Why does .docx appear when I attach a Word document to email?

[Tom Chopelas]

I created a Word document and attached to an email. The recipient says she
cannot open the document. The exension on the attached document is .docx. I
am using Microsoft Office 2007. I do not know what version of Word the
recipient is using. Is the added "x" the problem?

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

The .docx extension is used for the new file format used by Word 2007. You
have two choices:

1. Save your document in Word 97-2003 (.doc) format so that your recipient
can open it in an older version.

2. If the recipient is someone to whom you can properly make the suggestion,
suggest that she download the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word,
Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats from
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...70-3ae9-4aee-8f43-c6bb74cd1466&displaylang=en.
This add-in will allow her to open .docx (and .xlsx and .pptx) files from
Office 2007 apps in Word 2000 or above; as an added bonus, she'll get the
new "C" fonts that come with Office 2007 (Calibri, Cambria, etc.).

Which of the two options you choose will depend primarily on your
relationship to the recipient. If she is someone from whom you want
something, you'll want to save the file as a .doc to make things as easy for
her as possible. If she's someone who wants something from you (or a friend
or relative who is on an even footing with you), you can suggest that
downloading the Compatibility Pack will enable her to open not just your
file but any others she may receive in the new format.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org