Although the new docx file format from Office 2010 is far superior to the legacy doc format, in this tip I’ll show you how to make the legacy format the default when saving documents.
Of course, you can always go to File in the ribbon, hit Save As, and select the Word 97-2003 format.
But if, like me, you want to make the option permanent, here’s how to do it (it’s quite easy). First, go to File in the top ribbon, then select Options on the menu on the left, just like I did below.
In the window that comes up, go to Save » Save files in this format and select Word 97-2003 Document (*.doc). Now hit ok.
That’s it! Now Word 2010 will save in the old doc format. I was interested when you started the paragragh off with “don’t know about you, but I still have friends I send documents to that still use Windows XP and Office 2003 (believe it or not).” I suspect that there are a high percentage of people around the world who have an xp pc, plus Office 2003. It would be interesting to see the stats of systems people use. Lots of people I know have never encoutered Office 2007 let alone Office 2010. I think we mustn’t assume that everyone will get the latest version or the newest shiny thing. Could be a cost thing, although that is decreasing with Online apps via Hotmail. Could also be that “well my pc works for what I need so why do I need to change it or I’m too busy to bother etc. PS. DOCX is a disaster. MS was like “We’ll make another exclusive MS format that pretends to be related to XML but is nothing of the sort and breaks all compatibility with everything else, including our own software.” Wait, why am I laughing? oh yeah, I’m joining MS as they laugh at you. Perhaps we can write about some of them. Thanks, Kevin First, let me tell you that in this Word 2010 – 97 compatibility tip you have helped a handicapped person. For seven years I have enjoined every associate who sends me .DOCX files to always send them as .DOC files. Since then media outlets may have finally upgraded, but it is no longer my problem to fix every mistake others make; I had a stroke. (I save every Word document in .DOC form for a different reason; we have a dozen computers on our home network, all with licenses for every bit of software they use. I won’t elaborate.) The massive cerebellar infarction I suffered ten months ago left me unable to walk and it later became apparent that I could no longer complete complex tasks. I now can walk well enough to get the cardio/strength exercise necessary for me to heal completely. Sitting at a computer for days at a time doing the hundreds of hours non-profit work a month that I am committed to doing prevents me from exercising. Wrestling with Windows 10 to make it work like Windows 98 is even harder… but I did it! I’ll add a link to your site to the computers we use every day; my wife is also heavily involved in non-profit work (haven’t looked for it yet). Best regards & Thanks again. – jesseritz Comment Name * Email *
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