What is a DOC file?
DOC files or files with the extension .doc are Microsoft Word documents. Some of the most common business & educational documents are DOC files, like essays, project reports, resumes, etc. DOC files can be edited multiple times even after being saved. DOC files can contain formatted text, images, graphs, charts, tables & other things provided by Microsoft Word.
DOC was the default extension for Microsoft Word documents between 1983 – 2003, with the 1997-2003 version featuring an updated DOC format. Later versions (2007 – present) of Microsoft Word have featured the DOCX format, which uses ZIP & XML to compress a document’s content, resulting in smaller file sizes & more effortless transfer of information.
How to open a DOC file?
Microsoft Word is the primary program you should use for opening DOC files. But if you don’t want to shell out the extra dollars, here are a few other free-to-use apps that you can use to open DOC files:
Microsoft Word Online: Microsoft Word also has a free online tool that lets you read and edit documents.
Google Docs: Google Docs is the perfect solution for users who don’t have Microsoft programs installed on their computers. Google Docs allows you to upload, edit & share documents via Google Drive.
Some more applications that can open DOC files:
Libre Office
Apache Open Office Writer
You can also use a document management system such as GLOBODOX to view, organize, secure, share, print, sign a word document.
Note: Opening a DOC file in 3rd party apps may affect the original formatting (font, spacing, tables, charts, etc) in the document.
Manage DOC files with a Document Management System
How to convert a DOC file?
Most software that lets you open DOC files also lets you save DOC files in other formats. Almost all the systems mentioned above, including Microsoft Word, Google Drive, etc allow you to save files in multiple formats like PDF, TXT, HTML, etc. For example: If you want to convert a .doc file into a .pdf file with Microsoft Word, you can simply choose the option ‘Save As’, select the ‘PDF’ option from the drop-down & click on ‘Save’.
Another way of converting DOC files is by using document converter software. Some popular document converters include Zamzar, Doxillion, etc. One of the drawbacks of using document converter software is that they need to be downloaded on your machine. To avoid downloading any new software, you can also convert DOC files using free online document converters. File Zigzag is one such free document converter that doesn’t require additional downloads & supports more than 20 file formats including ODT, PDF, JPG, etc.
You can also use a document management system like GLOBODOX to print a Word document as a PDF file and save it in its repository.
About GLOBODOX
GLOBODOX document management system supports all popular file formats including DOC, PDF, TXT, JPEG, etc so you can store, edit, convert & share all your business documents under a single platform. GLOBODOX’s automation-based features like automated indexing, document retention, automated document imports, workflow automation, etc reduce document management hours by more than 50%. GLOBODOX’s safety & security is trusted by thousands of organizations across more than 60 countries.
Experience GLOBODOX today with a 30-day free trial.
