Thanks Microsoft. No seriously, thanks. As far as I can tell, the new .docx default document format in MS Word 2007 and 2008 (for Mac) does nothing to make my life easier, but has certainly made it more of a pain. Although my office predominantly uses Office 2003, our users are starting to receive documents saved in the newer .docx format, and are unable to open or edit them. Since I happen to be running Office 2007 and 2008 on my machine (it's a Mac with VMWare Fusion for running Windows), I get to play the role of "mister file converter".
Well, no longer.
Thanks to
our pals over at TUAW, I can now redirect my office mates to
Zamzar's free online file converter. We've
written about Zamzar before, but this is the first I had heard that it supports Office file formats.
Tags: doc, document-conversion, docx, docx-to-doc, excel, freeware, tuaw, word, zamzar
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Comments
31
Subscribe to commentschebSep 24th 2008 11:16AM
why not download and install the microsoft office combatability pack?
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=9a1822c5-49c6-47bd-8bec-0d68693ca564&DisplayLang=en
this is free and allows users of older office suites to open, edit and save the new .docx format.
this is for word, excel and powerpoint
RT21Oct 14th 2008 7:24PM
does this work for Mac OS X
NomBomBSep 24th 2008 11:30AM
kudos cheb. did the same thing for an enduser yesterday... quick, easy, works like a charm.
Matt S.Sep 24th 2008 11:30AM
Or you could install the plugin for 2003 that allows opening and saving of docx..
YpoCaramelSep 24th 2008 4:25PM
Depends if your IT Department lets you install it. They should have installed it by now, but the world is inefficient.
HaydenDec 9th 2008 2:50PM
What is the plug in and where is it found
aaronSep 24th 2008 11:31AM
While I applaud the intent of empowering users, I question the thinking that sending potentially private company data through an unknown third-party conversion process. Who knows what their retention policy is and what they really do with it?
I second the motion for the Microsoft Office Compatability Pack.
Matt S.Sep 24th 2008 11:31AM
I should of read the comments before I posted..lol sorry..
JamesSep 24th 2008 11:36AM
So you'd rather have some heavyweight, obscured, closed-off format that people have been hating on for years than an open standard that's basically a zip file full of validated, universally-readable XML?
You fail at the Internet, dude.
harrySep 24th 2008 12:00PM
Or you could just use Open Office. I had a client come into work the other day with a .docx format and I was able to open it just fine. Then again, it was version 3, which i believe is in beta.
iampriteshdesaiSep 24th 2008 12:17PM
Oh come on Jason!!!
This is an wayyyyyyyyy old story. Every major blog and countless small ones have covered up this topic well in advance (last year) and even provided alternative ways.
ZAMZAR suycks thanks to the long conversion times.
JimSep 24th 2008 12:24PM
Yeah, this post is stupid. Just install the compatibility pack... problem solved!
Oh - and .DOCX rocks!
LinearModeSep 24th 2008 1:00PM
nice, considering i know people who still have older version of word and etc.
amSep 24th 2008 3:37PM
Zamzar has saved me in this regard multiple times. As far as I know, there's no compatibility plug-in for Macs, and frankly I'm interested in becoming less reliant on MS, not more. When someone sends me a .docx file, I reply with a request for that file in a more open, compatible format and send it to Zamzar at the same time.
Michael K PateSep 24th 2008 3:05PM
I just a couple of hours updating Office 2000 with all the updates necessary to try out the Compatibility Pack only to be informed that no products could be found that would work with it. Zamzar may be slow, but at least it works.
chebSep 24th 2008 3:29PM
I use office 2000 and work and the office compatability pack installs fine.
So I wouldn't give up hope just yet!
The_StevenSep 24th 2008 3:48PM
I'll just stick with OpenOffice thank you.
Ok, so I can only read and write in about 95% of the available formats.
WilliamSep 24th 2008 4:18PM
I think it'd be much simpler to just install the Microsoft software that will open the new formats in older versions of Office, as has been previously mentioned.
For the OS X: http://www.microsoft.com/mac/downloads.mspx?pid=Mactopia_AddTools&fid=6B9238E1-CF69-48C4-BF2D-C4A8ACEEE520#viewer
For the Windows: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=941B3470-3AE9-4AEE-8F43-C6BB74CD1466&displaylang=en
WilliamSep 24th 2008 4:18PM
Oops, it should read "For OS X" and "For Windows" instead of "For the OS X" and "For the Windows". Sorry about that.
WilliamSep 24th 2008 4:19PM
I think it'd be much simpler to just install the Microsoft software that will open the new formats in older versions of Office, as has been previously mentioned.
For OS X: http://www.microsoft.com/mac/downloads.mspx?pid=Mactopia_AddTools&fid=6B9238E1-CF69-48C4-BF2D-C4A8ACEEE520#viewer
For Windows: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=941B3470-3AE9-4AEE-8F43-C6BB74CD1466&displaylang=en