So, what’s exactly the difference between DOC and DOCX file extension? Actually, both of the file extension is little different from each other and in this article, we will be explaining the major difference between doc and docx.
What is the difference between .doc and .docx?
Well, in simple words, DOC is an older file type and Microsoft Word has used the DOC as its default file type for a long time. DOC has been used since the first release of Microsoft Word for MS-DOS. On the other hand, DOCX format was developed by Microsoft as a successor to DOC. So, .docx is a relatively newer version of file type which contains more features than .doc. Microsoft introduced DOCX as the new standard for word processing and also because of the rising competition from free & open-source formats like Open Office and ODF. In DOCX, the coding work was done in XML. In fact, the X in .docX stands for XML. The new version of .DOC also supports some advanced features. The .DOCX format also brings some improvements like its usually smaller in size and its supported by the majority of third-party office applications.
How To Convert DOC File To DOCX?
Normally, most of the Microsoft word processing tools that open a DOC file can convert the document to DOCX file format. However, if you are using Microsoft Word 2003, then you can’t open the DOCX file because of compatibility issues. So, if you want to convert DOCX to DOC format, you need to open the DOCX file in Microsoft Word 2007 or later and save it into the DOC format. Well, its worth to note that Microsoft also released a compatibility pack for the older version of Microsoft Word that brings DOCX support. You can use Microsoft’s other tools like Microsoft Word, LibreOffice Writer, Google Docs, etc to convert DOC files to other file formats.
So, which is better DOC or DOCX?
In my opinion, DOCX seems to be the right one because it results in a smaller and lighter file size. However, DOCX format can create problems if you are using Microsoft Office 2003 or older because it can’t open the DOCX file type. Normally, DOCX files are easier to read and transfer because of smaller file size and all word processing software. Both DOC and DOCX are word processing file from Microsoft Word and the only difference is the year of the program that created them. So, what’s your opinion on the difference between doc and docx? Share your opinion on the comment box.
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