DOC to DOCX Converter
Every .doc file still on a shared drive opens in Compatibility Mode, blocks newer Word features and is treated warily by mail filters. Converting to DOCX upgrades it to the current Office Open XML format with tracked changes and comments intact.
Document Converter
or drop PDF, DOC, DOCX … files here ·
Max 95 MB per file· Up to 20 files· Deleted after 30 minutes
Files are processed on our servers and deleted after 30 minutes.
150 DPI turns an A4 page into about 1240 × 1754 px. Use 300 for printing.
Convert the whole file or only some pages or slides (PDF and presentation input).
Pages or slides to convert, e.g. 1-3, 5, 8-10.
UTF-8 works for every language. Choose UTF-8 with BOM if Excel or Notepad on Windows shows garbled characters; legacy encodings only for old software.
LF for macOS, Linux and code editors; CRLF for older Windows programs such as classic Notepad.
Comma is standard. Use semicolon for Excel in countries that write decimals with a comma (Germany, France, Brazil).
Excel input with several sheets: convert all of them (one section or file per sheet) or only the first.
How to use this tool
- 1
Upload a batch of .doc files
Add up to 20 Word 97–2003 documents, or .dot templates, of up to 95 MB each.
- 2
Keep the review history
This page turns on Include comments, so tracked changes and comment threads move into the DOCX. Switch it off when you want clean final copies.
- 3
Convert and replace
Press Convert to DOCX and download the ZIP. Open two or three files in Word, then swap the batch into the folder and archive the originals.
How do I convert DOC to DOCX without opening each file?
Upload up to 20 .doc files, keep DOCX as the target and press Convert to DOCX. Text, styles, tables, images, comments and tracked changes all move to the new format.
What Compatibility Mode means for an old .doc
Open a .doc in any Word version since 2007 and the title bar adds the words Compatibility Mode. Word is emulating the Word 97–2003 layout and turning off anything the old binary format cannot store: modern equations, editable SmartArt, content controls for fillable forms, newer text effects and some collaboration features. Edits you make are saved back into the old format.
That is fine for a quick read and a nuisance for anything else. Teams that co-author in Microsoft 365 or Google Docs find that some tools only work properly with Office Open XML, and policies in many organizations open older binary files in Protected View or block them. A DOCX copy removes all of those limits in one step.
If you are clearing out an archive rather than editing, think about which files truly need to stay editable. Contracts, minutes and finished reports often belong in DOC to PDF instead, while templates and living documents should become DOCX.
2008the year Office Open XML, the format behind DOCX, became the international standard ISO/IEC 29500
DOC
Microsoft Word 97–2003 document
DOC is the binary document format used by Microsoft Word from Word 97 until Office 2007 replaced it with DOCX. It stores text, formatting, images and tables in a proprietary structure. Files are typically larger and more prone to corruption than DOCX, and newer features cannot be saved in it. Word, LibreOffice and Google Docs still open DOC files, and some older systems and organisations still require them.
- Compression
- –
- Transparency
- –
- Animation
- –
- Introduced
- 1997 · Microsoft
DOCX
Microsoft Word document
DOCX is Microsoft Word's default document format since Office 2007, based on the Office Open XML standard (ECMA-376, ISO/IEC 29500). It is a ZIP package of XML files holding text, styles, images, tables, comments and tracked changes. It is the most common format for editable documents in offices, schools and job applications. Layout can shift slightly between Word, Google Docs, LibreOffice and Pages, especially with complex formatting. Most word processors open DOCX files.
- Compression
- –
- Transparency
- –
- Animation
- –
- Introduced
- 2007 · Microsoft
Old .doc files get upgraded to DOCX to leave Compatibility Mode, unlock features added since Word 2007, shed embedded macros and keep an archive in a format that is an ISO standard rather than a legacy binary.
Migrating a folder of .doc files to DOCX
- Copy the folder first and convert the copy, so the originals stay untouched until you have checked the results
- Sort out .dot templates and convert them separately; they become .docx files you can save again as .dotx
- Convert in batches of 20 and keep each downloaded ZIP named after its source folder
- Open a sample from each batch and compare page count, tables and headers with the original
- Search the archive for files that relied on macros and decide whether those need a .docm or a rewrite
- Delete or archive the .doc originals only after colleagues have used the new files for a while
DOC to DOCX misconceptions
MythCompatibility Mode means the .doc is damaged.
FactThe file is fine. Word is simply limiting itself to features the 1997 binary layout can store.
MythA DOCX is automatically safe to open.
FactIt cannot carry VBA macros, but it can still contain links and embedded objects, so treat unexpected attachments with the same care.
MythYou need Microsoft Office to upgrade old files.
FactYou can upload the files here from any browser, and LibreOffice or Google Docs can also save .docx, one file at a time.
DOC to DOCX questions
Is converting here different from opening the .doc in Word and saving it?
The result is the same format. The difference is scale and access: Word converts one open document at a time, and File > Info > Convert needs a desktop copy of Word. Here you upload twenty files at once from any device.
Why does the converted DOCX look slightly different from the .doc?
Word applies the current layout engine once a file leaves Compatibility Mode, and it warns about this when you use its own Convert command. Line spacing and table widths can shift by a few points; text and structure do not change.
What happens to macros stored in an old .doc?
A .docx cannot contain VBA macros at all; that needs the macro-enabled .docm format. Converting therefore drops the macros, which is usually what security teams want for archived files.
Are .doc files from Word 6 or Word 95 supported?
Word 97 through 2003 saved nearly every .doc you will find today. Word 6 and Word 95 used an older binary layout; if one of those files does not convert cleanly, open it in LibreOffice, save it again as .doc and upload that copy.
How much smaller does a DOCX get than the original DOC?
DOCX is a ZIP-compressed package, so text-heavy files often shrink noticeably, while documents dominated by photos change little because JPEG images are already compressed. Results vary by file, so compare a few of yours.
Can I convert DOCX back to DOC if someone needs the old format?
Yes, with DOCX to DOC. Only do it for the one recipient on old software, and keep the DOCX as your master copy.