We explain the difference between DOC and DOCX with table. DOC AND DOCX are file formats used in Microsoft’s Word application. The DOC format appeared as soon as Microsoft Word was first released and was used until the 2003 version of Word. DOCX arrived in 2007 and is a newer format.
What is DOC?
The DOC format came with the release of Microsoft’s first word and was used until the 2003 version of Word. Storing a document in DOC is done in a binary file that contains all related formatting information. The nature of the DOC format is proprietary. You have a very limited number of options available for text and layouts.
It is only compatible with older versions of Microsoft Word that are older than 2007. It has been used for a long time, but due to its proprietary nature it cannot be used by other software vendors for their own applications. Even the document size is larger than the DOCX format.
What is DOCX?
DOCX came with Word 2007 and has been the default extension ever since for all new versions of Word and is a newer format. Storing a document in DOCX is done in a zip file that also contains all the XML files related to the document.
The nature of the DOCX format is an open standard. It is only compatible with newer versions of Microsoft Word after 2007. But anyone can use a compatibility pack that allows earlier versions of Word to open the DOCX format. You also have many options available that are very innovative for text and layouts.
Difference between DOC and DOCX
The difference between DOC and DOCX format is that storing a document in DOC is done in a binary file that contains all related formatting information, while storing a document in DOCX is done in a zip file that also contains all XML files related to the document.
Although DOCX is a newer format, users can still use the DOC format if they want to. One of the biggest problems that the DOCX format faces is that it is not compatible with Word 2003 and other earlier versions of it. This means that if you try to open a DOCX file in any of the earlier versions, it will not open.
This can cause problems when sharing documents between people, as not everyone updates their software to the latest versions from time to time. But this problem was resolved when Microsoft released a compatibility pack that allows earlier versions of Word to open the DOCX format.
Comparison table between DOC and DOCX
Comparison DOC Format Parameters DOCX Format
| Description | The DOC format appeared as soon as Microsoft Word was first released and was used until the 2003 version of Word. | The DOCX format came with Word 2007 and has been the default extension for all new versions of Word ever since. |
| Document storage | Storing a document in DOC is done in a binary file that contains all related formatting information. | Storing a document in DOCX is done in a zip file that also contains all the XML files related to the document. |
| Options | In DOC format, there are a very limited number of options available for text and layouts. | In the DOCX format, there are many innovative options available for text and layouts. |
| File size | The file size of a document in DOC format is larger than that of a file in DOCX format. | The file size of a document in DOCX format is smaller than that of a file in DOC format. |
Main differences between DOC and DOCX
- The DOC format appeared as soon as Microsoft Word was first released and was used until the 2003 version of Word, while DOCX came with Word 2007 and has been the default extension ever since for all new versions of Word and is a format newer.
- The DOC format has a very limited number of options available for text and layouts, while the DOCX format has many innovative options available for text and layouts.
- Storing a document in DOC is done in a binary file that contains all related formatting information, while storing a document in DOCX is done in a zip file that also contains all XML files related to the document.
- The nature of the DOC format is proprietary, while the nature of the DOCX format is open standard.
- The file size of a document in the DOC format is larger than that of a file in the DOCX format, since the DOC format is older than the DOCX format.
- The DOC format is suitable for those using earlier versions of Microsoft Word or versions prior to 2007, while the DOCX format is suitable for those using newer versions of Microsoft Word after 2007.
Final Thought
The DOC format arrived with the release of Microsoft’s first word and was used until the 2003 version of Word, while DOCX arrived with Word 2007 and has been the default extension ever since for all new versions of Word and is also a format newer.
Storing a document in DOC is done in a binary file that contains all related formatting information. Storing a document in DOCX is done in a zip file that also contains all the XML files related to the document.
The DOC format is only suitable for those using older versions of Microsoft Word, versions prior to 2007. The new DOCX format has more options to choose from in text and layouts than the DOC format.
