How to Use the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack
With the introduction of Microsoft Office 2007, Microsoft also introduced a new type of standard file format. You may have noticed that documents created in Office 2007 no longer have the familiar extensions. The new standard extensions all have an "x" on the end---".docx," for example for Word documents. This is because Microsoft's default office formats are now XML, which allows for, among other things, smaller file sizes. However, it does mean that Office 2003 and earlier users will need a converter to open the documents. This converter is the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Go to Microsoft.com, and under "Downloads & Trials" on the menu bar click "Download Center." Generally, the "Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats" will be on the top of the "Popular Downloads" list. You can also use the link in the "Resources" section below to go directly to the download.
-
2
Click the "Download" button and follow the on-screen instructions to download and install the Compatibility Pack.
-
-
3
Double-click on any Office 2007 file to open it. The correct program (such as Word or Excel) should open. You should see a status bar on the bottom of the window showing that the program is converting the file.
-
4
Click "OK" on the warning box that pops up explaining that the document was created in a newer version of the program, and some features may not work. See the image for an example.
-
5
Save the document in your version of the program. For example, if you have Word 2003, go to File>Save as Type and choose "Word Document." You will now have two versions of the document--one in Office 2007 format and one in Office 2003.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
If you are sending a file---a Word document, for example, to another user and you use Word 2007---save the file as a "Word 97-2003 Document." This ensures the user on the other end will be able to open it without any compatibility issues.
