Introduction

Each year, various software development companies try to please potential consumers with fresh, state-of-the-art software, but not everyone is ready to share this enthusiasm. The universal, well-established Office Word 2003 program, to which the practical majority of Russians have become accustomed, has not been serving the corporation for the past 2 years.

Due to this circumstance, a file that has the .docx extension is created in versions of the application written since 2007, and it cannot open without earlier user intervention in earlier versions. This problem is often faced by those who, for example, use Word 2003 at work, and at home Word 2007.

If you need to open a new file in the old version of Word - there are several solutions

Anyone who has tried to open .docx at least once through Word 2003, even with a compatibility pack, came across a message that warned of an error, in particular, the user saw on the screen a sign saying: "An error occurred while opening the file." To cope with this simple task and open the docx file in Word 2003, you need to know that Microsoft updates its programs every 3 years, as evidenced by the replacement 2003 version 2007, then 2010 and 2013.

The problem lies in the fact that not every modern private organization, let alone a state one, can keep up with Microsoft innovations. In some enterprises, the 2003 version works well and smoothly, there is no need to install instead of it even the 2007 program, not to mention the later developments. The error that occurs when opening a file is due to the high security of new software products. The old format, in particular, doc and xls, was later replaced by docx and xlsx. To get rid of the unpleasant situation once and for all, to forget about the incompatibility picture, you should resort to several tips that will help the user with a high degree of guarantee.

A way to open a file with the .docx extension in Word 2003

So, if an old version of Microsoft Word is installed on your computer, and the file with the .docx extension in it does not want to open in the usual way, you will have to take additional measures.

Download the Word app from the official Microsoft site.

First of all, you should try to install a specialized compatibility package that will help an earlier version of the program to open a document saved in a later application. You can open a docx file in Word 2000, Office XP, or 2003 immediately after you install an additional application on your PC, which is a compatibility package. Download this program from the official website of the manufacturer Microsoft. It should be noted that after installation, the user will be able to freely open almost all existing file formats, even xlsx and pptx, which were created in Excel and PowerPoint, respectively.

The second method is associated with the disposal of an online converter available with the Internet at any time of the day. This option will be optimal for those who do not have time to look for a quality compatibility package and spend additional time on its installation. A free, easy-to-use online converter helps you open docx in a program that creates files with a .doc extension. True, regularly using an electronic resource of this kind is not very convenient, it is useful only for a quick single format conversion.

In the Step 1 field, specify the path to the file to be converted, and in Step 2 - your E-mail

It is advisable to mention one important feature of the site - its English language. A user who does not have at least a basic knowledge of this language will need only a few minutes to open the required file. To convert a new format in Word 2003, it’s enough to point directly to the file that is to be changed using the Browse command on Step 1, then leave your contact information, in particular, e-mail, on Step 2. After a few minutes, a new message will appear in the mail with a link allowing you to download the converted document. The conversion will be completed after clicking on the “Send” button. Successful conversion will be accompanied by the message: "Success". Among other things, this message will indicate the possibility of a letter falling into the “Spam” folder, so the user will have to check its contents in case the letter with the link “goes” for too long.

The third method helps to open a file in .docx format using Open Office. For those who do not know about the existence of this application, it’s enough to contact users who prefer Windows Linux to the standard OS. As practice shows, the package is easy to use, it will easily help to convert the docx file and open it. Despite several advantages and advantages, this application has one drawback - if the opened docx file is equipped with complex nested tables or cumbersome graphics, the formatting of the document will undergo significant changes. The file will open without problems and will have a tolerable readable look, however its structure will be unsightly.

The fourth way to help open docx documents in Word 2003 is to use and install specialized converter programs, such as NW Docx Converter, which are freely available.

To convert, follow steps 1 and 2 shown in the screenshot.

Conclusion

The functionality of Word 2003 text editor does not always help the user to cope with complex tasks, for example, it is easy to open documents that have the docx format. However, specialized converter programs and compatibility packages that can cope with the resulting problem can come to the rescue.