Docx format was introduced by Microsoft in 2007 with a quest for
people to upgrade their office software and other Microsoft services.
This version of MS Office 2007 is not compatible with the older versions
like Office 2003 or Office 2000. I get annoyed when I receive the .docx
files from my friends and I don’t have Office 2007 installed on my
machine and I don’t have any plans to upgrade it either.
So I will tell you five known ways to open a .docx file even if you don’t have microsoft office 2007 installed on your computer.
1. Microsoft Compatibility Pack
This
pack is introduced by Microsoft so that its new products are backward
compatible with the older software. This pack will allow you to open,
edit and save all your office documents in the latest versions of the
Microsoft. This pack is available from the website of the company.
2. OpenOffice
This is an open source alternative to the Microsoft Office. This
software is free and easy to use. You can open them directly or using
its Open XML Translator tool.
3. Go Online
Internet is flooded with many websites that offer you free services to
convert the .docx format into .doc format online. There are several
popular online converters available such as Zamzar and docx2doc. You can opt for the offline conversion also by downloading the Docx-convertor dashboard from here.
4. Google Docs
And here comes the Google to rescue us from this situation. The Google
docs enable you to view your .docx file online but keep in mind that the
formatting can be affected.
5. Using Firefox Extension
OpenXML
Viewer Firefox Plugin is developed for Microsoft Office 2007 or higher
version that enables you to view the .docx files in the browser itself.
This plugin works by converting the .docx into HTML on the fly retaining
all the formatting and other layouts. You can download this plugin from
here.
