Word for the web lets you make edits and formatting changes to your document in a web browser. For features that aren't available in Word for the web, use the Open in Desktop command.
The document you open in Word for the web is the same document you open in the Word desktop app, but some features work differently between the two environments.
In this article
File formats supported in Word for the web
Word for the web opens documents in these formats:
- Word Document (.docx)
- Word Template (.dotx)
- Word Macro-Enabled Document (.docm) or Word Macro-Enabled Template (.dotm)
The document can be opened, but macros do not run. - Word 97-2003 Document (.doc) or Word 97-2003 Template (.dot)
Word for the web displays documents in these formats, but to edit the document in the browser, Word for the web saves a new copy of the document in .docx or .dotx format. Word for the web can’t save documents in the .doc or .dot formats. - OpenDocument Text (.odt)
This format is supported for documents stored in a SharePoint library.
Word for the web can’t open documents in other file formats. For example, these formats are not supported: Open Document Format (ODF), Rich Text Format (RTF), Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions HTML (MHTML), and Portable Document Format (PDF). ODT format is not supported for documents stored on OneDrive.
Features supported for viewing and printing
When you view or print a document in Word for the web, the document looks the same as it does in Print Layout view in the Word desktop app. Word for the web uses a PDF reader to print documents (see the list of supported PDF readers). If you want Word features for printing (such as adjusting page margins), click Open in Word, and print in the Word desktop app.
When you are viewing a document, some features work differently in the browser than they do in the Word desktop app. To use features that are not available in Word Web App, click Open in Word.
| This Feature | Works like this in Word for the web |
|---|---|
| Print Layout view | Word for the web displays a document as it looks in Print Layout view. Other views available in the Word desktop app (Outline, Draft, Web Layout, and Full Screen Reading) are not available in Word for the web. Likewise, the Navigation pane, side-by-side viewing, and split windows are not available in Word for the web. |
| Rulers and gridlines | Word for the web does not display rulers and gridlines. |
Features that differ between the browser and the desktop
When you edit a document in Word for the web, the document is presented in Editing view so that you can edit and format text. Editing view doesn’t show page formatting, such as margins or page breaks, cover pages, or headers and footers. Additionally, many kinds of objects are displayed as placeholders.
The following tables describe how Word Web App supports features that might apply to your documents. To use features beyond what’s available in Word for the web, click Open in Desktop.
Opening and saving
| This Feature | Works like this in Word Web App |
|---|---|
| File protection: IRM or password | Word for the web can’t open documents that are encrypted with a password or protected with Information Rights Management. Open these documents in the Word desktop app. |
| Permission to modify | A document that requires a password to modify it opens in Word Web App in Reading view, but the document cannot be edited in the browser. Click Open in Desktop to remove editing restrictions. |
| Save | Word for the web automatically saves changes as you work. |
| Manage Versions | Versions are managed on the server rather than in Word for the web. If your document is stored on OneDrive, use the Version History feature in OneDrive. If your document is stored in a SharePoint library, see if the Version History feature has been configured for the library. |
Editing and formatting
| This feature | Works like this in Word for the web |
|---|---|
| Copy and Paste | Copy and paste text. Text is formatted to match the text surrounding where it is pasted in Word for the web. |
| Font formatting | Apply bold, italics, underline, strikethrough, subscript, superscript, font, size, color, and highlighting. You can also clear font formatting. |
| Paragraph formatting | Align paragraphs left, right, or centered; run text right-to-left or left-to-right; increase or decrease indentation; format paragraphs as a bulleted or numbered list. You can also clear formatting. You cannot adjust line spacing in Word for the web. |
| Numbering and bullets | Apply one of several built-in numbering or bullet styles. |
| Styles | Apply one of a gallery of built-in styles. You can also clear formatting. You cannot create new styles or modify styles in Word for the web. |
| Find | Find is available in Word for the web. Some advanced find and replace capabilities available in the Word desktop app may not be available online. |
| Zoom | Zoom is available through your browser’s zoom controls. |
| Page margins and orientation | Page layout is preserved but can’t be edited in Word for the web. |
| Line breaks and page breaks | Breaks between lines and pages are displayed in Reading view. In Editing view, line breaks are represented as placeholders, and page breaks are not indicated. |
| Columns | Page layout is preserved but can’t be edited in Word for the web. |
| Theme, page color, watermarks | Theme and page background are preserved in the document but can’t be edited in Word for the web. |
| Co-authoring | Co-authoring Multiple authors can work simultaneously on documents stored in OneDrive or SharePoint. Co-authoring is supported in Word for the web and current versions of Word. |
Reviewing
| This Feature | Works like this in Word for the web |
|---|---|
| Proofing tools | Check spelling and set the proofing language, using the built-in dictionary. Word for the web does not use a custom dictionary and does not include grammar checking, translation, or a thesaurus. |
| Comments | Comments can be viewed and worked with in Word for the web. For advanced commenting features that aren't available online, select Open in Desktop. |
| Tracked changes | Tracked changes appear in Reading view. To track your changes or to edit a document with tracked changes in it, click Open in Desktop. This also applies if the Track Changes feature was turned on when the document was last saved in Word. The feature for comparing versions is not available in Word for the web. |
Objects
| This Feature | Works like this in Word Web App |
|---|---|
| Hyperlinks | Insert, edit, and follow hyperlinks. Bookmark and cross-reference links work, and you can edit their display text, but not their destination, in Word for the web. |
| Tables | Insert tables. Select by table, column, row or cell; delete by table, column, or row; Insert rows and columns; align cell text left, right, or centered. More sophisticated table features--such as table styles, cell size, text direction, and sort order--are preserved in the document, but cannot be configured in Word for the web. |
| Pictures and clip art | Insert pictures stored on your computer. You can resize pictures and clip art, and you can add alt-text to them. To move a picture or clip art image, cut and paste it. More sophisticated features for working with pictures, such as applying effects and cropping, are not available in Word for the web. You can’t create screenshots directly in Word for the web, but screenshots in a document display as pictures in Word for the web. |
| Shapes, charts, text boxes, SmartArt, WordArt | These are preserved in the document. In Word for the web, they may appear as placeholders and cannot be edited, moved, or resized. |
| Equations, symbols, ink | These are preserved in the document. In Word for the web, they may appear as placeholders and cannot be edited, moved, or resized. |
| Fields, content controls, cover page | These are preserved in the document. In Word for the web, they may appear as placeholders and cannot be edited or updated. A cover page may appear as a placeholder for a content control. |
| Headers and footers | Headers and footers are preserved in the document. In Word for the web, they are not available for editing. |
| Footnotes, endnotes, bibliography, table of contents, index | These are preserved in the document. In Word for the web, they may appear as placeholders and cannot be edited or updated. |
| Macros | You can view, edit, print, and share documents that contain macros, but to run the macros click Open in Desktop. |
| ActiveX controls, embedded OLE objects, signature line | These objects are preserved in the document. In Word for the web, they may appear as placeholders and cannot be edited, moved, or resized. |
| Linked pictures, embedded files | These are preserved in the document but are displayed as placeholders in Word for the web. |
