The purpose of DOCX and DOC text files is almost identical, but, nevertheless, not all programs that can work with DOC open the more modern DOCX format. 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, starting with the Word 2007 version, can work with DOCX, 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 programs for converting;
- 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 by taking a look at the reformatting steps using the versatile AVS Text Converter Document Converter.
- By launching Document Converter, in the group "Output format" click on "In DOC"... Click "Add files" in the center of the app 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 ...".
- A window for adding a source opens. Navigate to where the DOCX is placed and designate that text object. Click "Open".
The user can also add the source for processing by dragging and dropping from "Explorer" to Document Converter.
- The content of the object will be displayed through the program interface. To specify which folder the converted data will be sent to, click "Overview…".
- A shell for choosing directories opens, mark the folder where the transformed DOC document will be based, and then click "OK".
- Now that in the area "Output folder" appeared the storage address of the converted document, you can start the conversion process by clicking "Start!".
- Conversion in progress. His progress is displayed as a percentage.
- After the end of the procedure, a dialog box appears, which displays information about the successful completion of the task. There is also a proposal to move to the directory of the received object. Push "Open. folder ".
- Will start "Conductor" where the PKD object is located. 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.
- Run the application. In the window that appears, if you are using the trial version of the program, then just click "Try"... If you purchased the 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 of transition to add source. In the menu, click "File", and then "Add Word File".
- The window is launched "Select Word File"... Go to the area where the object is located, mark and click "Open"... You can select several objects at once.
- After that, 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 not, install it. To select where the converted document will be sent, click "Browse ...".
- Opens "Browse folders"... Go to the area of the directory where the PKD document will be sent, mark it and click "OK".
- After the selected address is displayed in the field "Output Folder" you can proceed to start the conversion process. You do not need to specify the direction of transformation in the application you are studying, since it only supports one direction. So, to start the conversion procedure, press "Convert".
- After the conversion procedure is completed, a window will appear with the message "Conversion Complete!"... This means that the task has been successfully completed. All that remains is to press the button "OK"... You can find a new DOC object where the address previously specified by the user in the field "Output Folder".
Despite the fact that this method, like the previous one, involves the use of a paid program, 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 the Writer included in the package, can perform the conversion in the indicated direction.
- Start LibreOffice. Click on "Open file" or use Ctrl + O.
Alternatively, you can use the menu by navigating through "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 checking the item, click "Open".
In addition, if you do not want to launch the document selection window, you can drag and drop DOCX from the window "Explorer" to the LibreOffice startup shell.
- Whichever way you act (by dragging or opening a window), Writer starts and displays the contents of the selected DOCX document. Now we will need to convert it to DOC format.
- Click on the menu item "File" and then choose "Save as…"... You can also use Ctrl + Shift + S.
- The save window is activated. Navigate to where you are going to place the converted document. In field "File type" select value Microsoft Word 97-2003... In the area of "File name" if necessary, you can change the name of the document, but this is not necessary. Push "Save".
- A window will appear stating that the selected format may not support some of the standards of the current document. This is indeed the case. Some technologies are available in the "native" Libre Office Reiter format, the DOC format does not support. But in the overwhelming majority of cases, this has little effect on the content of the converted object. In addition, the source will still remain in the same format. So feel free to press "Use Microsoft Word 97 - 2003 format".
- The content is then converted to a PKD. The object itself is placed where the address specified by the user earlier refers.
Unlike the previously described methods, this option for reformatting DOCX to DOC is free, but, unfortunately, it will not be possible to perform a batch conversion with it, since you will 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.
- Start the Open Office startup shell. Click on the label "Open…" or use Ctrl + O.
You can activate the menu by pressing "File" and "Open".
- The selection window starts. Go to target DOCX, check and click "Open".
As with the previous program, you can also drag and drop objects into the application shell from the file manager.
- The above actions result in the opening of the contents of the PKD document in the Open Office Writer shell.
- Now let's move on to the conversion procedure. Click "File" and go to "Save as…"... You can use Ctrl + Shift + S.
- The shell for saving the file is opened. Move to the location where you would like 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 click "Save".
- A warning appears about the possible incompatibility of some formatting elements with the selected format, similar to the one 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, is also able to convert DOCX to DOC. But in the standard way, he can do this only starting from the version of Word 2007, and for earlier versions you need to apply a special patch, which we will talk about at the end of the description of this conversion method.
- Launch Microsoft Word. To open DOCX, click on the tab "File".
- After the transition, press "Open" in the left pane of the program shell.
- The opening window is activated. You need to go to the location of the target DOCX and after it is marked, click "Open".
- The DOCX content will open in Word.
- To convert an open object to DOC, again navigate to the section "File".
- This time, going to the named section, click in the left menu on the item "Save as".
- The shell will be activated "Saving document"... Navigate to the area of the file system where you want to store the converted material after completing the procedure. In the area of "File type" select position "Word document 97 - 2003"... Object name in area "File name" the user can change only at will. After performing the specified 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 indicated before in the save window. At the same time, its content will be displayed through the Word interface in reduced 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, which do not support working with DOCX. To resolve the issue of compatibility, it is enough to download and install a special patch in the form of a compatibility package on the official web resource of Microsoft. You can learn more about this in a separate article.
After doing the manipulations described in the article, you can run DOCX in Word 2003 and earlier versions in a standard way. To convert a previously launched DOCX to DOC, it will be enough to follow 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 shell for saving the document and select the file type in this window "Word Document", press the button "Save".
As you can see, if the user does not want to use online services to convert DOCX to DOC, but to 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 particular 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 LibreOffice and OpenOffice office suites. They are not much inferior in this aspect to the Vord.
But, if you need to do a mass conversion of 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 indicated transformation direction and allow processing a large number of objects at the same time. But, unfortunately, converters that work in this direction of conversion, almost without exception, are paid, although some of them can be used for free for a limited trial period.
How convert old documents where to find DOC to DOCX converter. For over twenty years we have and documents in DOC format. But times are changing and the old formats are being replaced by new ones - DOCX. It saves documents in this format starting from the 2007 version. 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 using Microsoft Word
- Saving in a new format DOCX using LibreOffice Writer
- Online converter DOC to DOCX
Which way to choose to open.docx documents depends a lot on your operating system - macOS, Linux or Windows? What version of Microsoft Office do you have? What is the purpose of opening a DOCX document - want to read or edit it?
Quick reference
Doc(abbreviated for "document") is a text document file extension; it is mainly associated with Microsoft and their Microsoft Word program. Historically, it has been used for text-based documentation, particularly in software or computer hardware, across a wide range of operating systems. Almost everyone has used the DOC file format every time you write a letter, at work, or in general when writing 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 developed and grew, the initial use of the extension became less important and 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. The benefit of having open XML is that such a file is convenient for programmers to process documents and at the same time is easy to read and create documents by humans, while emphasizing the focus on use on the Internet. However, to open it with any Microsoft Word prior to 2007, you will need to convert DOCX to 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 is to install the Microsoft Legacy Office Compatibility Pack, which adds .docx support to Microsoft Word. In addition, the package will provide file compatibility for Excel and PowerPoint. If you only want to view DOCX documents without changing them, then you can install the application from Microsoft
If you have Microsoft Word 2007 or higher, open the document and resave it in the new format.
File - Save As .. and specify the file type Word document instead of Word 97-2003 document .
Saving in a new format DOCX using LibreOffice Writer
Selecting a command from the Main Menu File - Save As .. and specify the file type Word 2007-2013 XML Document (.docx) instead of Word 97-2003 document (.doc)
Online DOC to DOCX converter
For users who do not use Microsoft Office, you can use one of several online converters that convert DOCX files to DOC format. To convert DOCX to DOC or DOC to DOCX, you simply copy without minus the link to the converter website-- http://document.online-convert.com/ru- and click on the Browse button to select a document on your computer. Then 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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It happens that users have Windows XP on one computer and Windows 7 or later on another. Either Word 2003 on one computer and Word 2007 or older on the other. Let's try to figure out what is the difference between Word files.doc and .docx.
I will give an example when you may need to translate from .doc to .docx or vice versa. Sometimes it is suggested to abandon paper bills for housing and communal services, landline telephone services 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 online converter « online-convert.com/ru»In more detail in the article. Now let's move on to the second method of converting 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, the "New" command is used in the File menu. Accordingly, .doc files are opened without any problems using Word 97-2003.
Let me remind you that the extension of the file name (for example, .doc, .txt, .mp4, .jpg) may not mean anything to the user, but for the Windows operating system, the extension is a hint about which program to open this file.
On the other hand, if you create a file from scratch in Word 2007, the .docx extension will automatically be created for such a file.
Why such confusion between doc and docx files?
The developer of the Word office program is Microsoft. At one time, this company announced the emergence of a new .docx extension for files that take up much less space on the computer's hard disk 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 lot of pictures, tables, take up much less space on the computer's hard disk than the same file but with the .doc extension.
Similarly, Excel tables with the new .xlsx extension also significantly save space on the PC's hard disk compared to tables with the "old" .xls extension.
Another plus of this transition from .doc to .docx format is that Word 2007 (and later versions) have 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 unexpectedly at the top you can see the inscription " Reduced functionality mode"(Fig. 1). It is therefore limited because you cannot use the unlimited capabilities of the new Word 2007 for files with the "old" .doc extension.
Rice. 1 A .doc file opens in Word 2007 in reduced functionality mode
To remove the inscription "Limited functionality mode" and work with the document in normal mode without restrictions, you need to save the .doc file in the new .docx format, more on that 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 a computer with Windows XP, then a computer with Windows 7, then sooner or later you will come across such a situation. The file was created in Word 2007, so it has the .docx extension. If you move the .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 that have the .docx extension.
How to solve the problem? First, pay attention to the extension that appears in the file when it is first saved in Word.
Secondly, a file with a .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 in Word 2007 (although here in reduced functionality mode).
How to convert docx to doc or doc to docx in Word 2007
Word 2003 saves and opens documents with the .doc extension.
And Word 2007 (and later) saves and opens documents with the .docx extension.
However, in Word 2007 it is possible 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 in.doc
To do this in Word 2007 (or a later version of Word)
- open the document,
- click the Office button (number 1 in Figure 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 drop-down list "Files of type" (number 3 in Fig. 2) - a window will appear, as in Fig. 3.
Despite the fact that Microsoft Office 2003 is seriously outdated and is no longer supported by the developer company, many continue to use this particular version of the office suite. And if for some reason you are still working in the "rare" word processor Word 2003, you will not be able to open the files of the currently actual DOCX format just like that.
However, the lack of backward compatibility is not a serious problem if the need to view and edit DOCX documents is not permanent. You can use one of the online DOCX to DOC converters and convert the file from the new format to the obsolete one.
To convert documents with the DOCX extension into DOC, there are full-fledged stationary solutions - computer programs. But if you do not carry out such operations very often and, what is important, you have Internet access, it is better to use the appropriate browser tools.
Moreover, online converters have a number of advantages: they do not take up extra space in the computer's memory and are often universal, i.e. support a wide variety of file formats.
Method 1: Convertio
One of the most popular and convenient solutions for converting documents online. Convertio service offers the user a stylish interface and the ability to work with more than 200 file formats. Conversion of Word documents is supported, including the DOCX-> DOC pair.
You can start converting the file immediately when you go to the site.
Method 2: Standard Converter
A simple service that supports a relatively small number of file formats for converting, mainly office documents. However, the tool does its job properly.
And this is the whole conversion procedure. The service does not support importing a file from a link or from a cloud storage, however, if you need to convert DOCX to DOC as quickly as possible, Standard Converter is a great solution.
Method 3: Online-Convert
This tool can be called one of the most powerful of its kind. The Online-Convert service is practically "omnivorous" and if you have high-speed Internet, you can use it to quickly and free of charge convert any file, be it an image, document, audio or video.
And of course, if you need to convert a DOCX document to DOC, this solution will cope with this task without any problems.
Method 4: DocsPal
Another online tool, which, like Convertio, is distinguished not only by its extensive file conversion capabilities, but also by its maximum ease of use.
All the tools we need are right on the main page.
DocsPal allows you to convert up to 5 files at the same time. Moreover, the size of each of the documents should not exceed 50 megabytes.
Method 5: Zamzar
An online tool that can convert almost any video, audio file, ebook, image or document. More than 1200 file extensions are supported, which is an absolute record among such solutions. And, of course, this service can convert DOCX to DOC without any problems.
A panel under the site header with four tabs is responsible for converting files.
When using the Zamzar online converter in free mode, you can convert no more than 50 documents per day, and the size of each should not exceed 50 megabytes.
Naturally, software products do not stand still, they are constantly being refined and improved. With the advent of more convenient informative complexes, old versions recede into the background. However, now there is such a situation when organizations and firms are far from immediately in a hurry to install new programs and systems, which is why sometimes it becomes necessary to convert a file in docx format to a previous version.
Each user who has to cope with this simple task will have to choose the option that is more optimal for him - the way in which the format conversion will take place. There are several different methods to convert docx to doc.
The situation that precedes the replacement of an extension occurs after trying to open a docx document in Microsoft Office that predates the 2007 version. Until now, not all active users of 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 of 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 seemingly significant misunderstanding, the creators of the 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 the new version of the 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.
Sites-converters
If you have constant access to the Internet, you can use specialized converter sites. It is important to note that among the variety of platforms for converting there are both free and paid sites. To make doc out of docx, you can resort, for example, to the help of the doc.investintech.com website, which operates in constant online mode. The site will help you easily and quickly change the extension. After going to the corresponding 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, the site is loaded, and the format is automatically changed. To get back your modified file, you need to download it using the active Download button.
In other words, conversion sites work in just two clicks, which significantly save time for additional opening / closing of documents and their loading into the cache. Conversion consists of uploading the docx file and downloading the modified doc file.
Microsoft Office 2003 and 2007 software packages
If the user's computer has Microsoft software products released in 2003 and 2007, respectively, then changing the format will be quite simple. After opening the file in the 2007 version, in one of the drop-down menu items ("Save as"), indicate the user's desire to save the doc document, as a result, the file saved with a different format can be opened and edited in Office 1997-2003 versions.
Other programs
It should be noted that it is possible to convert docx to doc even without a specialized software product, for example, if only the presence of the text present in the document is essential, then you can use a text editor such as Wordpad to open the file, copy its content and further save it in doc format.
