doc is the standard extension for files created by text editor Microsoft Word from version 97 to version 2003, or applicationword pad. Such formats are actually outdated at the moment.
Versions Word editors since 2007 have been working with documents that have extensiondocx. Accordingly, the standard program for opening a file in the old format will be a version of Word up to and including 2003 or WordPad, and in the new one - Word 2007 or more modern.
How do document formats differ?
doc files are binary(binary) files that may have different structure, depending on the specific version of the program that created them. Documents created by WordPad, different from the Word ones towards primitiveness.
File type docx based on the format Office Open XML. It is different from its predecessors expanded recovery capabilities in case of damage. At its core, it is a zip archive of XML text and supporting documents placed in folders. If you open primer.docx with the 7-zip archiver, you can see something like this:
How do doc and docx extensions open?
And what other applications can open documents with doc and docx extensions? The list is quite large, but there are some nuances when using them. Microsoft has traditionally closes its developments from free use, so third-party developers often have compatibility issues.
But primer.docx with similar content suffered some losses - a text inscription at the bottom disappeared. In general, Writer from OpenOffice.org should be used very carefully when working with Word texts.
The text inscription is missing. When trying to edit service warns that the result will be saved as docx.
DOCX is a text version of the Office Open XML series of electronic formats. It is a more advanced form of the previous Word DOC format. Let's find out what programs can be used to view files with this extension.
Paying attention to the fact that DOCX is a text format, it is natural that it is primarily manipulated by word processors. Work with it is also supported by some "readers" and other software.
Method 1: Word
Given that DOCX is a development by Microsoft, which has been the base format for the Word application since version 2007, we will begin our review with this program. The named application supports absolutely all standards of the specified format, can view DOCX documents, create them, edit and save them.
There is also an easier option for opening DOCX in Word. If Microsoft Office is installed on the PC, then this extension will automatically be associated with the Word program, unless, of course, you manually set other settings. Therefore, it is enough to go to an object of the specified format in Windows Explorer and double-click on it with the left mouse button.
These recommendations will only work if you have Word 2007 or newer installed. But early versions by default cannot open DOCX, since they were created before this format appeared. But still, it is possible to make older versions of applications able to run files with the specified extension. To do this, you just need to install a special patch in the form of a compatibility pack.
Method 2: LibreOffice
You can launch a file element with the extension under study by dragging an object from Explorer to the LibreOffice start shell. This manipulation should be done with the left mouse button pressed.
In case you have already launched Writer, you can also perform the opening process through the internal shell of this program.
Method 3: OpenOffice
LibreOffice's competitor is considered to be OpenOffice. It also has its own word processor, also called Writer. Only unlike the two previously described options, it can be used to view and modify DOCX content, but saving will have to be done in a different format.
As with the previous application, you can drag the desired object from the OpenOffice start shell Explorer.
The launch of an object with the DOCX extension can also be done after the launch of Writer.
In general, it should be noted that of all the word processors studied here, OpenOffice Writer is the least suitable for working with DOCX, since it cannot create documents with this extension.
Method 4: WordPad
The studied format can also be launched by individual text editors. For example, this can be done by the built-in Windows program - WordPad.
Considering all the above circumstances, it must be said that using WordPad for viewing, and even more so editing DOCX content, is less preferable than using the full-fledged word processors described in the previous methods for these purposes.
Method 5: AlReader
Some representatives of software for reading e-books (“readers”) also support viewing the format being studied. True, so far this function is not present in all programs of this group. You can read DOCX, for example, using the AlReader reader, which has a very large number of supported formats.
You can also open a document by dragging from Explorer in the graphical shell of the "reader".
Of course, reading books in DOCX format is more pleasant in AlReader than in text editors and processors, but this application only offers the ability to read the document and convert it to a limited number of formats (TXT, PDB and HTML), but does not have tools for making changes.
Method 6: ICE Book Reader
Another "reader" with which you can read DOCX is ICE Book Reader. But the procedure for launching a document in this application will be somewhat more complicated, since it involves the task of adding an object to the program's library.
Method 7: Caliber
An even more powerful book cataloging reader is Caliber. She also knows how to operate with DOCX.
In general, Caliber is more suited to cataloging DOCX objects rather than quickly viewing them.
Method 8: Universal Viewer
Documents with the DOCX extension can also be viewed using a separate group of programs that are universal viewers. These applications allow you to view files of various types: text, tables, videos, images, etc. But, as a rule, in terms of the ability to work with specific formats, they are inferior to highly specialized programs. This is fully true for DOCX as well. One of the representatives of this type of software is Universal Viewer.
As you can see, at present, a fairly large number of applications of different directions that work with text objects are capable of processing DOCX files. But, despite such an abundance, only Microsoft Word fully supports all the features and standards of the format. Its free analogue LibreOffice Writer also has an almost complete set for processing this format. But the word processor OpenOffice Writer will only allow you to read and make changes to the document, but you will have to save the data in a different format.
If the DOCX file is an e-book, then it will be convenient to read it using the AlReader reader. To add a book to the library, ICE Book Reader or Caliber are suitable programs. If you just want to see what is inside the document, then you can use the Universal Viewer for this purpose. The WordPad text editor built into Windows allows you to view content without installing third-party software.
If your computer has antivirus program can scan all files on the computer, as well as each file individually. You can scan any file by right-clicking on the file and selecting the appropriate option to scan the file for viruses.
For example, in this figure, file my-file.docx, then you need to right-click on this file, and in the file menu select the option "scan with AVG". Selecting this option will open AVG Antivirus and scan the file for viruses.
Sometimes an error can result from incorrect software installation, which may be due to a problem that occurred during the installation process. It may interfere with your operating system associate your DOCX file with the correct software application, influencing the so-called "file extension associations".
Sometimes simple reinstalling libreoffice can solve your problem by properly linking DOCX to LibreOffice. In other cases, file association problems may result from bad software programming developer, and you may need to contact the developer for further assistance.
Advice: Try updating LibreOffice to the latest version to make sure you have the latest fixes and updates.
This may seem too obvious, but often the DOCX file itself may be causing the problem. If you received a file via an email attachment or downloaded it from a website and the download process was interrupted (for example, by a power outage or other reason), the file may be corrupted. If possible, try getting a fresh copy of the DOCX file and try opening it again.
Carefully: A corrupted file can cause collateral damage to previous or existing malware on your PC, so it's important to keep your computer up to date with an up-to-date antivirus.
If your file is DOCX associated with the hardware on your computer to open the file you may need update device drivers associated with this equipment.
This problem usually associated with media file types, which depend on the successful opening of the hardware inside the computer, for example, sound card or video card. For example, if you are trying to open an audio file but cannot open it, you may need to update sound card drivers.
Advice: If when you try to open a DOCX file you get .SYS file related error message, the problem could probably be associated with corrupted or outdated device drivers that need to be updated. This process can be facilitated by using driver update software such as DriverDoc.
If the steps didn't solve the problem and you are still having problems opening DOCX files, this may be due to lack of available system resources. Some versions of DOCX files may require a significant amount of resources (eg. memory/RAM, processing power) to open properly on your computer. This problem is quite common if you are using fairly old computer hardware and a much newer operating system at the same time.
This problem can occur when the computer is having a hard time completing a task because the operating system (and other services running in the background) can consume too many resources to open docx file. Try closing all applications on your PC before opening Microsoft Word Open XML Document. By freeing up all available resources on your computer, you will provide the best conditions for trying to open the DOCX file.
If you completed all the above steps and your DOCX file still won't open, you may need to run hardware upgrade. In most cases, even with older hardware versions, the processing power can still be more than enough for most user applications (unless you're doing a lot of CPU-intensive work like 3D rendering, financial/science modeling, or media-intensive work) . In this way, it is likely that your computer does not have enough memory(more commonly referred to as "RAM", or RAM) to perform the task of opening a file.
Using a Windows 10 device for work or school? Then you will probably need information on how to open .doc and .docx files for free.
.doc and .docx formats
The .doc and .docx formats are the most popular text file formats. The .doc extension is becoming less and less common, since documents in this format are created only in outdated versions of programs. The .docx format is a modern and functional format for documents.How to open .doc and .docx for free
You can open .doc and .docx files in both paid and free programs. We understand that most people are interested in how to open .doc and .docx for free, so we will provide several options at once: OpenOffice - this program allows you not only to open .doc and .docx files, but also provides completely the same functionality as the package . This utility is ideal for organizations, students and home use. In addition to the ability to open .doc and .docx, you will get tools for creating tables and presentations.WordPad is a modernized version of notepad. If you remember this program as a primitive text editor, then forget this state of affairs in the past. Now WordPad is a modern, powerful and professional solution that is a great tool to open .doc and .docx files. There are also limitations, this text editor is still less powerful than OpenOffice and most other paid solutions.
Paid professional option
If the free options did not suit you, then we recommend a professional solution - the program. The strongest argument in favor of using Word instead of other solutions is that Word was the first program where we saw support for the .doc and .docx format, and Microsoft, the developer of this software, is the founder of these formats.You can download Word separately or get it in a software package, such as . An important difference between these two options is that one Word is much cheaper than the full Microsoft Office package. But we still recommend that you use the full package, since the product that opens .doc and .docx files is closely related to other products, and by purchasing them all, you will get a powerful office solution. Associated with e.g. Microsoft .
In summary, if you just need to open .doc and .docx once, then use one of the free solutions. If you need to work hard, you need a powerful and professional solution, then it's hard to find something better than Microsoft Office and a separate product - Word. For those who do not know how to install the Microsoft Office package, we recommend the following video:
- Useful programs for Windows 10
Everyone knows that when working with text documents in Microsoft Office Word 2003, files are saved with the doc extension. But times are changing, new programs are being created with additional functionality, and Microsoft is no exception. New versions of programs have been created Microsoft Office 2007/2010/2013 that save with the new docx extension. Therefore, office workers and ordinary users are interested in how to open docx.
Each person does not like change, because in a new program, for example, the interface may change, but why change something that has long become familiar. But what if you have MS Word 2003 installed on your computer, and your colleague or friend gave you a file with the docx extension, but it is not possible to open it, since the MS Word 2003 version cannot open the format created in the Microsoft Office version 2007/2010/2013. Therefore, these users do not open docx files.
I will offer you 3 ways to solve this problem. Whichever is closer to you, choose the one.
Ask the user to resave the document
In the new versions of MS Word, you can save files with the *.doc extension, for this you need not just click on the save button, as we usually do, but specify with which extension you want to save the file.
Now select the file type: "Word 97-2003 Document *.doc" and then click the "Save" button.
This method is suitable for those users who can ask another user for this action. After he saves in the desired file type, he can safely send you this document, because this time you will be able to successfully open it and make changes to it.
Additional package for Microsoft Office
How to open a docx file if you can't ask a friend to send the file? This option already really solves the problem. You don't have to ask anyone! By installing this software product on your computer, you will do everything yourself.
The problem that we are now discussing with you is not only yours, and therefore Microsoft has created compatibility software specifically for such users, with which you can open files created in MS Word 2007/2010/2013 without any problems. After installing this package, you will be able to save files in Microsoft Office 2003 and then work with this document.
You can download the Compatibility Pack. Check the box below and click Continue.
The package installation will begin. After installation, a message will appear stating that the installation is complete. Click "OK".
We are trying to open files that have not been opened until recently.
Free on-line service
Above, we figured out how to open docx. But also do not forget about the services that can come in handy when there is no time to download and install programs.
The last way I wanted to talk about is an online converter. There is such a wonderful site with which you can do the conversion for free docx file in doc.
So, first we need to specify which docx the file needs to be converted. To do this, click on the "Browse ..." button, a window will appear where we specify the path to the file *.docx and click the "Open" button.
If the file is small, then the conversion will be fast. And with a large file, the process may be delayed, so keep this in mind. After uploading your file to the service, we wait a couple of seconds when the message “File converted!” appears, which means the file has been processed.
To download the file, click on the "Download" button, which is located just below.
In the above methods, I told you how to open docx in word 2003. But if there are other programs that may be installed on your computer, then you can also use them for your own purposes. If you have the free OpenOffice text editor installed, you can use it to open/save doc and docx files. OpenOffice is free, has a friendly interface and can work with this format.
This is the end of a short review of how to open a docx file. As mentioned above, the choice of how to open the file is up to you.
