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A quick and easy guide to exiting Compatibility Mode in Office 365
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Article Summary
Written byDarlene Antonelli, MA
Last Updated: April 6, 2024
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When you open old Word documents (those ending in .DOC) in a modern version of Microsoft Word, you'll be opening them in Compatibility Mode. Certain features may be disabled in your newer version of Word to either preserve the layout or functions of the older document you opened. This wikiHow article will show you how to exit Compatibility Mode by converting or saving your older document to the new DOCX format.
Things You Should Know
- Click File and select Info.
- Click Convert to convert the document to DOCX and leave Compatibility Mode.
- If there's no Convert button, click Save As on the left, select the .docx format from the drop-down, and save the file to exit Compatibility mode.
Steps
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1
Open your document in Word. You can either open your document within Word from the “File” tab or you can find your file in your file browser, right-click on it, then select “Open With…” and “Word.”
- This method will work on the version of Word that comes with Microsoft 365, Word 2021, Word 2019, and Word 2016.
2
Click the File tab. You'll find this either above your document space on the left side of the window (Windows) or along the top of your screen (Macs).
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3
Click Info. More options will open to the right.
4
Click Convert. The document will convert to the newer version of Word. You might lose your layout, font, or features by converting.
- If you don't see this option, click Save As in the left panel, then choose Word Document (*.docx) from the drop-down menu. Click Save to convert your document to the DOCX format.
- If you want to convert your document and save the original, click Save As from "File" and make sure you don't have the box checked next to "Maintain compatibility with previous versions of Word."[1]
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About This Article
This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Darlene Antonelli, MA. Darlene Antonelli is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. Darlene has experience teaching college courses, writing technology-related articles, and working hands-on in the technology field. She earned an MA in Writing from Rowan University in 2012 and wrote her thesis on online communities and the personalities curated in such communities. This article has been viewed 120,102 times.
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Co-authors: 3
Updated: April 6, 2024
Views:120,102
Categories: Microsoft Word
Article SummaryX
1. Open your document in Word.
2. Click on the File tab.
3. Click Info.
4. Click Convert.
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Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 120,102 times.
