How to Convert Documents to Word Documents

Documents created in other programs can be opened in Microsoft Word.

While Microsoft Word is among the most widely used word processing programs, it's far from the only one. That's why you may sometimes receive documents created with other programs. You can use your Word application to open them, but you may need to convert the documents first.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Within Word

1. Save the document that you want to open in Word to your desktop.

2. Open your Word application.

3. Click "File" on the main menu bar. Scroll down and click "Open."

4. Browse for the document that you saved in Step 1. Highlight it in the dialog box and click the "Open" button.

5. Click "File" in your main menu bar. Scroll down and click "Save As." Type a name for the document and save it as a .doc file. Click the "Save" button.

Using an Online Service

1. Save the document that you want to open in Word to your desktop.

2. Open a browser and go to the Zamzar website (see Resources). Zamzar is a free online file-conversion service.

3. Click the "Choose File" button. Find the document that you saved in Step 1, then click the "Choose" or "Open" button.

4. Hit the "Convert file(s) to:" drop-down menu. Choose "doc" as the file type. Type in your email address. This is where your document will be sent.

5. Click the "Convert" button. Check your email for your converted document. Right-click on the document in your email and click "Save As." Save the document to your desktop.

6. Open your Word application. Click "File" on the main menu bar. Scroll down and click "Open."

7. Browse for the document that you saved in Step 5. Highlight it in the dialog box and click the "Open" button.

References

• Microsoft: Convert Works Documents to Word Format
• Zamzar: Frequently Asked Questions

Resources

• Zamzar