Posted on August 12th, 2008
How can I open a .docx file?
(UPDATE: With the passing of time this is less of an issue than it was, but if you're using older software you may still run into this issue.)
You may have recently received an attachment from a friend or business associate, that was saved in the latest version of Microsoft Office. Though it appears to be a Word file, you can't seem to open it. It's because you have an older version of Word or Office.
The .docx file format was introduced by Microsoft in Office 2007 and is intended to replace the previous .doc format. The problem is that older versions of Word cannot open this type of file. (The other applications in Office also have an "x" appended to the end, indicating the new format: .xlsx, .pptx etc.)
This new file type is actually a zipped archive of several files constituting Microsoft's Office Open XML format. If you change the file extension manually to .zip and unzip it, you'll get a folder you can peek in to see the other files.
Aside from updating your Microsoft Office software, to view the newer file format, you can download and install a couple of utilities from Microsoft.
- Download Word viewer
- Download Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats
An even better (though slightly more time intensive) solution would be to download and use OpenOffice.org instead of Microsoft Office, and convince your friends and coworkers to do the same. It's a free (open source) alternative to the entire Office suite of applications, and comes with an unbeatable price tag.
