How to use the DOC to DOCX converter
- Choose the .doc files, or drop the folder that holds them.
- Convert to DOCX; files are processed one after another.
- Download the results as a ZIP, spot-check a few, then retire the old copies.
Reasons to retire .doc
DOC is a binary format from 1997, while DOCX is compressed XML. The same text often shrinks by half to three quarters, and a damaged DOCX is easier to repair. Many mail filters and company rules also block .doc attachments, since the old format was a favourite carrier of macro viruses.
A .docx file cannot hold macros, so none are copied across. That makes the result safer to circulate; keep the original if a document depended on a macro to work.
Pages worth checking
Text, styles, tables, headers, footers, pictures and tracked changes come through. Where an old file contains WordArt, equations from the 1990s Equation Editor or a linked spreadsheet, that part may turn into a still picture.
Contents tables and page numbers remain live fields. If one shows an outdated number, select it in Word and press F9 to refresh.
How the server handles it
Reading the old binary format needs LibreOffice, so each file travels to our server over HTTPS and is converted in an isolated process.
The DOC and its DOCX are deleted right after the converted file is returned, before the next file in your list is sent.
Questions
Does the converter keep my old DOC files?
No copy is kept. Each DOC is read, written out as DOCX and removed from the server together with the new file in the same step.
Will the layout look the same?
In everyday letters and reports the fonts, spacing and page breaks hold. Old drawing-layer objects can move a little, so review those pages.
Is there a file size limit?
Yes, 95 MB per file, which is far more than a typical DOC.
What if I convert too many at once?
Beyond 40 conversions in ten minutes the server answers with a short wait message; pause a minute and continue.