DOCX to DOC Converter
Some software stopped at Word 2003 and still rejects anything newer. Upload your .docx and get a .doc in the Word 97–2003 binary format, with text, styles, tables and pictures carried over.
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
Add the DOCX files
Upload one document or a batch of up to 20, each up to 95 MB. DOTX templates and DOCM files are accepted too.
- 2
Decide about review notes
Include comments is off, so the DOC is a clean final copy. Turn it on under Advanced settings if the reader needs your comments and tracked changes.
- 3
Convert to DOC
Press Convert to DOC and send or upload the .doc file wherever the newer format was refused.
When you need to convert DOCX to DOC
Converting to an older format sounds backward, and most of the time it is: every current word processor, from Word and Google Docs to LibreOffice and Pages, opens DOCX. The exceptions are stubborn, though. A court or tender portal may validate the extension and accept .doc only, a machine controlling lab equipment may run Office 2003 because its software was certified on it, or a client's archive system may index only the binary format.
In those cases a docx to doc converter saves you from looking for an old copy of Word. If the other side only needs to read the document, not edit it, a PDF is often accepted where DOCX is not, and DOCX to PDF keeps the layout fixed. Going the other direction, DOC to DOCX upgrades old files you have received.
How Word's two formats came about
1997
Word 97 binary format
The .doc layout used, with small changes, by Word 97, 2000, XP and 2003.
2006
Compatibility Pack
A free add-on lets Office 2000 to 2003 open the coming DOCX format.
2007
DOCX becomes the default
Word 2007 saves Office Open XML, a ZIP of XML parts, standardized as ECMA-376.
2008
ISO/IEC 29500
Office Open XML is published as an international standard; Microsoft also opens the DOC specification.
2014
Office 2003 support ends
Extended support stops on April 8, 2014, but many installs keep running offline.
Which Word features survive in a .doc file
| from ↓ · to → | DOCX | DOC |
|---|---|---|
| Text, fonts, styles | Text, fonts, styles to DOCX: yes | Text, fonts, styles to DOC: yes |
| Tables | Tables to DOCX: yes | Tables to DOC: yes |
| Headers and footers | Headers and footers to DOCX: yes | Headers and footers to DOC: yes |
| Comments and tracked changes | Comments and tracked changes to DOCX: yes | Comments and tracked changes to DOC: yes |
| Word 2007+ equations | Word 2007+ equations to DOCX: yes | – Word 2007+ equations to DOC: no |
| SmartArt | SmartArt to DOCX: yes | – SmartArt to DOC: no |
| Content controls | Content controls to DOCX: yes | – Content controls to DOC: no |
The feature list above is the whole story for most letters, CVs and reports, which use nothing newer than styles, tables and pictures. Forms built with content controls lose their clickable fields, so a fillable template should stay DOCX. If the reader opens the DOC in a recent Word, it shows Compatibility Mode in the title bar; that is expected and harmless.
DOCX and DOC format facts
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
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 is stepped down to DOC when the reader is frozen in time: a legacy upload form, a document system from the 2000s or a computer still on Office 2003 that turns away anything saved by Word 2007 or later.
DOCX to DOC questions
Who still asks for a .doc file instead of .docx?
Mostly systems rather than people: older document management and case-filing software, job portals built years ago, and PCs still running Office 2003 or earlier, often in labs, factories and small offices that never upgraded. If an upload form lists only .doc, it was usually written before DOCX existed.
Will the DOC file be bigger than my DOCX?
Usually, yes. A DOCX is a ZIP archive, so its XML is compressed, while a DOC stores its content uncompressed in a binary container. A text-heavy file can come out two or three times larger; one dominated by photos changes less, since the photos are already compressed.
What happens to equations written in Word 2007 or later?
The DOC format predates Word's current equation editor, so those equations can only be shown as pictures. They look right on screen and in print but can no longer be edited as math. Keep the DOCX as your working copy.
Could the recipient install something so Word 2003 reads DOCX?
Microsoft released a Compatibility Pack in 2006 that let Office 2000, XP and 2003 open DOCX files. It has long been out of support, and locked-down machines often cannot install add-ons at all, which is why converting on your side is usually simpler.
Why do some mail filters treat .doc attachments with suspicion?
A DOC file can carry macros without any sign in its name. In the newer format, a document with macros must be saved as .docm, so a plain .docx is known to be macro-free. Mention in your message why you are sending the older format.