Since Office 2007 has come out, I’m sure that you may have gotten Microsoft Word files with the .docx extension at the end. If you have Microsoft 2007 or 2008, you’ll have no trouble opening and reading them. If you’re running an older version of Office, a Mac, or the free office suite Open Office, then you’re somewhat SOL since none of these will open .docx files (at least not yet). In the interest of not having to spend more money, I have an older version of Office on one of my Macs and Open Office on my new MacBook, and I’ve often had to ask folks who send me .docx files to resend them in the older .doc version…which is a pain in the tail for both of us.
But I’ve recently found a free online .docx converter called…(drumroll), Docx-Converter.com. To use the service, you simply enter your email address, upload the .docx file you want converted and choose what format you want to convert the file to. You have the choice coverting the file to the older .doc format, HTML, PDF, Open Office format, or plain text. The converted file is then emailed to you…for free! I’ve used it a number of times now and seems to work great. One caveat, it takes some time for the document to get emailed to you…anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. So if you’re in a big hurry, it might be better for you to contact the person who sent you the file and ask them to send it as a .doc. But if you’re not in a hurry, Docx-Converter.com might be just the ticket.
