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Word 2016 - Force save format to docx

Anonymous
2020-04-22T17:36:19+00:00

In Word 2016, I work on a number of *.doc files.  When I save them, they automatically turn into *.rtf files. 

I can do the file > save as > and select the docx format, however this seems to be a rather long process for something that should be a default.  

I have set the default file save format in options to *.docx, however the program does not seem to acknowledge the setting (see screenshot attached).

Is there any way to force Word to save in the docx format?

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For home | Windows

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  1. Charles Kenyon 167.6K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2020-04-22T20:39:15+00:00

    What happens if you start Word in safe mode?

    Open Office apps in safe mode on a Windows PC - Microsoft Office

    That is not a way to use Word. It is a temporary diagnostic step.

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  2. Charles Kenyon 167.6K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2020-04-22T17:52:30+00:00

    Ideally, if you are working in compatibility mode with your .doc files, it would save them as .doc files again.

    Check under your Trust Center settings for File Block options. Do you have save as .doc files blocked?

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  3. Stefan Blom 342.2K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2020-04-22T17:49:45+00:00

    Setting the default save format does not affect existing documents. If you want to change the format of existing documents, you will have to resave them manually, as you have noticed.

    What are you doing to make Word save *.doc files as *.rtf? Are you sure that these files are not *.rtf files to begin with? I recommend that you display filename extensions in Windows to find out for certain.

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  4. Anonymous
    2020-04-22T18:20:00+00:00

    I have the trust center set to select the entire drive (My D:\ is only for work files and documents).

    I have nothing selected under the file block settings.

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  5. Anonymous
    2020-04-22T18:18:24+00:00

    As far as I can tell, the original files are *.doc files.

    When I try to save them, I get the following:

    I can force save to a different format, however I am unable to set the format as default.

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