When Microsoft introduced Office 2007, it also introduced a new set of file formats. These new file extensions, .docx for Word documents and .xlsx for Excel spreadsheets for example, add a few new features. For example, these new formats, known as Office Open XML file formats, make it easier to integrate external data and offer better data recovery. However, they are not as widely used as the older formats. If you need to share your documents and spreadsheets, it won’t be long before you find out that other computer users, and even other Microsoft Office users, do not know how to open your Office 2007 files!

While you could explain that Microsoft offers a free Word or Excel 2007 viewer that makes it possible to for others to view the files, doing so requires action on the other person’s part. Likewise, Microsoft also offers an Office 2007 compatibility pack that upgrades older versions of Office to be compatible with these new formats. Again, you must rely on the other person to download and apply the upgrade.

Rather than relying on the other person to upgrade their software, you can simply save your documents and spreadsheets in the old formats. This is as simple as choosing the Save As option and then picking Word 97-2003 Document or Excel 97-2003 Spreadsheet from the list. The problem with saving your documents as one of these file types is that you may forget to specify the file type. A better way is to set the software’s default file type.

When you change the program’s default file type, whenever you save the document, it will be saved as the file type of your choice rather than the new .docx or .xlsx file extensions. Since .doc and .xls are commonly used, changing the default file type makes sense and ensures greater accessibility.

In Word, you’ll need to first click the round Office button followed by Word Options. In the left pane, click on the Save link. Now, look for the line that says, “Save files in this format.” Click the dropdown arrow and choose Word 97-2003 Document (*.doc). Click OK to finalize your selection.

In Excel, the process is nearly identical. Once again, click the Office button. This time, click Excel Options and then click the Save link in the left pane. Now find the “Save files in this format” box and click the dropdown arrow. Choose the Excel 97-2003 Workbook option and then click OK to finalize your choice.

From here on out, all of your Word 2007 and Excel 2007 files will be saved in the older, more widely used file extensions. Now, whenever you need to share a Word or Excel file, you can be reasonably assured that other Office users will be able to open the files, even if they are still using an older version of Office.

You can do the same for other Office 2007 files such as PowerPoint or Access. Use the same technique of clicking the Office button followed by the program’s Options button. Click the Save link and then choose the file type that you prefer in the “Save files in this format” box. It’s that easy!

While the new formats have their pluses, the downside is that some users will not be able to open your files. By either choosing “Save As” on a case-by-case basis or changing the default file type so that all files are saved as the older format, you can make sure that your documents and spreadsheets are easily opened by others.