All about W3M Files

The W3M file type is primarily associated with Warcraft III World Editor.

W3M	File extension: W3M
	File type:	Map file

What is a W3M file?

W3M files mostly belong to Warcraft III World Editor. W3M files are map containers used in Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos.

They hold data for terrain layout, object placement, triggers, and unit positions.

They are created and edited with the Warcraft III World Editor.

The file structure is tailored for the game engine and is not meant for general text editing.

FilExt.com tip: Open these files using the World Editor that comes with the game. For more details on the tool and game, visit Blizzard.

How to open a W3M file

You need a suitable software like Warcraft III World Editor to open a W3M file. Without proper software you will receive a Windows message "How do you want to open this file?" or "Windows cannot open this file" or a similar Mac/iPhone/Android alert. If you cannot open your W3M file correctly, try to right-click or long-press the file. Then click "Open with" and choose an application. You can also display a W3M file directly in the browser:. Just drag the file onto this browser window and drop it.

Online W3M Text Viewer

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Programs that open and convert W3M files:

Warcraft III World Editor
See the previous paragraphs to learn more about the main application. W3M files are often referred to as Warcraft III World Editor games because this type of file is primarily created or used by this software.
Warcraft III (Map File) by Blizzard Entertainment
Also used by other Blizzard Entertainment games. The identifying characters used for this association are - Hex: 48 4D 33 57, ASCII: HM3W. Program ID is WorldEdit.Scenario

W3M file extension format:

To find out what program is needed to open W3M files, you need to determine the file format. A file format is determined by the file extension and signature, so JPEG images have the extension .jpg and the first bytes in the file are ÿØÿ. If the file extension or signature does not match the file format, errors will occur when opening or editing the file. So you need a detailed analysis of a file to find out the format and the associated program. In the following you will find our evaluation of the W3M files:

W3M is seldom used as a file extension and is primarily used by a single program. The file formats most commonly found in W3M files are:

80% of all W3M files belong to WarCraft III map. These are binary files, so they do not contain words or text. The files are 66 KB to 1 MB in size, with a median of 120 KB. The file type was created 10 years ago, but is still used today. The files contain the following words: HM3W. A common filename is (2)BootyBay.w3m or (2)Harrow.w3m. These files are attributed to human.
20% of all W3M files belong to StarCraft Map. They consist of illegible, cryptic characters. Most of these files are 120 KB to 210 MB in size. Certain words are almost always found in the files, such as "conversation": {} and "stringTablePath": "war3map.wts".

If you want to find out which format your W3M file belongs to, just click on the button "Choose your .w3m file to analyze".

Technical Data for W3M File Extension

File classification:

Game

Identifier:

Hex: 48 4D 33 57, ASCII: HM3W (provided by TrID database)

Program ID:

WorldEdit.Scenario

Related files:

w3x, w3u, w3t, w3a, w3h, blp, mpq, w3n, exe, zip, pud, w3g, w3z

The following listing is compiled from the database produced by the 'Associate This!' program, selected data from the main FILExt database and file extension information submitted by users.

ProgramID: WorldEdit.Scenario, FileType: Warcraft III Scenario File, AppName: World Editor
EXEFile: World Editor.exe

ProgramID: WorldEdit.Scenario
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Warcraft III\World Editor.exe -loadfile

ProgramID: WorldEdit.Scenario
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Warcraft III\World Editor.exe -loadfile %1

ProgramID: WorldEdit.Scenario
EXEFile: C:\Games\Warcraft III\World Editor.exe -loadfile %1

ProgramID: WorldEdit.Scenario
EXEFile: d:\Games\Warcraft III\World Editor.exe -loadfile %1

ProgramID: WorldEdit.Scenario
EXEFile: D:\igre\Warcraft III\World Editor.exe -loadfile %1

ProgramID: WorldEdit.Scenario
EXEFile: D:\Warcraft III\World Editor.exe -loadfile %1

ProgramID: WorldEdit.Scenario
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Warcraft 3\World Editor.exe -loadfile %1

ProgramID: WorldEdit.Scenario
EXEFile: C:\Warcraft III\World Editor.exe -loadfile %1

ProgramID: WorldEdit.Scenario
EXEFile: E:\Warcraft III - Frozen Throne\World Editor.exe -loadfile %1

ProgramID: WorldEdit.Scenario
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Warcraft III_4\World Editor.exe -loadfile

ProgramID: WorldEdit.Scenario
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Warcraft III2\World Editor.exe -loadfile

ProgramID: WorldEdit.Scenario
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Warcraft III\World Editor.exe -loadfile

Show all 13 listings To Top

a w3m Map file is a special file format and should only be edited and saved with the appropriate software.

How to solve problems with W3M files

Associate the W3M file extension with the correct application.
Update your software that should actually open map files. Because only the current version supports the latest W3M file format. Search, therefore, e.g. on the manufacturer website after an available Warcraft III World Editor update.
To make sure that your W3M file is not corrupted or virus-infected, get the file again and scan it with Google's virustotal.com.
Click here to open your .W3M file online - secure, fast, and no downloads needed.