File Converter for Office 2007
How to Download and Install a File Converter for Office 2007
In computer terminology, a file extension is a short series of letters and/or numerals at the end of a personal computer filename. The extension is used to indicate the type of file and the software necessary to open the file.
All recent versions of Microsoft Office (up to and including Office 2003) used a three letter format for the file extension.
For example, an Excel 2003 workbook used xls as its extension; a Word 2003 document used doc.
This system worked well until the distribution of Microsoft Office 2007. With Office 2007 the file extension included an extra letter. For example, Word 2007 uses docx as its file extension while Excel 2007 uses xlsx.
With the addition of the extra letter, computers with Office 2003 and earlier editions could not open files created in Office 2007. (The reverse does not hold true. That is, computers using Office 2007 can open files created in Office 2003 and earlier editions.)
In order to open an Office 2007 file on your computer if you are using Office 2003 or an earlier edition, you must install an Office 2007 File Converter. This small program is free to download from the Microsoft website. To download the converter, follow these steps:
- Open Internet Explorer and navigate to www.microsoft.com.
- From the homepage, navigate to Download Center.
- At the Download page click on the link to "Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint File Formats."
- Click Download.
- Select Run from the dialog box to download and install the converter.
- You should now be able to open Office 2007 files.