Sharing documents with other versions of Office

Open XML Format

When you create a document or template in Word, Word automatically saves the document or template in the Open XML Format. This file format differs from the format used by Word 2004 for Mac or earlier and Word 2003 for Windows or earlier. The sections below describe the file formats that you can use to share a Word document or template with people who use other versions of Word.

Important

Some items that were created using new features in Office for Mac 2011 might behave differently when the document is saved in the file format used by Office 2004 for Mac or earlier. Use the Compatibility Report to avoid using new Office features that might behave differently with earlier versions of Office.

Document

Template