Article ID: 1200
Last Review: Aug 4, 2008
Type: Article
Overview of Microsoft Office 2007/2008 file formats and compatibility
Microsoft Office 2007/2008 use file formats that are (by default) incompatible with older versions of Office. However, compatibility with older versions of Office is still possible.
File Formats in Microsoft Office 2007/2008
The file formats used by Microsoft Office 2007 for Windows and Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac are, by default, incompatible with previous versions of Microsoft Office.
The Microsoft Office 2007/2008 file formats can be identified by their file extensions.
- Word 2007/2008 extensions are .docx
- Excel 2007/2008 extensions are .xlsx
- PowerPoint 2007/2008 extensions are .pptx
File Format Compatibility
By default, the file format used by Microsoft Office 2007/2008 is not compatible with any previous version of Microsoft Office for Windows or Mac. This incompatibility issue can be resolved in two ways.
- On Windows, older versions of Microsoft Office can open files in the Office 2007/2008 format by installing the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack.
- On Mac, use the Open XML File Format Converter to convert Office 2007/2008 files so you can open, edit, and save them in earlier versions of Office for Mac.
Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Windows
Install "Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats" so you can open, edit, and save files in the Office 2007/2008 file format.
This update is for Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Vista. To use this update, you must have Office 2000, Office XP, or Office 2003.
For more information, refer to 1205: Install Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack to enable compatibility with Office 2007/2008 file format.
Open XML File Format Converter for Mac
Install "Open XML File Format Converter for Mac." Doing so allows you to convert Office 2007/2008 files so you can open, edit, and save them in earlier versions of Office for Mac.
This update is for Mac OS X 10.4.9 (and higher). To use this update, you must have Microsoft Office 2004 or Microsoft Office X.
For more information, refer to 1121: How to convert Microsoft Office 2007/2008 files to an older format in Mac OS X.
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