You cannot open documents that were created in an earlier version of Microsoft Word for Mac

Consider the following scenario. In Microsoft Word 2008 for Mac, you try to open a document that was created in an earlier version of Microsoft Word for Mac. To do this, you use one of the following methods:

• You double-click the document.
• You drag a document to the Word 2008 for Mac program icon.
• You drag a document to the Word 2008 for Mac program icon that is in the Dock.
• You run an AppleScript that uses the Finder to open a Microsoft Word document.

In this scenario, the document does not open as expected in the Word 2008 for Mac program.

This issue occurs because an issue in Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac Service Pack 1 prevents Word from opening documents correctly when you double-click the document or when you download the document from a Web site.

The Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac 12.1.1 Update resolves this issue for document file types that are used most frequently.

However, the Office 2008 for Mac 12.1.1 Update continues to prevent Word from opening a few older Word for Mac document file types when you use the methods that are mentioned in the "Symptoms" section. The update does this because these documents may pose a security threat.

For more information about the Office 2008 for Mac 12.1.1 Update, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

To work around this issue, open the document from an earlier version of Word for Mac in Word 2008 for Mac. To do this, follow these steps:

1. On the File menu, click Open.
2. On the File menu, click Save As.
3. In the Format list, select Word Document (.docx), and then click Save.
   
   This procedure prevents the document from being blocked in the future in Word 2008 for Mac.

This issue affects the following Word for Mac file types.