More students, freelancers and startup employees use MacBooks and Chromebooks, but document work in Korea still revolves around Windows and the Hangul word processor. Here is how to handle documents realistically outside Windows, by operating system.
macOS
HWP files
- Reading: the browser-based HWP Viewer opens them without installing anything, in Safari or Chrome.
- Editing: the HWP viewer's Edit tab handles quick fixes and saves as HWP or HWPX. Hancom also sells a Mac version of Hancom Office if you edit often.
- Copying content: pull the body text out with the HWP text extractor and move it into Pages or Notes.
DOCX and XLSX
- Microsoft Office for Mac gives the best compatibility.
- Apple's free Pages and Numbers apps can open and edit them too, though complex formatting may change. Use Export > Word or Excel when sending them back.
macOS's built-in Preview app handles viewing, annotating, signing and merging PDF pages.
Chromebook (ChromeOS)
Chromebooks can rarely run installed software, so document work is web-based.
- HWP: a browser-based web viewer is effectively the easiest option. Drag the file from the Downloads folder in the Files app.
- DOCX and XLSX: open them with Google Docs and Sheets, or use Microsoft 365 on the web. To just read them, the DOCX Viewer and Excel Viewer are faster.
- Offline: if the web viewer page is already open, it can open files even without an internet connection, because the processing happens in the browser.
Compatibility strategy when exchanging documents
When sending
- Even if the recipient uses Windows and Hangul, sending the final version as PDF avoids problems caused by different environments.
- For co-editing, agree on a format in advance. Agreeing on DOCX or Google Docs can be more efficient than a Mac user editing HWP.
When receiving
- For documents where formatting matters (contracts, submission forms), ask for a PDF too.
- If you must fill in an HWP form and submit it, using a school or office PC, or the HWP editor, will save time in the end.
Watch out for font differences
macOS and ChromeOS do not include the default Windows fonts (Malgun Gothic, Gulim, Batang). The same document can therefore have different line breaks and page counts. If the look matters, install free fonts (Nanum, Noto and others) or check the PDF version.
Summary
| Task | Mac | Chromebook |
|---|---|---|
| View HWP | Web viewer | Web viewer |
| Edit HWP | Web viewer's Edit tab or Hancom Office for Mac | Web viewer's Edit tab |
| Edit DOCX | MS Office or Pages | Google Docs or Microsoft 365 web |
| View and sign PDF | Preview | Built-in browser viewer |
You can do document work just fine without Windows. You only need to divide the roles between your tools.