How to Open a .docx File If You Do Not Have Office 2007
Method 1: Installing Microsoft's Office 2007 Compatibility Pack
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Links: Microsoft , Apple
Microsoft has released a compatibility pack to assist users of older versions of Office to open the newer OpenXML (.docx, .xlsx, .pptx) file format. This compatibility pack does not even require that you have Office 97, 2000, or 2003.
Step 1: Click on the link to download the Microsoft Office 2007 Compatibility Pack
Step 2: After the page loads, click on the button labeled "Download".
Step 3: This will bring you to the download page, and after a moment, a Windows Save dialog box will open. By default, the file is called "FileFormatConverters.exe." (At this point it is a good idea select either the My Documents folder or the Desktop as you save location, to make it easier to find the file once it has downloaded.)
Step 4: Either close or minimize your browser to view your Desktop. If you saved the file to this location, you should see a new file named "FileFormatConverters.exe" (the .exe will not be visible if "hide extensions for known file types" is turned on); otherwise, double-click My Documents or My Computer to navigate to this file.
Step 5: Double-click the "FileFormatConverters.exe" icon to start the program. This will start the installation process.
Step 6: When presented with the End-User Licensing Agreement (EULA), click the box next to "accept Microsoft Software License Terms," and then click the button labeled "Continue."
After installation, a pop-up window should notify you that the installation is complete.
Mac OSX users who wish to install the Compatibility Pack must download it from Apple's web site, and may follow roughly the same steps, substituting Windows-specific conventions for those of their Operating system.
Method 2: Upload to Zamzar.com
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Links: http://www.zamzar.com
Zamzar.com is an Internet Web site that will allow you to convert files between formats. In addition to converting .docx files to .doc files, you can also convert image, music, video, and archive files to more familiar formats. Files must be 100mb or smaller. After converting your file, Zamzar.com e-mails the converted file to you, so for large file sizes, you might want to use an address other than mcneese.edu mail.
Step 1: Either click on or type into your browser's address bar: www.zamzar.com
Step 2: Follow the directions on the bottom of the page
The steps necessary to convert a file are listed on the main page. If you only need to view or print the .docx file, converting the file to a PDF produces excellent results. Additionally, by converting to an .rtf file, the document can then be opened on any word processor (Microsoft Works, IBM Symphony, OpenOffice.org, Word Pad, WordPerfect, etc.)
Caveat: Never upload anything to this Web site that you wish to remain private. Only information transmitted over secure socket layer (SSL) connections retain a certain level of privacy. (Web sites which begin with "https://" and evoke a "padlock" icon on your browser's status bar utilize SSL connections.)
Method 3: Free Alternatives to Office 2007
The following Office Suites are free to download and use, and either currently support OpenXML or will support OpenXML in the coming months:
Lotus Symphony Suite (multi-platform) - From IBM, currently supports reading & writing to OpenXML formats
OpenOffice.org (multi-platform) - Support for OpenXML in the current beta version; OO.o version 3 with full support due out in September
OxygenOffice Professional (multi-platform) - Latest version supports full read & partial write to OpenXML
NeoOffice (Mac) - reads and writes to OpenXML formats
Zoho Office (online) - converts .docx