It happens that users have Windows XP on one computer and Windows 7 or later versions on another. Or on one computer Word 2003, and on the other - Word 2007 or older versions. Let's try to figure out what the difference is between Word .doc and .docx files.
I will give an example when you may need to translate from .doc to .docx or vice versa. Sometimes they offer to abandon paper bills for housing and communal services, communication services landline phone and switch to receiving invoices by email. In this case, invoices can be sent in the “old” .doc format.
- using an online converter,
- using the Word program.
About the online converter " online-convert.com/ru"More details in the article. Now let's move on to the second conversion method with using Word.
Files with the .doc extension (for example, test.doc or coursework.doc) are created using earlier versions of Word, namely Word 97-2003. To create such a file, use the “Create” command in the File menu. Accordingly, .doc files are opened without any problems using Word 97-2003.
Let me remind you that the file name extension (for example, .doc, .txt, .mp4, .jpg) may not mean anything to the user, but to the operating system Windows systems the extension is a hint as to which program this file should be opened.
On the other hand, if you create a file “from scratch” in Word 2007, then such a file will automatically have a .docx extension.
Why such confusion between doc and docx files?
The developer of the Word office program is Microsoft. At one time, this company announced the appearance of a new .docx extension for files that take up much less space on the computer’s hard drive compared to files with the old .doc extension.
By the way, this is especially noticeable on “heavy” Word files with numerous pictures and tables. .docx files with a large number of pictures, tables, take up significantly less space on your computer's hard drive than the same file, but with the extension .doc.
Similarly, Excel tables with the new .xlsx extension also significantly save space on your PC’s hard drive compared to tables with the “old” .xls extension.
Another benefit of this move from .doc to .docx is that Word 2007 (and later) has wider functionality than Word 97-2003.
That is why, if you open a file with the “old” .doc extension using Word 2007 (or a later version), then suddenly you can see the inscription “ Reduced functionality mode"(Fig. 1). It is limited because files with the “old” .doc extension cannot use the unlimited capabilities of the new Word 2007.
Rice. 1 A file with the .doc extension opens in Word 2007 in reduced functionality mode
To remove the “Reduced functionality mode” inscription and work with the document in normal mode without restrictions, you need to save the .doc file in the new .docx format, more about this below.
So, Word files can have the following extensions:
- .doc (created in Word 2003), or
- .docx (created in Word 2007 and later).
At first glance, the difference is small: just one “extra” letter “x”. However, if you periodically use either a computer with Windows XP or a computer with Windows 7, then sooner or later you will encounter such a situation. The file was created in Word 2007, which means it has a .docx extension. If you transfer a .docx file to Windows XP and try to open it there, it may not open.
As I wrote above, the problem is that the old Word 2003 (the one that produces files with the .doc extension) does not understand, does not open and is not friendly with new files from Word 2007, which have the .docx extension.
How to solve a problem? First, pay attention to the extension that appears on the file when it is first saved in Word.
Secondly, a file with the .docx extension can be saved in Word 2007 with a different extension - .doc. Then you will have the same file saved with different extensions. For example, in Word 2007 the same file can be saved like this:
- test.doc,
- test.docx.
Then the test.doc file will open in Word 2003 and Word 2007 (though here in limited functionality mode).
How to convert docx to doc or doc to docx in Word 2007
Word 2003 saves and opens documents with a .doc extension.
And Word 2007 (and later) saves and opens documents with the .docx extension.
However, in Word 2007 there is an option to open a .docx document and save it as a .doc. Or you can do the opposite: save the .doc file as .docx.
Rice. 2 How to save a file with the “old” extension .doc with the “new” extension .docx or vice versa save .docx to .doc
To do this in Word 2007 (or a later version of Word)
- open the document,
- press the Office button (number 1 in Fig. 2),
- in this menu, click on the “Save As” option,
- select a folder or location to store the file (number 2 in Fig. 2),
- open the “File type” drop-down list (number 3 in Fig. 2) - a window will appear as in Fig. 3.
Purpose text files The DOCX and DOC formats are almost identical, but, nevertheless, not all programs that can work with DOC open the more modern format - DOCX. Let's figure out how to convert files from one Word format to another.
Despite the fact that both formats are developed by Microsoft, only Word can work with DOCX, starting with Word 2007, not to mention applications from other developers. Therefore, the issue of converting DOCX to DOC is quite acute. All ways to solve this problem can be divided into three groups:
- Using online converters;
- Application of conversion programs;
- Using word processors that support both of these formats.
We will discuss the last two groups of methods in this article.
Method 1: Document Converter
Let's start with an analysis of reformatting actions using the universal text converter AVS Document Converter.
- By launching Document Converter, in the group "Output Format" click on "In DOC". Click "Add files" in the center of the application interface.
There is an option to click on the inscription with the same name next to the icon in the form of a sign «+» on the panel.
You can also use Ctrl+O or go to "File" And "Add files...".
- The Add Source window opens. Go to where the DOCX is placed and label this text object. Click "Open".
The user can also add a source for processing by dragging from "Conductor" in Document Converter.
- The contents of the object will be displayed through the program interface. To specify which folder the converted data will be sent to, click "Review…".
- The directory selection shell opens, mark the folder where the transformed DOC document will be based, then click "OK".
- Now that in the area "Output folder" the storage address of the converted document appears, you can start the conversion process by clicking "Start!".
- Conversion in progress. His progress is shown as a percentage.
- After the procedure is completed, a dialog box appears displaying information about successful completion tasks. You are also prompted to move to the directory where the received object is located. Click "Rev. folder".
- Will start "Conductor" where the DOK object is placed. The user can perform any standard actions on it.
The main disadvantage of this method is that Document Converter is not a free tool.
Method 2: Convert Docx to Doc
The Convert Docx to Doc converter specializes exclusively in reformatting documents in the direction discussed in this article.
- Launch the application. In the window that appears, if you use trial version programs, then just press "Try". If you purchased paid version, then enter the code in the field "License Code" and press "Register".
- In the program shell that opens, press "Add Word".
You can also use another method to proceed to adding the source. Click on the menu "File", and then "Add Word File» .
- A window opens "Select Word File". Go to the area where the object is located, mark and click "Open". You can select several objects at once.
- After this, the name of the selected object will be displayed in the main Convert Docx to Doc window in the block "Word File Name". Be sure to check the box next to the document name. If missing, install it. To select where the converted document will be sent, click "Browse...".
- Opens "Browse folders". Go to the area where the catalog is located where the DOK document will be sent, mark it and click "OK".
- After the selected address is displayed in the field "Output Folder" you can proceed to launch the conversion process. There is no need to specify the conversion direction in the application you are studying, since it only supports one direction. So, to start the conversion procedure, click "Convert".
- After completing the conversion procedure, a message window will appear "Conversion Complete!". This means that the task was successfully completed. All you have to do is press the button "OK". Find new object DOC can be found where the address previously entered by the user in the field refers to "Output Folder".
Despite the fact that this method, like the previous one, involves the use paid program, but, nevertheless, Convert Docx to Doc can be used for free during the trial period.
Method 3: LibreOffice
As mentioned above, not only converters, but also word processors, in particular Writer, included in the package, can perform conversion in the indicated direction LibreOffice.
- Launch LibreOffice. Click "Open file" or use Ctrl+O.
In addition, you can use the menu by moving to "File" And "Open".
- The selection shell is activated. There you need to move to the file area of the hard drive where the DOCX document is located. After marking an element, click "Open".
Additionally, if you do not want to launch the document selection window, you can drag and drop the DOCX from the window "Conductor" into the LibreOffice startup shell.
- Either way (by dragging or opening a window), the Writer application will launch and display the contents of the selected DOCX document. Now we will need to convert it to DOC format.
- Click on a menu item "File" and then choose "Save as…". You can also use Ctrl+Shift+S.
- The save window is activated. Navigate to where you intend to place the converted document. In field "File type" select value « Microsoft Word 97-2003". In area "File name" If necessary, you can change the name of the document, but this is not necessary. Click "Save".
- A window will appear stating that the selected format may not support some standards of the current document. This is true. Some technologies available in the “native” format of Libre Office Writer do not support the DOC format. But in the overwhelming majority of cases, this has little effect on the contents of the object being converted. In addition, the source will still remain in the same format. So feel free to click “Use Microsoft Word 97 – 2003 format”.
- The content is then converted to DOC. The object itself is placed where the address specified by the user earlier refers to.
Unlike previously described methods, this option reformatting DOCX to DOC is free, but, unfortunately, you won’t be able to perform a batch conversion with it, since you’ll have to convert each element separately.
Method 4: OpenOffice
The next word processor that can convert DOCX to DOC is an application also called Writer, but included in OpenOffice.
- Launch the Open Office initial shell. Click on the inscription "Open…" or use Ctrl+O.
You can activate the menu by pressing "File" And "Open".
- The selection window opens. Navigate to the target DOCX, check and click "Open".
As with the previous program, it is also possible to drag objects into the application shell from the file manager.
- The above actions lead to the opening of the contents of the DOK document in the Open Office Writer shell.
- Now let's move on to the conversion procedure. Click "File" and go to "Save as…". Can be used Ctrl+Shift+S.
- The file saving shell opens. Move to the location where you want to store the DOC. In field "File type" be sure to select a position "Microsoft Word 97/2000/XP". If necessary, you can change the name of the document in the area "File name". Now press "Save".
- A warning appears about possible incompatibility of some formatting elements with the selected format, similar to what we saw when working with LibreOffice. Click "Use current format".
- The file is converted to DOC and will be stored in the directory specified by the user in the save window.
Method 5: Word
Naturally, the word processor for which both of these formats are “native” - Microsoft Word - can also convert DOCX to DOC. But in a standard way it can do this only starting from Word 2007, and for earlier versions you need to apply a special patch, which we will talk about at the end of the description this method transformations.
- Launch Microsoft Word. To open DOCX, click on the tab "File".
- After the transition, press "Open" in the left area of the program shell.
- The opening window is activated. You need to go to the location of the target DOCX and once it is marked, click "Open".
- The DOCX content will open in Word.
- To convert the open object to DOC, again move to the section "File".
- This time, having gone to the named section, click on the item in the left menu "Save as".
- The shell will be activated "Saving a Document". Go to that area file system, where you want to store the converted material after the procedure is completed. In area "File type" select position « Word Document 97 – 2003". Name of the object in the area "File name" the user can change solely at his own discretion. After performing these manipulations, to implement the process of saving the object, press the button "Save".
- The document will be saved in DOC format and will be located where you previously indicated in the save window. At the same time, its contents will be displayed through the Word interface in limited functionality mode, since the DOC format is considered obsolete by Microsoft.
Now, as promised, let's talk about what to do for users using Word 2003 or earlier versions that do not support working with DOCX. To resolve the compatibility issue, just download and install a special patch in the form of a compatibility package on the official Microsoft web resource. You can learn more about this in a separate article.
After completing the manipulations described in the article, you will be able to run DOCX in Word 2003 and earlier versions in the standard way. To convert a pre-launched DOCX to DOC, it will be enough to carry out the procedure that we described above for Word 2007 and newer versions. That is, by clicking on the menu item "Save as…", you will need to open the document saving shell and select the file type in this window "Word Document", press the button "Save".
As we can see, if the user does not want to use online services to convert DOCX to DOC, but perform this procedure on a computer without using the Internet, then you can use either converter programs or text editors that work with both types of objects. Of course, for a single conversion, if you have Microsoft Word at hand, it is better to use this program, for which both formats are “native”. But the Word program is paid, so those users who do not want to purchase it can use free analogues, in particular those included in the office suites LibreOffice and OpenOffice. They are not much inferior in this aspect to Word.
But, if you need to massively convert files, then using word processors will seem very inconvenient, since they only allow you to convert one object at a time. In this case, it would be rational to use special converter programs that support the specified direction of conversion and allow you to process a large number of objects simultaneously. But, unfortunately, converters that work in this area of conversion are almost without exception paid, although some of them can be used for free for a limited trial period.
Naturally, the products software do not stand still, they are constantly being refined and improved. With the advent of more convenient information systems, old versions fade into the background. However, now there is a situation where organizations and firms are in no hurry to install new programs and systems, which is why sometimes it becomes necessary to convert a docx file to a previous version.
Each user who has to cope with this simple task will have to choose the most optimal option for him - the method in which the format conversion will take place. There are several different methods to convert docx to doc.
The situation that precedes the extension replacement occurs after trying to open a docx document in Microsoft Office that predates the 2007 version. Still not everything active users text editors know that the new version of Word has the ability to view, save and edit files of two extensions. One condition should be taken into account - when saving a file that will later have to be opened, for example, in the version Microsoft Office 2003, you must select doc in advance, otherwise when you close the created document, it will be saved with the docx extension. Despite the fact that many users are faced with this significant, at first glance, misunderstanding, the creators software product are in no hurry to get rid of the problem. Most likely, this has its own economic benefit, which will push organizations to quickly switch to new version product, rather than constantly trying to convert docx to doc.
For those who are faced with the need to convert docx to doc, any of the methods described below will help. It is only important to do all these steps step by step.
Converter sites
If you have constant access to the Internet, you can use specialized converter sites. It is important to note that among the variety of conversion platforms presented, there are both free and paid sites. To make a doc from a docx, you can resort, for example, to the help of the site doc.investintech.com, which operates in permanent online mode. The site will help you easily and quickly change the extension. After going to the appropriate page, the user should find a clickable “Browse” button, after clicking on which he should select the document that needs further conversion. Within a few seconds, it is loaded onto the site, and the format automatically changes. To get your modified file back, you need to download it using the active Download button.
In other words, converter sites work in just two clicks, which significantly saves time on additional opening/closing of documents and their loading into the cache. The conversion consists of uploading a docx file and downloading the modified doc file.
Microsoft Office 2003 and 2007 software packages
If Microsoft software products released in 2003 and 2007, respectively, are installed on the user’s computer, then changing the format will be quite simple. After opening a file in version 2007, in one of the drop-down menu items (“Save As”), you should indicate the user’s desire to save the doc document; as a result, a file saved in a different format can be opened and edited in Office versions 1997–2003.
Other programs
It should be noted that you can convert docx to doc even without a specialized software product, for example, if the only important thing is the presence of text present in the document, then you can use this text editor, like Wordpad, open the file, copy its contents and later save it in doc format.
Suggestion from the creator of the software
To create a document in docx format with the doc extension, it is not necessary to resort to the help of third-party converter sites. The official website of the creator helps convert formats using a special package designed for compatibility of the two different versions text editor. The user needs to go to microsoft.com and download the required package (microsoft.com/ru-ru/download/details.aspx?id=3).
After downloading and subsequent installation of the add-on, you can launch Word 2003, in the dialog box that opens, specify the location of the document with the docx extension and open it. The conversion will take less than a minute, and the user will see the desired text. It is important to note that the manufacturer’s add-on allows you to open and save documents in the format that the user needs.
Conclusion
From all of the above, it should be noted that converting one document format to another is not so difficult; you only need a few minutes of free time and minimal computer skills.
How convert old documents where to find DOC to DOCX converter. For more than twenty years we have been producing documents in DOC format. But times change and old formats are being replaced by new ones - DOCX. It saves documents in this format starting from version 2007. The DOC format was used in versions of Microsoft Word 97-2003.
There are several ways. Choose which one you like:
- Saving in a new format DOCX With using Microsoft Word
- Saving in a new format DOCX using LibreOffice Writer
- Online converter DOC to DOCX
Which method to choose to open .docx documents depends largely on your operating system - MacOS, Linux or Windows? Which Microsoft version Do you have Office installed? What is the purpose of opening a DOCX document - do you want to read it or edit it?
Brief information
DOC(an abbreviation for "document") is the file extension text documents; it is associated mainly with Microsoft and their Microsoft program Word. Historically, it has been used for documentation in text format, particularly in programs or computer hardware, in a wide range operating systems. Almost everyone has used the DOC file format, every time you write a letter, work, or generally write anything on a computer, you would use the DOC file format. In the 1990s, Microsoft chose the DOC extension to handle its Microsoft Word program files. As PC technology has evolved and grown, the original use of an extension has become less important and has largely disappeared from the PC world.
DOCX was introduced with Microsoft Word 2007, it is based on Open XML and uses ZIP compression to reduce file size. Benefit from availability open XML The point is that such a file is convenient for processing documents by programs and at the same time convenient for humans to read and create documents, emphasizing the focus on use on the Internet. However, to open it with any Microsoft Word version prior to 2007, you will need to convert the DOCX to the DOC format.
Saving in a new format DOCX using Microsoft Word
The best way For Windows users who have older versions of Microsoft Office (below 2007) installed, install the Microsoft Compatibility Pack for previous Office versions, which adds .docx support to Microsoft Word. In addition, the Package will ensure file compatibility for Excel and PowerPoint. If you only want to view DOCX documents without changing them, you can install an application from Microsoft
If you have Microsoft Word 2007 or higher installed, open the document and resave it in a new format.
File - Save As.. and specify the file type Word Document instead of Word document 97-2003 .
Saving in a new format DOCX using LibreOffice Writer
Select a command from the Main Menu File - Save As.. and specify the file type Word document 2007-2013 XML(.docx) instead of Word document 97-2003 (.doc)
Online DOC to DOCX converter
For users who don't use Microsoft Office, you can use one of several online converters that convert DOCX files to the DOC format. To convert DOCX to DOC or DOC to DOCX, you simply copy the link to the converter website without minuses-- http://document.online-convert.com/ru-- and click on the Browse button to select the document on your computer. After that, click the Convert File button. After a while you will be prompted to save the converted file.
Online converter interface The online converter can convert not only text formats, but also audio, video, convert e-books, images, archives.
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