Dec 31, 2019 As it turns out, even if you don’t have Microsoft Word installed on your system, you can still open.docx files on your Mac. Not only can you open.docx files, but you can also edit them, without needing any sort of third-party software. Open a.docx File with Text Edit. Text Edit is an application that’s built-in on your Mac. Oct 08, 2007 This is correct. Microsoft will not ship the final version of Office Open XML Converter until it also ships Office 2008. Currently, it is at version 0.2. My experience with this version is mixed. It works on one computer, but not on another. However, NeoOffice opens.docx files without fuss or muss.
If you need to work with files created in Microsoft Office, or create files compatible a Microsoft Office application, many free options are available.
- Offline solutions
- Online solutions
Offline solutions
There's several free programs that can be installed on your computer to open Microsoft Office documents and other office or rich-text documents. Below is a selection of our favorites.
Microsoft Viewer applications
Microsoft has several 'Viewer' programs that can be downloaded and used to view Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files, without having Microsoft Office installed on the computer.
Links to download each viewer application from Microsoft's website are listed below.
OpenOffice
A free and open-source project from Sun that includes different solutions. It is available for all major platforms including Microsoft Windows, Apple macOS, and Linux. Below is a listing of programs this package includes.
- Base - Database
- Calc - Spreadsheet
- Draw - Drawing program used to create logos and flow charts.
- Impress - Presentation program
- Math - Allows a user to create scientific formulas and equations.
- Writer - Word processor and text editor.
LibreOffice
One of the most popular free office suites that supports Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Publisher documents, as well as support for ODF (OpenDocument format).
Online solutions
There are also many free online solutions as well. Below is a listing of our favorites.
Google Docs
Google Docs, available from Google, not only allows you to freely open and create files, but you can also collaborate and share files with anyone who has Internet access.
Google Docs is compatible with many file formats, including .doc, .docx, .rtf, .sxw, .pdf, .ppt, .pps, .csv, .xls, .xlsx, .ods, and .html.
ThinkFree
Opening Docx Files On A Mac Without Microsoft Office Download
Another solution capable of opening and viewing many Microsoft Office and other rich-content file formats.
ThinkFree is compatible with many file formats, including .doc, .dot, .rtf, .ppt, .pot, .pps, .xls, .xlt, .docx, .pptx, .xlsx, .pdf, and .hwp.
Additional information
- See our Excel, PowerPoint, and Microsoft Word definitions for further information and related links.
Use these instructions if you want to open docx files but do NOT have Word 2007, 2010, or 2013 installed.
For general background information about opening docx files including troubleshooting tips, see How to Open docx files.
Opening docx files without Word 2007, 2010, or 2013
Click the statement that best describes your software set up. The link takes you to a short tutorial:
- I have Word 2007/2010/2013 installed (link opens new page)
Opening docx files with a previous version of Word
If you own a previous version of Word (2000, 2002, or 2003), you can open documents with the .docx file extension. But to do it, you need to install the Microsoft Office 2007 Compatibility Pack.
After downloading the pack, not only can you open and edit Word 2007/2010/2013 docx files, but also Excel (.xlsx) and PowerPoint (.pptx) files.
YOU WILL NOT be able to edit all features in a docx file using a previous version of Word. The Compatibility Pack is essentially a workaround. If you need to edit and save everything in a docx file, you have to buy Microsoft Word.
If your version of Word is older than 2000, you will not be able to open and edit Word 2007/2010/2013 documents using the Compatibility Pack. But you can install the Word viewer and open and print documents. See the section, Open a docx file without Word.
Opening Docx Files On A Mac Without Microsoft Office 2017
The download link takes you to the Microsoft website where you can install the Compatibility Pack. Follow the directions carefully! Do not skip the steps for installing High-Priority updates. Skipping the updates may result in error messages and the inability to open docx files.
If you already installed the Compatibility Pack without downloading the updates, uninstall it and start over.
The download includes the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack version 4:
Opening docx files without Word
If you don’t have Word installed, or your version of Word is older than 2000, you can still open and print a docx file using the Word viewer in addition to the Compatibility Pack.
Opening Docx Files On A Mac Without Microsoft Office 2017
You must have both the Microsoft Word reader and the compatibility pack installed to open docx files.
The download links take you to the Microsoft website where you can install the Word viewer and the Compatibility Pack. Follow the directions carefully! Do not skip the steps for installing High-Priority updates. Skipping the updates may result in error messages and the inability to open Word 2007/2010/2013 files.
Download and install the Word viewer first, then the Compatibility Pack.
Opening Docx Files On A Mac Without Microsoft Office Account
If you already installed the Compatibility Pack without downloading the Word viewer or the updates, uninstall it and start over.
The download includes the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack version 4, which includes bug fixes and security updates for the Compatibility Pack.
Opening Docx Files On A Mac Without Microsoft Office Windows 10
- Download the Word Viewer – As of November 2017, the Word Viewer is no longer available for download and will not be supported with security updates. An option is to store your Word documents in OneDrive and use Microsoft Office Online to view your files, or download the Word mobile app to view files on your mobile device.