Is Open Office compatible with Word? Here's what to consider

With Microsoft's word processor, you have numerous features at your disposal to customize and edit your documents. However, if you are looking for a free alternative, Open Office is a good choice. Both programs are also compatible, depending on the format you use.

Are the programs Open Office and Microsoft Word compatible?

Microsoft Word is one of the most popular word processing programs. However, the software is usually subject to a fee. For this reason, free alternatives such as Open Office are a good choice. If you often switch between the two programs, this is usually not a problem. However, it is necessary to save the documents in the appropriate formats, so that both programs recognize them.

1. Word documents are usually saved in DOCX format, while Open Office files are in ODF format.
2. If you want to use both programs with each other, then it is necessary to set in Open Office that the documents are saved by default in the format supported by Word.
3. To do this, go to the top of Open Office on "Tools" and select the item "Options". In the next step, click on "Load/Save".
4. Now click on "General".
5. Under "Settings for default file format and ODF", select the required format for the option "Always save as". Klicken Sie beispielsweise auf „Microsoft Word 2007/2010/2013 XML“.
6. Bestätigen Sie abschließend Ihre Wahl über den „OK“-Button.
7. Sie können nun die abgespeicherten Dokumente in beiden Programmen öffnen.