PC Doctor October 14, 2012

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Dear PC Doctor,

I need to share a report that I made in Microsoft Word with my coworker.  He does not have the latest version of Microsoft Word as I do.  Since we need to share other reports with each other, how can I make sure it will open correctly between his and my computer? 

                Matt

Dear Matt,

There are many versions of Microsoft Word out there; it is a dilemma making a document that validates correctly in each version of the software.  The best way to save a document that is compatible across the spectrum of Microsoft Word software is “.rtf”, which stands for “Rich Text Format”.  Depending on your version of Word, navigate to the “Save As” setting (or just press Shift+Ctrl+S).  Then, give your document a file name.  Directly underneath that is a dropdown menu.  Select “Rich Text Format” from the list and press save. 

I realize that your coworker might not be able to control what version of Word he has installed.  However if it is an option, let him know about OpenOffice (www.openoffice.org).  It is a completely free office suite that contains almost the same types of programs that are in the Microsoft Office Suite.  Included is a word processor that can handle almost any type of document that is out there, including .docs, .docx, .rtf and the native file type .odt. 

                    PC Doctor

Until next time…happy computing!