Microsoft Office 2007 Documents Do Not Open In Office 2003

Trouble:

One of our readers sent a problem that he is not able to open Microsoft office files with extensions “.docx” – Word Document , “.xlsx” – MS excel file and “.pptx” – Powerpoint presentations.

This is a common problem with many users who use MS office versions which are older than MS office 2007. The documents saved by the new office software are not backward compatible directly. But there is a very useful and easy add-on available from Microsoft itself.

Also we will tell you a workaround to save your documents in such a way that will open it on any computer with older version of Microsoft office.

Fix:

Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack

There is a compatibility pack which lets you open the newer MS office documents with extensions .docx , .xlsx and .pptx with the older versions of MS Office 2000, Office XP, or Office 2003. You will also be able to open, edit, and save files using the file formats new to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007. You simply need to download Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack and install it on your computer which has the older version of MS office.

Fool-proof Method : Save Files In Compatible Format

You can install this compatibility pack in your computer, but if you need to send your document to a client or a friend or anyone else who does not have this compatibility pack, then you will still be in trouble. To avoid such trouble we give you a very useful tip, because we always believe “Prevention is better than cure”.

We will tell you how you can save the documents in older formats which will open the documents with the new as well as old versions of MS office, without any problem.

To save it in compatible format, simply click on the circular office logo at the top left corner of MS word / or Excel or PowerPoint > click on Save As arrow > and select the MS office 97-2003 compatible version as shown in images below.

Hope you find it useful, in case you have some problems or suggestions, please leave comment below.

Author + Admin: Abhishek Bhatnagar
Hi, I am a Software Engineer by profession and blogger by passion, I write about computer tips and tricks and solutions for computer problems. You can connect with me at twitter or know more about me on www.abhishekbhatnagar.com.