# Installing w2x

Requirements

XMLmind Word To XML (w2x for short) requires a Java™ runtime 11+. However, w2x is officially supported by XMLmind only on Windows 8.1, 10 and 11, macOS (Intel® or ARM® processor) 15.x (Sequoia) and 26.x (Tahoe) and Linux.

On Linux, make sure that the Java `bin/` directory is referenced in the `$PATH` and, at the same time, check that the Java runtime in the `$PATH` has the right version:

    $ java –version
    openjdk version "26.0.1" 2026-04-21
    OpenJDK Runtime Environment (build 26.0.1+8-34)
    OpenJDK 64-Bit Server VM (build 26.0.1+8-34, mixed mode)

On Windows and on the Mac, this verification is in principle not needed as the `java` executable is automatically found in the `$PATH` when Java has been properly installed.

Install on Windows

1. Download the `setup.exe` distribution.
2. Double-click on the `setup.exe` file to launch the installer.
3. Follow the instructions of the installer.

About Java on Windows

The `setup.exe` distribution includes a very recent —generally the most recent— private OpenJDK Java™ runtime. Therefore, you don't need to install Java on your computer. Moreover, if you have Java already installed on your computer, then your public Java runtime will be ignored by w2x.

If you prefer to run w2x using a different version of Java, you'll have to first delete folder `W2X_INSTALL_DIR\bin\jre64\` in order to force w2x to use the version of Java installed on your computer.

Note that `W2X_INSTALL_DIR\bin\jre64\` contains a 64-bit version of the Java runtime which cannot be used on a 32-bit version of Windows. This means that, on a 32-bit version of Windows, you'll still have to download and install a 32-bit Java™ 8+ runtime on your computer in order to use w2x.

Install on the Mac

1. Download the `.dmg` distribution.
2. Double-click the downloaded `.dmg` file to open it in the Finder.
3. Copy the `WordToXML.app` folder, an application bundle represented by icon , anywhere you want. For example, drag&drop this icon to the `/Applications` folder or to your desktop.
4. Start the w2x-app desktop application by double-clicking on the icon (or use the Launchpad).
5. The first time `w2x-app` is started, your Mac will generally ask you to confirm that you actually want to open an application downloaded from the Internet. Click Open to confirm.

   Don't worry, `w2x-app` has been digitally signed using a certificate issued by Apple itself. This confirmation is required for any digitally signed application not coming from the App Store.

6. Move the downloaded `.dmg` file to the Trash.

About Java on the Mac

The `.dmg` distribution includes a very recent —generally the most recent— private OpenJDK Java™ runtime. Therefore, you don't need to install Java on your computer. Moreover, if you have Java already installed on your computer, then your public Java runtime will be ignored by w2x.

If you prefer to run w2x using a different version of Java, you'll have to first delete folder `WordToXML.app/Contents/Resources/w2x/bin/jre/` in order to force w2x to use the version of Java installed on your computer.

Manual install on any Java 11+ platform (Windows, Mac, Linux, etc)

Unzip the `.zip` distribution in any directory you want.

    C:\> unzip w2x-1_14_1.zip

    C:\> cd w2x-1_14_1

    C:\w2x-1_14_1> dir
    ... <DIR> bin
    ... <DIR> doc
    ... <DIR> legal
    ...

XMLmind Word To XML is intended to be used directly from the `w2x-1_14_1/` directory. That is, you can run the `w2x` command by simply executing (in a Command Prompt on windows, a terminal on Linux):

    C:\w2x-1_14_1> bin\w2x
    Usage: w2x [-version] [-v|-vv|-vvv] [Options]
        in_docx_file out_file
        | -batch out_spec in_docx_file1 ... in_docx_fileN
        | -printenv
        | -liststeps

    -version
        Print version number and exit.
    …
    Use '-?' to list options.