What is compatibility mode in word

In this example, the information tells that Word needs to change check box content controls if the document is opened in Word selected in the Select version to show — not visible here. In the heading above, I have used the term "update" in relation to getting out of Compatibility Mode.

You may instead think of it as removing or turning off Compatibility Mode. Figure 5. Figure 6. Message about what happens when converting a Word document.

In case the document was in. The old file will be replaced by the converted version. If a document has been set to maintain the compatibility with earlier versions of Word, you can have it converted to the current version of Word as follows:. Figure 7. In the Save A s dialog box, turn off Maintain compatibility with previous versions of Word and click Save. There may be situations where you want to set a document back to Compatibility Mode. This could be the case if you want to be able to turn on a special compatibility option that was available in an earlier version of Word and that is not available in the current version.

The situation may also be that you rely on Word add-ins or macros that are not compatible with your version of Word. You may also want to set a document back to a specific Compatibility Mode if users elsewhere need to work with the document and if those users are using an earlier version of Word. You can set a document back to a specific Compatibility Mode using a macro.

As mentioned earlier, you may not need to do anything about documents in Compatibility Mode. However, you can change the situation, if you want.

If Word starts with a blank document in Compatibility Mode, it indicates that the template Normal. To fix that, you need to open the Normal. New, blank documents you create from now on will no longer be in Compatibility Mode.

If you create new Word documents based on other templates than Normal. From now on, new documents you create based on that template will no longer be in Compatibility Mode. Repeat the steps above for all templates that need to be converted. If all new documents you create change to Compatibility Mode when you save the document, the cause is most likely the setting of a specific Save option in Word.

Do as follows:. From now on, new documents you save will be in. Figure 8. Set Save files in this format to the first option to have all new documents saved in. Figure 9. Select whether you want to change the default setting for all Office applications. Since Word , tables have behaved differently than in Word and earlier versions. This is due to a Microsoft design change:. This means that the width of tables with left and right cell margins that were created in Word or earlier or created in documents in Word Compatibility Mode , will be reduced if the document is converted to Word or newer format.

A reduced table width may cause different line breaks in cells and may cause row heights to increase. Such changes may also cause different page breaks. Therefore, you should check documents with tables carefully to correct issues, if needed.

Figure Example showing a table with left and right cell margins, before and after converting from Word format to a newer format.

If you open a or file in , you may receive an error telling you that some features are not available if the file was created with or only features. Keywords: old documents, office ,. What is your opinion about the content?

Suggest new content or let us know how we can improve this content optional :. If you desire a response, please provide your email address optional :. Directory Share. Microsoft Office: Compatibility Mode. Best Tech Gifts for Kids Aged Best 8K TVs. Best VR Headsets. Best iPad Mini Cases. Best Gifts for Cutting the Cord. Best Bluetooth Speakers. Awesome PC Accessories. Best Linux Laptops. Best Gaming Monitors.

Best iPads. Best iPhones. Best External Hard Drives. Browse All News Articles. Smart TVs Ads. Team Comes to Workplace by Meta. Block People Spotify. Verizon Selling PS5. Windows 11 SE Explained. Windows 11 SE. XML provides a definition of how a file will be structured and has given new functionality to the Office suite of programs. These new file extensions now have either an m or x appended to the end. When a file is opened which uses an old file extension or was created in an earlier version of Microsoft Office, you will see [Compatibility Mode] appear in the title bar of the program.

This alerts you to the fact that your file is not in the most current format. By using an old file format you will not be able to utilise the newest features of the program. If you create a file in the new file format, e. This can be confusing because the file is already saved as.

In the time since Microsoft Office was released and the release of each version of Office since the XML structure was also upgraded. This means that any file created in an older version than what you have installed on your computer did not have the latest XML structure updates. To be able to use the full functionality of Microsoft Office , or you will need to convert your file using the method below to add the new XML structure into each file.