IT > How To View Office 2007 Documents in Office 2003

How To View Office 2007
Documents in Office 2003



The release of Office 2007 presents new challenges for instructors. The new Office 2007 file format requires a compatibility pack in order to be viewed on machines with Office 2003.

If you are using Office 2003 and attempt to open an Office 2007 file (.docx, .xlsx, .pptx, etc.), you will be prompted to download the compatibility pack from Microsoft's Web site.  You only have to install the compatibility pack once - from that point forward, the 2007 files will open automatically.

A caveat for Office 2003 users who are using Bb Vista.  To view an Office 2007 file that has been posted on Bb Vista, perform the following steps:

  • Save (do not open) the file.
  • Change file extension from .zip to the appropriate Office 2007 file extension as follows:
    • Word - .docx
    • Excel - .xlsx
    • PowerPoint - .pptx
  • Now open the file.  If you have not already installed the compatibility pack on your machine, you will be prompted to download it at this time.

Alternatively, instructors might require students with Office 2007 to "save down" to Office 2003 format.  To do that, they can either change their default file format to Office 2003, or select the Office 2003 format when saving individual files.

The steps for changing the default format are:

  • Click the Microsoft Office button in the top left-hand corner of the screen.
  • At the bottom of the menu, click the Options button for the program (Word Options, Excel Options, etc.)
  • Click Save in the left-hand pane.
  • Under "Save files in this format," select the appropriate option:
    • Word 97-2003 Document (*.doc)
    • Excel 97-2003 Workbook (*.xls)
    • PowerPoint Presentation 97-2003
  • Click OK at the bottom of the screen.

To save an individual file in Office 2003 format:

  • Click the Microsoft Office button in the top left-hand corner of the screen.
  • Choose Save As.
  • Select the "97-2003" option.

If you need help installing the compatibility pack, contact the IT Help Desk at 716-880-2282 or via email at helpdesk@medaille.edu. 
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