How to Open, Edit and Convert DOC Files

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 This article explains what a DOC file is, how to open it with and without MS Word, and how to convert it to another file format like DOCX or PDF.

What is a DOC File?

A file with the .doc file extension is a Microsoft Word document file. It is the default file format used by Microsoft Word 97-2003, while newer versions of MS Word (2007+) use the DOCX file extension by default.

This format can store images, formatted text, tables, graphics, and other things common to word processors.

This older DOC format differs from DOCX primarily in that the latter uses ZIP and XML to compress and store the content, while DOC does not.

Note: DOC files are not related to DDOC or ADOC files, so be sure to read the file extension carefully before trying to open it.

How to Open a DOC File

Microsoft Word (version 97 and later) is the main program used to open and work with DOC files, but it is not free to use.

There are free alternatives to Microsoft Office that include support for DOC files, such as LibreOffice Writer, OpenOffice Writer, and WPS Office Writer. All of these applications can open and edit DOC files.


If you don't have a word processor installed on your computer and don't want to add one either, Google Docs is a good alternative that allows you to upload .doc files to your Google Drive account for viewing, editing, and even sharing. file through your web browser. It's much quicker to go this route than installing a word processing app, and there are additional pros (but also cons) that you can read about in this Google Docs review.

Microsoft even has its own free Word Viewer tool that allows you to view (not edit) DOC files without the need for MS Office programs on your computer. Your free online version of Word is similar, but you can also edit the document.

Are you using the Chrome web browser? If so, you can open DOC files fairly quickly using Google's free Office Editing for Doc, Sheets & Slides extension. It opens DOC files you find on the Internet right in your browser, so you don't have to save them to your computer and then open them again in a separate program. Plus, you can drag a local DOC file directly into Chrome and start reading or editing with Google Docs.

How to Convert a DOC File

Any good word processor that supports opening a DOC file can certainly save the file in a different document format. All the software mentioned above (WPS Office Writer, Microsoft Word (and its online version), Google Docs, etc.) can save a DOC file in a different format.

If you are looking for a specific conversion, e.g.  DOC to DOCX, remember what we said earlier about these MS Office alternatives. Another option to convert a DOC file to DOCX format is to use a special document converter. An example is the Zamzar website - simply upload the DOC file to this website to get a variety of options for conversion.

You can also use a free file converter to convert a DOC file to formats like PDF and JPG. One we like to use is FileZigZag because it's like Zamzar in that you don't need to download any programs to use it. It supports saving a DOC file in many formats besides PDF and JPG, such as RTF, HTML, ODT, and TXT.

Still Can't Open It?

If none of the programs or websites linked above can open your file, there's a good chance it's not actually in that format. This can happen if you misread the file extension.

For example, although DO is spelled very similarly, files ending in this extension are Java servlet files, which are completely different from the format used by Microsoft Word. The same goes for many other file extensions including DCO, DOCZ, CDO, etc.

Carefully examine the letters and/or numbers that follow your file name, then do more research to learn how to open it or convert it to a different format.

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