What is a WB1 file?
A .WB1 file is an older spreadsheet format primarily created by Corel Quattro Pro (originally developed by Borland). These spreadsheets contain rows, columns, formulas, and charts similar to early versions of Microsoft Excel.
Alternatively, some .WB1 files are proprietary image files created by the legacy Webshots Desktop wallpaper manager. Because these two formats share the exact same file extension, it can be confusing to know which type of file you have.
How to open WB1 files?
If you have a Quattro Pro spreadsheet, you can open it using Corel WordPerfect Office. For a free alternative, LibreOffice Calc is highly recommended, as it still retains support for legacy .WB1 and .WB2 spreadsheets.
If your file is a Webshots Desktop image, you will generally need the original vintage software, as modern image viewers lack support for this proprietary format. Because the .WB1 extension has multiple possible meanings, viewer.online/wb1 analyzes .WB1 files to identify their exact format and creator software, shows which programs can open the file, and usually previews it.
Best practices and troubleshooting
Since Microsoft Excel no longer supports opening .WB1 files directly, the best practice is to convert old spreadsheets to the modern .XLSX standard. You can do this by opening the file in LibreOffice Calc and saving it in a new format. For a simpler approach, we recommend file conversion to sensible target formats like .XLSX or .JPG on convert.guru.
If a spreadsheet program throws an error when attempting to open your .WB1 file, it is highly likely you are dealing with a Webshots image. Do not blindly rename the extension to .JPG, as this will not change the underlying data and will corrupt the file.
Software and tools
- Corel Quattro Pro - The native commercial software for Windows.
- LibreOffice Calc - An excellent free, cross-platform tool to open and convert old spreadsheets.
- Webshots Desktop - Required if the file is an old wallpaper image.
Summary
Identifying the correct file type is the hardest part of managing legacy formats. Fortunately, viewer.online/wb1 directly opens and previews .WB1 files in the browser, eliminating the need to install software or troubleshoot compatibility issues.