Convert DOCX to DOC, the older Word format
Turn a DOCX into a DOC online. No account needed.
or drop your DOCX anywhere on this page
DOCX → DOC
When you still need a .doc file
To convert DOCX to DOC, press Select DOCX file or drop the file on this page, then press Convert to DOC and download the result. It takes one step on our server, which opens the document and saves it in the Word 97-2003 format. Your file keeps its name, so budget.docx comes back as budget.doc.
Word has saved .docx by default since 2007, and current versions still open the older files. So you only need the old format when something insists on it: a computer still running Word 2003 or earlier, or an upload form or records system that turns away anything newer.
If nothing forces it, stay with the newer format. The old one has no room for some features Word gained after 2007, listed below, so keep your original as the working copy and hand over the converted file only where it is asked for.
How to convert DOCX to DOC
- 1Select or drop your DOCX
Nothing uploads until you press convert.
- 2Choose your options
We show the route and its fidelity grade up front.
- 3Download your DOC
Then it is deleted after 24 hours, automatically.
Modern Word. The default way the working world writes things down.
Word from before the zip. Still turns up in email from your accountant.
One step, one tool. Nothing is interpreted on the way.
What a .doc file can and cannot hold
We built a test document with features from recent versions of Word, converted it here and read the result back. Everyday content came through untouched. The parts the older format has no place for did not.
| In the DOCX | In the DOC |
|---|---|
| Text, headings, tables, pictures and web links | Kept |
| Headers, footers with page numbers, and footnotes | Kept |
| Reviewer comments and tracked changes | Kept, and the changes can still be accepted or rejected |
| A4 or US Letter page size | Kept |
| Fonts, including Aptos | Kept by name; a computer without the font shows a stand-in |
| Fill-in fields (content controls): a text box, a tick box, a date picker, a drop-down list | Plain text: the value you chose stays, but nobody can fill the field in again |
| An equation made with Word's equation tool | Missing: the line where it stood came out empty |
| A glow effect on text | Dropped: the words stay, without the glow |
The page grades this conversion Exact because it is one step with one program and nothing is redrawn on the way. The grade describes the route. It is not a promise that every newer feature survives.
Saving as .doc from Word
Desktop Word can do this itself. Open the file, choose File > Save As and pick a folder, then in the Save as type list choose Word 97-2003 Document (*.doc) and press Save. Word for the web cannot make one: it saves only .docx, PDF and ODT.
To see what will change first, choose File > Info > Check for Issues > Check Compatibility. Word lists the features an earlier version cannot hold.
This page is for the times Word is not there, such as a shared or borrowed computer, or one without Office. Nothing is installed, and the free plan converts one file at a time, up to 25 MB, three times a day, with no account. If the reader only needs to view or print the document, Word to PDF gives a file that looks the same everywhere. Starting from a PDF instead? Convert the PDF to Word and pick DOC as the Word version, or convert PDF to RTF for rich text that almost any word processor opens.
Questions people ask
How do I convert DOCX to DOC if Word is not installed?
Use this page. Press Select DOCX file, or drop the file on the page, then press Convert to DOC and download the result. The work happens on our server, so there is nothing to install, and the free plan needs no account.
Will anything be lost when I save DOCX as DOC?
Everyday content comes through: in our test the text, tables, pictures, links, headers, footers, footnotes, comments and tracked changes were all kept. Features newer than the format were not. An equation made with Word's equation tool went missing, fill-in fields became plain text, and a glow effect on text was dropped.
Will the DOC look exactly like the DOCX?
For most documents, yes. In our test the page size, layout and font names were kept, and drawn as a PDF the converted file looked the same as the original. A font the reader's computer lacks, such as Aptos, is shown in another font, and equations and text effects do not come through.
Is DOC the same as Word 97-2003 format?
Yes. Microsoft calls a .doc a Word 97-2003 Document, the format Word 97 to Word 2003 saved in, and Word 2007 replaced it with .docx. We checked the header of the files this page makes: they are in that format.
Can I convert the DOC back to DOCX later?
Yes: convert DOC to DOCX is one step too. In our test the comments, tracked changes, table and picture all came back. What the conversion dropped, such as an equation or a fill-in field, does not return, so keep your original.
Is converting DOCX to DOC free?
Yes. Up to 25 MB and three conversions a day are free, with no account. Pro and Business lift the file limit to 100 MB and remove the daily cap.
What happens to my files?
Both your DOCX and the DOC we produce are deleted 24 hours after each conversion, automatically. Try again and Continue to another tool start a new conversion, with its own 24 hours. Nothing is used for training and no human looks at your documents.
Do I need to install anything?
No. Nothing to install. Pick or drop a file here, it's converted on our servers, and you download the result.
How large can my file be?
25 MB on the free plan, and 100 MB on Pro and Business.
Can I convert several files at once?
On Pro and Business, yes: add up to 100 files before converting. The free plan converts one file at a time.
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