Change Word 2007 default compatibility mode
If you have been using Word 2007 for a while you might have noticed that when you save a file, people using an older version of Word can’t open them by default. This is because Microsoft Office 2007 has different file formats. Word files save as .docx, Excel saves as .xlsx, PowerPoint as .pptx and so on. If you see a file with one of these extensions, you can automatically assume that the files were made in an Office 2007 program and saved with Office 2007 compatibility. That means you have to have Office 2007 to open them.
If you have Word 2007, you can save a file with compatibilty for Word 97-2003. This will allow people using Word 2003 to be able to open your files. However this might be annoying to change the file type every single time you save a file. Microsoft lets you change the default way a file is saved and here’s how:
- Open Word 2007
- Click the big Office button at the top
- Click on Word Options
- Click the Save item on the left side of the menu
- Under Save files in this format, choose Word 97-2003 Document (*.doc)
- Press OK
And that’s all there is to it. Now what happens if you have Office 2003 and some one sends you an Office 2007 file and you really need to open it. Well Microsoft has provided a free tool that you can install and it will let you read Office 2007 files. The Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and Powerpoint 2007 File Formats is available here. You just download and install it.
