How to open and save Word 2007, Excel 2007, and PowerPoint 2007 files in earlier versions of Office programs

This article discusses the following topics:

• Where to download the "Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats" (Compatibility Pack) package that enables you to open, edit, and save documents, workbooks, and presentations in the file formats that are new in the 2007 Microsoft Office programs.
• The changes that are made to the earlier versions of Office programs after you install the Compatibility Pack.
• The issues that you may encounter if the computer is not fully updated to be compatible with the 2007 Office Open XML formats.

This article is intended for a beginning to intermediate computer user.

Users of Microsoft Office XP and of Microsoft Office 2003 must install all high priority updates from Microsoft Update (http://update.microsoft.com (http://update.microsoft.com) ) before they download the Compatibility Pack.

For users of Office 2003, Service Pack 3 (SP3) must be installed. To download SP3 for Office XP, visit the following Microsoft Web site: For users of Microsoft Office 2000, no updates have to be applied.

By installing the Compatibility Pack together with Office 2000, Office XP, or Office 2003, you can open, edit, and save files by using the file formats that are new in Word 2007, Excel 2007, and PowerPoint 2007. The Compatibility Pack can also be used together with the Microsoft Office Word Viewer 2003, Excel Viewer 2003, and PowerPoint Viewer 2003 to view files that are saved in these new formats.

Note See the "Issues that occur if Office is not fully updated" section for examples of the kinds of issues and errors that you may receive if you try to use 2007 Microsoft Office documents by using earlier versions of Office programs without installing the compatibility pack and updates.

Prerequisites

Before you install the Compatibility Pack, you must make sure that your computer has all the necessary updates. To make sure that you are ready to install, review the information for your version of Office.

Office 2000

No updates have to be applied.

Office XP

For Office XP, Service Pack 3 (SP3) for Office XP must be installed. To download SP3 for Office XP, visit the following Microsoft Web site: Additionally, Office XP must be updated with the following three updates that were released after SP3: To verify that these updates are installed for Office XP, follow these steps, as appropriate your operating system.

Windows XP

1. Click Start, click Control Panel, and then click Add or Remove Programs.
2. Click Change or Remove Programs on the right side.
3. Click to select the Show Updates check box.
4. Locate the Microsoft Office XP product in the list of installed programs.
5. Click to select the Office XP product, and then click the Click here for support information link. Verify that the version that is indicated is 10.0.6626.0 or a later version, and then close the Support Info dialog box.
   
   Note Newer versions of the updates for Excel 2002, PowerPoint 2002, and Word 2002 were released since the release of the updates that are listed in this article. If these updates are not specifically listed as installed updates, then you must check file version of the application files to make sure that the minimum level is met. To do this, follow these steps:
   1. Click Start, and then click Run. Copy and then paste (or type) the following command in the Open box, and then press ENTER:
      %programfiles%\Microsoft Office\Office10
   2. Locate the Excel.exe, PowerPnt.exe, and Winword.exe files.
   3. Select each file separately, and then, on the File menu, click Properties. Click the Version tab to check the version. The minimum file versions are listed in the following table.
      Collapse this tableExpand this table

      Program	Version
      Excel.exe	10.0.6809.0
      Powerpnt.exe	10.0.6804.0
      Winword.exe	10.0.6804.0

Windows Vista

1. Click Start, click Control Panel, and then click Uninstall a Program.
2. Locate the Office XP product in the list of applications that are installed.
3. Click Organize, click Layout, and then click Details.
4. Verify that the installed version is 10.0.6626.0 or a later version. To do this, view the information at the bottom of the Uninstall or change a program window. This version number indicates that Service Pack 3 for Office XP is installed.
   
   Note You may have to maximize the window in order to see the version information. To maximize the window, position the pointer in the Title Bar, and then double-click it.
5. Click View installed updates in the list of Tasks on the left.
   
   Note Newer versions of the updates for Excel 2002, PowerPoint 2002, and Word 2002 were released since the release of the updates that are listed in this article, if these updates are not specifically listed as installed updates, then you must check file version of the application files to make sure that the minimum level is met. To do this, follow these steps:
   1. Click Start, type %programfiles%\Microsoft Office\Office10 in the Start Search box, and then press ENTER:
   2. Locate the Excel.exe, PowerPnt.exe, and Winword.exe files.
      
      Note The .exe extension may be hidden. In that case, the file names are listed as Excel, PowerPnt and Winword. In some cases, when the visible file name extension is hidden, then the file name will be the same for multiple files. The file that has a Type that is listed as Application is the one to select. To see the Type attribute, click Details on the Views menu.
   3. Select each file separately, and then, on the File menu, click Properties. Click the Details tab to check the version. The minimum file versions are listed in the following table.
      Collapse this tableExpand this table

      Program	Version
      Excel.exe	10.0.6809.0
      Powerpnt.exe	10.0.6804.0
      Winword.exe	10.0.6804.0

Office 2003

For Office 2003, Service Pack 3 for Office 2003 must be installed. Service Pack 3 for Office XP is available on the following Microsoft Web site: To verify that these updates are installed for Office 2003, follow these steps, as appropriate for your operating system.

Windows XP

1. Click Start, click Control Panel, and then click Add or Remove Programs.
2. Click Change or Remove Programs on the right side.
3. Click to select the Show Updates check box.
4. Locate the Microsoft Office 2003 product in the list of installed programs.
5. Verify that Office 2003 Service Pack 3 (SP3): MAINSP3 is listed among the updates for the Office 2003 product.

Windows Vista

1. Click Start, click Control Panel, and then click Uninstall a Program.
2. Locate the Office XP product in the list of installed applications.
3. Click Organize, click Layout, and then click Details.
4. Locate the Office 2003 product in the list of applications, and then verify that Office 2003 Service Pack 3 (SP3): MAINSP3 is in the list of installed updates for Office 2003.

Download and install Compatibility Pack

You must install the Compatibility Pack in order to use 2007 Microsoft Office documents in Office 2000, Office XP, and Office 2003. Visit the following Microsoft Web site to view more information and to download the Compatibility Pack: After you install the Compatibility Pack successfully, you are finished. See the next section, "Use 2007 Microsoft Office documents in earlier Office programs," for some tips about opening and saving 2007 Microsoft Office files in your version of Office programs.

If you received an error or the installation did not finish, see the "Contact Support" section.

Use 2007 Microsoft Office documents in earlier Office programs

After you install the required updates and the compatibility pack, you can use 2007 Microsoft Office documents in earlier versions of Office programs.

Excel 2002 and Excel 2003

In Excel 2003 and Excel 2002, you can now create, open, edit, and save the following Excel 2007 file formats:

• Excel Workbook (*.xlsx)
• Excel Macro-Enabled Workbook (*.xlsm)
• Excel Binary Workbook (*.xlsb)
• Excel Template (*.xltx)
• Excel Macro-Enabled Template (*.xltm)
• Excel Add-In (*.xlam)

Additionally, you can use Windows Explorer to open files and save files in the Excel 2007 formats.

Excel 2000

In Excel 2000, you must use Windows Explorer to open and save Excel 2007 documents. To open an Excel 2007 file in Excel 2000, follow these steps:

1. Locate the file in Windows Explorer.
2. Double-click the file.

Note Excel 2000 must be installed on the computer. If other versions of Microsoft Excel are also installed, the file may open in a different version of Excel than expected.

To save an Excel 2000 file as an Excel 2007 file, follow these steps:

1. Locate the file in Windows Explorer.
2. Right-click the file, and then click Save As.
3. In the Save As dialog box, click one of the following Excel 2007 file formats in the Save as type box, and then click Save:
   • Microsoft Office Excel 2007 Workbook (*.xlsx)
   • Microsoft Office Excel 2007 Macro-Enabled Workbook (*.xlsm)
   • Microsoft Office Excel 2007 Binary Workbook (*.xlsb)
4. When the save is complete, click OK.

PowerPoint 2002 and PowerPoint 2003

In PowerPoint 2003 and PowerPoint 2002, you can now create, open, edit, and save the following PowerPoint 2007 file formats:

• PowerPoint Presentation (*.pptx)
• PowerPoint Macro-Enabled Presentation (*.pptm)
• PowerPoint Template (*.potx)
• PowerPoint Macro-Enabled Template (*.potm)
• PowerPoint Show (*.ppsx)
• PowerPoint Macro-Enabled Show (*.ppsm)

Additionally, you can use Windows Explorer to open files and save files in the PowerPoint 2007 formats.

PowerPoint 2000

In PowerPoint 2000, you must use Windows Explorer to open and save PowerPoint 2007 documents. To open a PowerPoint 2007 file in PowerPoint 2000, follow these steps:

1. Locate the file in Windows Explorer.
2. Double-click the file.

Note PowerPoint 2000 must be installed on the computer. If other versions of Microsoft PowerPoint are also installed, the file may open in a different version of PowerPoint than expected.

To save a PowerPoint 2000 file as a PowerPoint 2007 file, follow these steps:

1. Locate the file in Windows Explorer.
2. Right-click the file, and then click Save As.
3. In the Save As dialog box, click one of the following PowerPoint 2007 file formats in the Save as type box, and then click Save:
   • Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007 Presentation (*.pptx)
   • Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007 Macro-Enabled Presentation (*.pptm)
4. When the save is complete, click OK.

Word 2000, Word 2002, and Word 2003

In Word 2003, 2002, and 2000, you can now create, open, edit, and save the following Word 2007 file formats:

• Word Document (*.docx)
• Word Macro-Enabled Document (*.docm)

Additionally, you can use Windows Explorer to open files and save files in the Word 2007 formats.

Issues that occur if Office is not fully updated

The following are issues that may occur if the computer was not updated to be compatible with the 2007 Microsoft Office documents, and you try to open, save, or edit files in the new file format.

When you try to open a file that was saved in one of the 2007 Microsoft Office formats in an earlier version of the Office program, you may experience one of the following issues:

Issue 1

If the computer is not updated and you did not install the Office Compatibility Pack, you will receive one of the following error messages when you try to open the file, depending on the program that you are using.

Word

When you use the Open dialog box or when you use a drag-and-drop operation to move the file into the version of Word that you are using, you receive the following message: When you double-click the file in Windows Explorer, or you double-click the file as an attachment in e-mail, you receive the following error message:Excel

When you use the Open dialog box or when you use a drag-and-drop operation to move the file into the version of Excel that you are using, you receive the following error message: When you double-click the file in Windows Explorer, or you double-click the file as an attachment in e-mail, you receive the following error message: PowerPoint

When you use the Open dialog box or when you use a drag-and-drop operation to move the file into the version of PowerPoint that you are using, you receive the following error message: When you double-click the file in Windows Explorer, or you double-click the file as an attachment in e-mail, you receive the following error message:

Resolution for Issue 1

To resolve this issue, install the Office Compatibility Pack and each update for your version of the Office program.

Issue 2

If the computer is not updated, but the Office Compatibility Pack is installed, you might receive an error message when you try to open the file, depending on the program that you are using.

Word

When you use the Open dialog box or when you use a drag-and-drop operation to move the file into the version of Word that you are using, the file opens correctly. And, when you double-click the file in Windows Explorer, the file opens correctly.

Excel

When you use the Open dialog box or when you use a drag-and-drop operation to move the file into the version of Excel that you are using, you receive the following error message: When you double-click the file in Windows Explorer, the file opens correctly.

PowerPoint

When you use the Open dialog box or when you use a drag-and-drop operation to move the file into the version of PowerPoint that you are using, you receive the following error message: When you double-click the file in Windows Explorer, the file opens correctly.

Resolution for Issue 2

To resolve this issue, install each update for your version of the Office program.

Issue 3

If the computer is updated, but the Office Compatibility Pack is not installed, you receive the following error message when you try to open a file in Word, Excel, or PowerPoint:

Resolution for Issue 3

To resolve this issue, install the Office Compatibility Pack. For more information about the compatibility pack, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

If you were unable to download or install the Compatibility Pack or the updates, you might want to ask someone you know for help. You can also use the Microsoft Customer Support Services Web site to find other solutions. Some services that the Microsoft Customer Support Services Web site provides include the following:

• Searchable Knowledge Base (http://support.microsoft.com/search/?adv=1) : Search technical support information and self-help tools for Microsoft products.
• Solution Centers (http://support.microsoft.com/select/?target=hub) : View product-specific frequently asked questions and support highlights.
• Microsoft Customer Support Newsgroups (http://www.microsoft.com/communities/newsgroups/default.mspx) : Contact counterparts, peers, and Microsoft Most Valuable Professionals (MVPs).
• Other Support Options (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?pr=csshome) : Use the Web to ask a question, contact Microsoft Customer Support Services, or provide feedback.

If you continue to have questions after you use these Microsoft Web sites or if you cannot find a solution on the Microsoft Support Services Web site, click the following link to contact Support: