These files will now open directly in Word 2013 just as standard Word documents do, and conversion between Word documents and PDFs is a snap. Converted PDFs will even retain formatting from the original Word file. As a world-class productivity app, Word 2013 allows for smaller apps to run within its system. Run Word open a new file or an existing file. Click the 'File' tab 'Info' click 'Manage Document'. Click 'Recover Unsaved Documents'. You will see the list of your unsaved files. Select the file and click 'Open' 'Save As' to store the Word file. When Microsoft Word has stopped working or Microsoft Word not opening to opening for a document on Windows 10/8/7, don't worry. You can use methods on this page to resolve Microsoft Word has stopped working issue and use EaseUS file recovery software to repair and recover deleted Word files with ease.
LibreOffice Writer, like OpenOffice, is a completely free and open-source product that offers word processing, support for.doc and.docx file formats, and all the tools the average Microsoft Word. With Office 2016, Microsoft introduced a new, highly useful collaboration feature in Word: Co-editing (or co-authoring), which allows multiple people to work on a document at the same time.
Sometimes called Winword, MS Word, or Word, Microsoft Word is a word processor published by Microsoft. It is one of the office productivity applications included in the Microsoft Office suite. Originally developed by Charles Simonyi and Richard Brodie, it was first released in 1983.
Microsoft Word is available for Microsoft Windows, Apple macOS, Android, and Apple iOS. It can also run on the Linux operating system using WINE.
What is Microsoft Word used for?
Microsoft Word allows you to create professional-quality documents, reports, letters, and résumés. Unlike a plain text editor, Microsoft Word has features including spell check, grammar check, text and font formatting, HTML support, image support, advanced page layout, and more.
What does the Microsoft Word editor look like?
Below is an overview of a Microsoft Word 2010 document.
TipSee our Ribbon page for further information on the Ribbon. For an overview of the tools contained on the Ribbon, see: Overview of the Microsoft Office Ribbon.
Where do you find or start Microsoft Word?
If you have Microsoft Word or the entire Microsoft Office package installed on Microsoft Windows, you can access Microsoft Word in your Start menu.
Keep in mind that new computers do not include Microsoft Word. It must be purchased and installed before running it on your computer. If you do not want (or cannot afford) to purchase Microsoft Word, you can use a limited version for free at the Microsoft Office website.
NoteThere are also free word processing programs you can try that are very similar to Microsoft Word. See: Where can I get a free word processor?
If Microsoft Word is installed on your computer, but you can't find it in your Start menu, use the following steps to launch Microsoft Word manually.
- Open My Computer.
- Click or select the C: drive. If Microsoft Office is installed on a drive other than the C: drive, select that drive instead.
- Navigate to the Program Files (x86) folder, then the Microsoft Office folder.
- In the Microsoft Office folder, if there is a root folder, open that folder. Then open the OfficeXX folder, where XX is the version of Office (e.g., Office16 for Microsoft Office 2016). If there is no root folder, look for and open a folder having 'Office' in the name.
- Look for a file named WINWORD.EXE and click or double-click that file to start the Microsoft Word program.
What are the uses of Microsoft Word?
Microsoft Word is a word processor, and, like other word processors, it's capable of helping users create a variety of different types of documents. For example, users can create a résumé, business contract, instruction document, or a letter to another person. We've included a list of the top uses of a word processor on our word processor page.
How many lines are there on a page in Microsoft Word?
By default, there are 29 lines on one page in Microsoft Word.
What type of files can Microsoft Word create and use?
Early versions of Microsoft Word primarily created and used the .docfile extension, while newer versions of Word create and use the .docx file extension.
More recent versions of Microsoft Word can create and open the following types of files:
- .doc, .docm, .docx
- .dot, .dotm, .dotx
- .htm, .html
- .mht, .mhtml
- .odt
- .rtf
- .txt
- .wps
- .xps
- .xml
Example of a Microsoft Word .doc file
You can download an example of a Microsoft Word .doc document by clicking the Microsoft Word .doc file link.
Why use Word instead of a plain-text editor?
Microsoft Word offers many features not found in a traditional text editor or a plain-text file. Some advantages include the ability to change the formatting (e.g., center), edit the font type, size, and color, insert pictures, and much more.
TipThe features above are also available in a rich-text editor, such as WordPad, which is included with Microsoft Windows.
Microsoft Word Workflow
Why use Word instead of a WordPad?
A rich-text editor, like WordPad, offers many of the same basic features as Microsoft Word. Where Microsoft Word differs is the ability to do more advanced features. Some of the advanced features include mail merges, spellchecker, styles, tables, headers & footers, WordArt, columns, margins, and more.
What are the different versions of Microsoft Word?
Microsoft Word has had several versions throughout its history. The different releases, with release dates are listed below.
Windows versions
- Word 2019, released in 2018
- Word 2016, released in 2016
- Word 2013, released in 2013
- Word 2010, released in 2010
- Word 2007, released in 2006
- Word 2003, released in 2003
- Word 2002, released in 2001
- Word 2000, released in 1999
- Word 98, released in 1998
- Word 97, released in 1997
- Word 95, released in 1995
- Word 6.0, released in 1993
- Word 2.0, released in 1991
- Word 1.1, released in 1990
- Word 1.0, originally invented for MS-DOS and Xenix in 1983 by Charles Simonyi and Richard Brodie, working for Bill Gates and Paul Allen. Word was released in the Windows OS in 1989
Mac versions
- Word 2019, released in 2018
- Word 2016, released in 2015
- Word 2011, released in 2010
- Word 2008, released in 2008
- Word 2004, released in 2004
- Word v. X, released in 2001
- Word 2001, released in 2000
- Word 98, released in 1998
- Word 6, released in 1993
- Word 5.1, released in 1992
- Word 5, released in 1991
- Word 4, released in 1989
- Word 3, released in 1987
- Word 1, released in 1985
Related pages
Desktop publishing, Editor, Google Docs, Office, Office 365, Office Online, Software terms, WordPad, Word processor, Word processor terms
-->Applies to:Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise, Office 2019, and Office 2016
Supported file formats and their extensions are listed in the following tables for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
File formats that are supported in Word
The following table describes the file formats that are supported in Word, alphabetized by extension.
| Extension | Name of file format | Description |
|---|---|---|
| .doc | Word 97-2003 Document | The binary file format for Word 97-Word 2003. |
| .docm | Word Macro-Enabled Document | The XML-based and macro-enabled file format for Word 2019, Word 2016, Word 2013, Word 2010, and Office Word 2007. Stores Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) macro code. |
| .docx | Word Document | The default XML-based file format for Word 2019, Word 2016, Word 2013, Word 2010, and Office Word 2007. |
| .docx | Strict Open XML Document | Conforms to the Strict profile of the Open XML standard (ISO/IEC 29500). This profile of Open XML doesn't allow a set of features that are designed specifically for backward-compatibility with existing binary documents, as specified in Part 4 of ISO/IEC 29500. |
| .dot | Word 97-2003 Template | Template for Word 97-Word 2003 files. |
| .dotm | Word Macro-Enabled Template | Template for creating new Word 2019, Word 2016, Word 2013, Word 2010, and Office Word 2007 files that contain macros. Users who want to include UI customizations or macros in the template should use this file format. |
| .dotx | Word Template | Template for creating new Word 2019, Word 2016, Word 2013, Word 2010, and Office Word 2007 files that do not contain macros. |
| .htm, .html | Web Page | A web page that is saved as a folder that contains an .htm file and all supporting files, such as images, sound files, cascading style sheets, scripts, and more. Good for posting on a site or editing with Microsoft Office FrontPage or another HTML editor. |
| .htm, .html | Web Page, Filtered | Saving in the Web Page, Filtered file format removes Microsoft Office-specific tags. If users save in filtered HTML and then re-open the file in an Office application, text and general appearance are preserved. However, some features might work differently. |
| .mht; .mhtml | Single File Web Page | A web page as a single file that includes an .htm file and all supporting files, such as images, sound files, cascading style sheets, scripts, and more. |
| .odt | OpenDocument Text | A file format for saving Word 2019, Word 2016, and Word 2013 files so that they can be opened in document applications that use the OpenDocument format. Users can also open documents in the .odt format in Word 2019, Word 2016, and Word 2013. Formatting might be lost when users save and open .odt files. |
| .pdf | PDF | Portable Document Format (PDF), a PostScript-based electronic file format that was developed by Adobe Systems. It preserves document formatting and enables file sharing. Files that use the PDF file format can be saved and opened by using Word 2019, Word 2016, and Word 2013. Important: PDF files might not have a perfect page-to-page correspondence with the original. For example, the pages might break at different locations. |
| .rtf | Rich Text Format | RTF controls the representation and formatting of a document, both on the screen and in print. When they use the .rtf file format, documents created under different operating systems and with different software applications can be transferred between those operating systems and applications. |
| .txt | Plain Text | When users save a document as a .txt file, the document loses all formatting. |
| .wps | Works 6-9 Document | This is the default file format of Microsoft Works, versions 6.0 through 9.0. |
| .xml | Word 2003 XML Document | The XML format supported in Office Word 2003. |
| .xml | Word XML Document | The XML file format supported in Word 2019, Word 2016, Word 2013, Word 2010, and Office Word 2007 (Open XML). |
| .xps | XPS Document | XML Paper Specification, a file format that preserves document formatting and enables file sharing. When the XPS file is viewed online or printed, it keeps exactly the format that users intended, and the data in the file cannot be easily changed. You can use Word 2019, Word 2016, or Word 2013 to save documents in the XPS Document file format, but you can't open them by using Word 2019, Word 2016, or Word 2013. |
File formats that are supported in Excel
The following tables describe the file formats that are supported in Excel.
| Extension | Name of file format | Description |
|---|---|---|
| .csv | CSV (Comma delimited) | Saves a workbook as a comma-delimited text file for use on another Windows operating system, and makes sure that tab characters, line breaks, and other characters are interpreted correctly. Saves only the active sheet. |
| .csv | CSV (Macintosh) | Saves a workbook as a comma-delimited text file for use on the Macintosh operating system, and makes sure that tab characters, line breaks, and other characters are interpreted correctly. Saves only the active sheet. |
| .csv | CSV (MS-DOS) | Saves a workbook as a comma-delimited text file for use on the MS-DOS operating system, and makes sure that tab characters, line breaks, and other characters are interpreted correctly. Saves only the active sheet. |
| .dbf | DBF 3, DBF 4 | dBase III and IV. Users can open these files formats in Excel 2019, Excel 2016, and Excel 2013, but, users can't save an Excel file to dBase format. |
| .dif | DIF (Data Interchange Format) | Saves only the active sheet. |
| .htm, .html | Web Page | A web page that is saved as a folder that contains an .htm file and all supporting files, such as images, sound files, scripts, and more. |
| .mht, .mhtml | Single File Web Page | A web page that is saved as a single file that includes an .htm file and all supporting files, such as images, sound files, scripts, and more. |
| .ods | OpenDocument Spreadsheet | A file format for saving Excel 2019, Excel 2016, and Excel 2013 files so that they can be opened in spreadsheet applications that use the OpenDocument Spreadsheet format, such as Google Docs and OpenOffice.org Calc. Users can also open spreadsheets in the .ods format in Excel 2019, Excel 2016, and Excel 2013. When users save and open .ods files, they might lose formatting. |
| .pdf | PDF | Portable Document Format, a format that preserves document formatting and enables file sharing. When the PDF format file is viewed online or printed, it keeps the format that users intended. Data in the file cannot be easily changed. The PDF format is also useful for documents that will be reproduced by using commercial printing methods. |
| .prn | Formatted Text (Space delimited) | Lotus space-delimited format. Saves only the active sheet. |
| .slk | SYLK (Symbolic Link Format) | Saves only the active sheet. |
| .txt | Text (Tab delimited) | Saves a workbook as a tab-delimited text file for use on another Windows operating system, and makes sure that tab characters, line breaks, and other characters are interpreted correctly. Saves only the active sheet. |
| .txt | Text (Macintosh) | Saves a workbook as a tab-delimited text file for use on the Macintosh operating system, and makes sure that tab characters, line breaks, and other characters are interpreted correctly. Saves only the active sheet. |
| .txt | Text (MS-DOS) | Saves a workbook as a tab-delimited text file for use on the MS-DOS operating system, and makes sure that tab characters, line breaks, and other characters are interpreted correctly. Saves only the active sheet. |
| .txt | Unicode Text | Saves a workbook as Unicode text, a character encoding standard that was developed by the Unicode Consortium. Saves only the active sheet. |
| .xla | Excel 97-2003 Add-In | The Excel 97-2003 Add-In, a supplemental program that runs additional code and supports VBA projects. |
| .xlam | Excel Add-In | The XML-based and macro-enabled Add-In format for Excel 2019, Excel 2016, Excel 2013, and Office Excel 2007. An Add-In is a supplemental program that runs additional code. Supports VBA projects and Excel 4.0 macro sheets (.xlm). |
| .xls | Excel 97-Excel 2003 Workbook | The Excel 97-Excel 2003 Binary file format. |
| .xls | Microsoft Excel 5.0/95 Workbook | The Excel 5.0/95 Binary file format. |
| .xlsb | Excel Binary Workbook | The binary file format for Excel 2019, Excel 2016, Excel 2013, and Excel 2010 and Office Excel 2007. This is a fast load-and-save file format for users who need the fastest way possible to load a data file. Supports VBA projects, Excel 4.0 macro sheets, and all the new features that are used in Excel. But, this is not an XML file format and is therefore not optimal for accessing and manipulating content without using Excel 2019, Excel 2016, Excel 2013, Excel 2010 or Excel 2007 and the object model. |
| .xlsm | Excel Macro-Enabled Workbook | The XML-based and macro-enabled file format for Excel 2019, Excel 2016, Excel 2013, Excel 2010 and Office Excel 2007. Stores VBA macro code or Excel 4.0 macro sheets (.xlm). |
| .xlsx | Excel Workbook | The default XML-based file format for Excel 2019, Excel 2016, Excel 2013, Excel 2010, and Office Excel 2007. Can't store VBA macro code or Microsoft Excel 4.0 macro sheets (.xlm). |
| .xlsx | Strict Open XML Spreadsheet | An ISO strict version of the Excel Workbook file format (.xlsx). |
| .xlt | Excel 97 - Excel 2003 Template | The Excel 97 - Excel 2003 Binary file format for an Excel template. |
| .xltm | Excel Macro-Enabled Template | The macro-enabled file format for an Excel template for Excel 2019, Excel 2016, Excel 2013, Excel 2010, and Office Excel 2007. Stores VBA macro code or Excel 4.0 macro sheets (.xlm). |
| .xltx | Excel Template | The default file format for an Excel template for Excel 2019, Excel 2016, Excel 2013, Excel 2010, and Office Excel 2007. Can't store VBA macro code or Excel 4.0 macro sheets (.xlm). |
| .xlw | Excel 4.0 Workbook | An Excel 4.0 file format that saves only worksheets, chart sheets, and macro sheets. Users can open a workbook in this file format in Excel 2019, Excel 2016, and Excel 2013. But, users can't save an Excel file to this file format. |
| .xml | XML Spreadsheet 2003 | XML Spreadsheet 2003 file format. |
| .xml | XML Data | XML Data format. |
| .xps | XPS Document | XML Paper Specification, a file format that preserves document formatting and enables file sharing. When the XPS file is viewed online or printed, it maintains exactly the format that users intended, and the data in the file cannot be easily changed. |
File formats that are supported in PowerPoint
The following tables describe the file formats that are supported in PowerPoint.
| Extension | Name of file format | Description |
|---|---|---|
| .bmp | Device Independent Bitmap | A slide that is saved as a graphic for use on web pages. |
| .emf | Enhanced Windows Metafile | A slide that is saved as a 32-bit graphic (for use with Microsoft Windows 95 and later versions). |
| .gif | GIF Graphics Interchange Format | A slide that is saved as a graphic for use on web pages. |
| .jpg | JPEG File Interchange Format | A slide that is saved as a graphic for use on web pages. |
| .mp4 | MPEG-4 Video | A presentation that is saved as a video. |
| .odp | OpenDocument Presentation | A format that can be opened in presentation applications that use the OpenDocument Presentation format, such as Google Docs and OpenOffice.org Impress. Users can also open presentations in the .odp format in PowerPoint. Some information might be lost when users save and open .odp files. |
| .pdf | PDF | Portable Document Format, a PostScript-based electronic file format that was developed by Adobe Systems. It preserves document formatting and enables file sharing. |
| .png | PNG Portable Network Graphics Format | A slide that is saved as a graphic for use on web pages. |
| .pot | PowerPoint 97-2003 Template | A template for PowerPoint 97 to Office PowerPoint 2003 presentations. |
| .potm | PowerPoint Macro-Enabled Template | A template for PowerPoint 2019, PowerPoint 2016, PowerPoint 2013, PowerPoint 2010, and Office PowerPoint 2007 presentations that contain macros. |
| .potx | PowerPoint Template | A template for creating new PowerPoint 2019, PowerPoint 2016, PowerPoint 2013, PowerPoint 2010, and Office PowerPoint 2007 presentations. |
| .ppa | PowerPoint 97-2003 Add-In | A PowerPoint 97 to Office PowerPoint 2003 add-in. |
| .ppam | PowerPoint Add-In | An add-in that stores custom commands, Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) code, and specialized features. |
| .pps | PowerPoint 97-2003 show | A presentation that always opens in Slide Show view instead of in Normal view. |
| .ppsm | PowerPoint Macro-Enabled Show | A slide show that includes macros. |
| .ppsx | PowerPoint Show | A presentation that always opens in Slide Show view instead of in Normal view. |
| .ppt | PowerPoint 97-2003 Presentation | The default PowerPoint 97 to Office PowerPoint 2003 format. |
| .pptm | PowerPoint Macro-Enabled Presentation | A presentation that contains Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) code. |
| .pptx | PowerPoint Presentation | The default PowerPoint 2019, PowerPoint 2016, PowerPoint 2013, PowerPoint 2010, and Office PowerPoint 2007 XML-based file format. |
| .pptx | PowerPoint Picture Presentation | A PowerPoint 2019, PowerPoint 2016, PowerPoint 2013, PowerPoint 2010 or PowerPoint 2007 presentation where each slide is converted into a picture. Saving a file as a PowerPoint Picture presentation reduces the file size, but some information is lost. |
| .pptx | Strict Open XML Presentation | An ISO strict version of the PowerPoint Presentation file format (.pptx). |
| .rtf | Outline/RTF | A presentation outline that is saved as a text-only document that provides smaller file sizes and the ability to share macro-free files with other users who might not have the same version of PowerPoint or the operating system. Any text in the notes pane is not saved with this file format. |
| .thmx | Office Theme | A style sheet that includes definitions of a color theme, font theme, and effect theme. |
| .tif | TIFF Tag Image File Format | A slide that is saved as a graphic for use on web pages. |
| .wmf | Windows Metafile | A slide that is saved as a 16-bit graphic (for use with Microsoft Windows 3. x and later versions). |
| .wmv | Windows Media Video | A presentation that is saved as a video. PowerPoint 2019, PowerPoint 2016, and PowerPoint 2013 presentations can be saved at High Quality (1024 x 768, 30 frames per second); Medium Quality (640 x 480, 24 frames per sec); and Low Quality (320 X 240, 15 frames per second). The WMV file format plays on many media players, such as Windows Media Player. |
| .xml | PowerPoint XML Presentation | The XML format that is supported in PowerPoint 2019, PowerPoint 2016, PowerPoint 2013, PowerPoint 2010, and Office PowerPoint 2007. |
| .xps | XPS Document | XML Paper Specification (XPS), an electronic paper format for exchanging documents in their final form. |
Microsoft Word Work Free Online
Unsupported file formats in Office
Office applications do not support the file formats described in the following table
| Application | Unsupported file format |
|---|---|
| Excel | - Excel Chart (Excel 2.0, 3.0, and 2.x file formats) (.xlc) - Lotus 1-2-3 file formats (all versions) (.wk1, .wk2, .wk3, .wk4, .wks) - Microsoft Works (all versions) (.wks) - DBASE II file format (.dbf) - Quattro Pro for MS-DOS file format (.wq1) - Quattro Pro 5.0 and 7.0 for Windows (.wb1, .wb3) |
| PowerPoint | - Opening or saving to PowerPoint 95 (or earlier) file formats - Pack and Go Wizard (.ppz) files. - Web Page (.htm, .html) files |
Additional file format information
This section provides additional file formats and whether they are supported in the applications in Office.
Microsoft Office Clipboard file formats
Microsoft Word Cannot Create Work File
Users can paste data from the Office Clipboard into Word, Excel, and PowerPoint if the Office Clipboard data is in one of the formats shown in the following table.
| File format | Extension | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Picture | .wmf or .emf | Pictures in Windows Metafile Format (WMF) or Windows Enhanced Metafile Format (EMF). Note: If users copy a Windows metafile picture from another program, Excel pastes the picture as an enhanced metafile. |
| Bitmap | .bmp | Pictures stored in Bitmap format (BMP). |
| Excel file formats | .xls | Binary file formats for Excel versions 5.0/95, Excel 97-2003, Excel 2013, Excel 2016, and Excel 2019. |
| SYLK | .slk | Symbolic Link Format. |
| DIF | .dif | Data Interchange Format. |
| Text (tab-delimited) | .txt | Tab-separated text format. |
| CSV (Comma-delimited) | .csv | Comma-separated values format. |
| Formatted text (Space-delimited) | .rtf | Rich Text Format (RTF). Only from Excel. |
| Embedded object | .gif, .jpg, .doc, .xls, or .bmp | Excel objects, Excel 2013 objects, objects from correctly registered programs that support OLE 2.0 (OwnerLink), and Picture or another presentation format. |
| Linked object | .gif, .jpg, .doc, .xls, or .bmp | OwnerLink, ObjectLink, Link, Picture, or other format. |
| Office drawing object | .emf | Office drawing object format or Picture (Windows enhanced metafile format, EMF). |
| Text | .txt | Display Text, OEM Text. |
| HTML | .htm, .html | Hypertext Markup Language. Note: When users copy text from another program, Excel pastes the text in HTML format, regardless of the format of the original text. |
| Single File Web Page | mht, .mhtml | This file format integrates inline graphics, applets, linked documents, and other supporting items referenced in the document. |
Opening or viewing unsupported file formats
If the file format that users want to use is not supported, they can try the following methods to open the file.
Search the internet for a company that makes file format converters for file formats that are not supported in the application.
Save to a file format that another program supports. For example, users might want to import their Word, Excel, or PowerPoint file into another program that does not support the application's native file format. However, the other program might support importing another supported file format, such as a text file format. In this case, users can save their work in text file format, and then from the other program, import the text file.