Tutorial Thursday: Saving Office 2007 Files

By default, the new Microsoft Office 2007 Suite saves files in the new format. e.g. Word files are now stored as .docx, Excel files are stored as .xlsx and so on.

The problem with this format is that it cannot be read on any Office installation below 2007. So, if you send this to a friend of yours running Office 2003, he/she will not be able to even open your file!

While saving files you need to change the format from the drop-down box and select Word 97-2003 Document when using Word. Excel lists it as 97-2003 Workbook and so on.

Instead of doing this every single time you work with Word or Excel, an easier option is to change the default extension to the 97-2003 format, i.e. the one we’ve grown to love!

In Word, navigate to the Word Options by clicking the Office logo to the top left and then hitting Word Options.

Once inside Word Options, select Save from the left menu and then in the drop down box titled Save files in this format: select Word 97-2003 Document. Hit OK in this window to save the settings.

Henceforth, all files will be automatically saved in the old format. You don’t need to worry about changing the format everytime you save the file.

You can follow the same set of instructions for Excel, Powerpoint and other Office 2007 programs.