bagpipe Player, Bagpipe Music Writer Gold, CelticPipes, and Bagpipe Reader 1.0. Once created, they are used for editing, arranging, playback, printing, or exchanging tunes among musicians.

The format is plain text. Components include declarations like "MIDINoteMappings", "FrequencyMappings", "InstrumentMappings", "GracenoteDurations", "TuneFormat", "TuneTempo", "Fontsizes", and others. Files start with the ASCII signature "Bagpipe" at offset 0.

How to open BWW files

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

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

Last updated: August 25, 2026

Various apps that use files with this extension

These apps are known to open certain types of BWW files. Remember, different programs may use BWW 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 BWW file formats, example files, or compatible programs. Please use the links below or email us at submit@file.org to discuss further.