Buzz
This guide explains how to convert a Microsoft Word document from DOCX to DOC format. DOCX files, introduced in 2007, may not open on older Word versions that only support DOC files. Fortunately, you can use the latest version of Word to convert DOCX to DOC. Alternatively, online conversion tools are available if you don't have Microsoft Word.
Steps
On Windows
Open the DOCX file in Word. Double-click the DOCX file to open it with Microsoft Word. You can also right-click the DOCX file, select 'Open with...', and choose Word.
Click on the File tab located in the top left corner of the Word window. A menu will appear on the left side of the screen.
Click on the Save As option in the middle of the menu that appears on the left side of the window.
Double-click on This PC in the center of the window. The "Save As" window will appear.
Enter a new name for the DOC file. You can name the DOC version of your file anything you like.
Click on the "Save as type" drop-down menu near the bottom of the "Save As" window to see the available options.
Select Word 97-2003 Document from the available options. The Word 97-2003 Document format will save your file with a .DOC extension.
Choose a folder to save your document. You will select one of the folders on the left side of the window to store the file.
Click on the Save button located in the lower-right corner of the window. This action will save the DOC version of your document into the selected folder.
On Mac
Open the DOCX file in Word. In most cases, you can simply double-click the DOCX file to open it with Word. Alternatively, you can click once on the DOCX file to select it, then go to File
and choose Open With, followed by selecting Word from the menu that appears.
Click on the File option located at the top left corner of the screen to open a dropdown menu.
Click on the Save As… (Save As…) within the File menu. This will bring up the "Save As" window.
Give the DOC file a new name. Enter any name you prefer for the DOC version of the file.
Click on the 'File Format' dropdown menu located just below the window to view various format options.
Select the Word 97-2004 Document from the displayed list. This will save the file in DOC format.
Select a save folder. Choose one of the files on the left side of the window to save the converted document.
- You can click on the "Where" (Save location) box and select the folder from there.
Click on the blue Save button located at the bottom right of the window. This action will save the DOC version of the document to the selected folder.
Use the online conversion tool
Access the online document conversion tool by visiting https://document.online-convert.com/convert-to-doc in your computer's web browser.
Click on the gray Choose file button at the top of the page. This will open the File Explorer (on Windows) or Finder (on Mac).
Select your DOCX file. Navigate to the folder containing the DOCX file you wish to convert, then click on it once to choose it.
Click on Open in the lower right corner of the window. This action will upload the DOCX file to the conversion page.
Scroll down to the bottom of the screen and click on the Convert file button near the bottom of the page to start the conversion process.
Click on the Download button in light green on the right side of the file name after the conversion is complete. This will download the file to your computer.
- Depending on your browser settings, you may need to select a download folder or confirm the download before the DOC file is saved.
Tips
- The DOC file format is compatible with online document viewing services like Google Docs.
Warning
- If a DOCX file contains advanced formatting (such as fonts, colors, images, or icons) that isn't supported by the DOC format, those elements will not appear in the DOC version. This could lead to formatting errors, such as incorrect text placement.
