Open a Word 2010 document in an earlier version of Word

To open Microsoft Word 2010 .docx or .docm files by using Microsoft Office Word 2003, Word 2002, or Word
2000, you need to install the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel and PowerPoint Open XML
File Formats and any necessary Office updates. By using the Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel and
PowerPoint Open XML File Formats, you can open, change some items, and save Word 2010 documents in
earlier versions of Word.

In this article
Install the Compatibility Pack
Features that behave differently in earlier versions

Install the Compatibility Pack

You can download the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel and PowerPoint Open XML File
Formats from Office.com.
With the Compatibility Pack, you can use some earlier versions of Word to open Word 2010 documents that
were saved in .docx and .docm formats. You cannot open Word 2010 template files that were saved in .dotx
or .dotm format.
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Features that behave differently in earlier versions

Although you can open Word 2010 files in earlier versions of Word, you may not be able to change some items
that were created by using the new or enhanced features in Word 2010. For example, equations will become
images that cannot be changed. The following is a list of document elements that are changed when they are
opened in an earlier version of Word.
NOTE

If you are using Microsoft Word Starter 2010, be aware that not all the features listed for Word 2010

are supported in Word Starter. For more information about the features available in Word Starter, see Word
Starter feature support.

Word 2010
element

Change when opened in Word 2007

Change when opened in Word 97-2003

New
numbering
formats

New numbering formats are converted to

Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, 4, ...).

New numbering formats are converted to

Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, 4, ...).

New shapes
and text
boxes

Shapes and text boxes are converted to

effects available in this format.

Shapes and text boxes are converted to

effects available in this format.

Text effects

Effects on text are permanently removed

unless the effects are applied by using a
custom style. If they are applied by using
the style, the text effects will appear again
when the document is reopened in Word
2010.

Effects on text are permanently removed

unless the effects are applied by using a
custom style. If they are applied by using the
style, the text effects will appear again when
the document is reopened in Word 2010.

Alternative
text on
tables

Tables lose alternative-text information.

Tables lose alternative-text information.

OpenType
features

New type features are removed.

New type features are removed.

Blocking
authors

Blocks applied to regions of the document

will be removed.

Blocks applied to regions of the document will

be removed.

New
WordArt
effects

Effects on text are permanently removed.

Effects on text are permanently removed.

New
content
controls

Permanently converted to static content.

Permanently converted to static content.

Word 2007
Content
controls

No change.

Permanently converted to static text.

Themes

No change.

Permanently converted to styles. If the file is

later opened in Word 2010, you cannot
automatically change the style by using
themes.

Major/minor
fonts

No change.

Permanently converted to static formatting. If

the file is later opened in Word 2010, heading
and body fonts won't automatically change if
you use a different style.

Tracked
moves

No change.

Permanently converted to insertions and

deletions.

Tabs

No change.

Alignment tabs will be converted to traditional

tabs.

SmartArt
graphics

No change.

Become a single object that cannot be edited

unless no changes are made and it is
reopened in Word 2010.

Charts and
diagrams

No change.

Some charts and diagrams will be converted

to images that cannot be changed. Data
beyond supported rows is lost.

Open XML
Embedded

No change.

Converted to static content.

objects
Building
blocks

No change.

Building Blocks and AutoText entries may lose

some information.

Bibliography

No change.

Permanently converted to static text.

Citations

No change.

Permanently converted to static text.

Equations

No change.

Become graphics and cannot be changed. Any

comments, endnotes, or footnotes in the
equations will be permanently lost when the
document is saved.

Relative
text boxes

No change.

Permanently converted to absolute

positioning.

NOTE

In addition to the changes listed in the table, the following items behave differently when you open a

Word 2010 .docx or .docm file in Word 2000:

Macros and macro signatures will be removed.
Mail merge data will be lost and you will not be able to connect to data sources.
You will not be able to open password-protected files, even if you know the password.
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