How to Convert all existing Excel and Word files in old format into new format in one go

Hi

How many files do you want to convert? If you have a lot of them then consider using the methods suggested by rohnski2.

If you don't have that many, simply open them one-by-one and use File > Save As and in the Format setting switch the format to the current one for that type of file. There is a corresponding new file type for files that are templates, have macros, or are binary file formats. You can NOT change the file type by merely changing the file extension in Finder. Doing so can make your files unusable.

Here's a list of file formats that Microsoft Office has currently and previously supported:

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/deployoffice/compat/office-file-format-reference

In general the new file format extensions end with the letter x (short for XML, the text format you're converting them to) or end with an m (short for Macro).

Here's a quick run-down on the most common file types and what you should convert them to

• Word Document (.doc) convert to (.docx)
• Word Document having Macro (.doc) convert to (.docm)
• Word Template (.dot) convert to (.dotx)
• Excel workbook (.xls) convert to (.xlsx) or to keep it binary convert to (.xlsb)
• Excel workbook (.xls) having Macro convert to (.xlsm) or to keep it binary convert to (.xlsb)
• PowerPoint Presentation (.ppt) convert to (.pptx)

You might have some very old files that current versions of Microsoft Office can no longer open. For example, files saved in Excel 4 and earlier, or 95 file format can be converted using LibreOffice (free)using the same procedure. Open the file in LibreOffice and use File > Save As and choose the appropriate current file format.

Hi, Carrie18HK. Thank you for your question and reaching out. My name is John and I’d be more than happy to help you with your query.

Switching the report over completely to the more up to date design allows you to utilize fresher highlights, yet transformation could make troubles for individuals who are utilizing prior renditions of Word to alter the record. Assuming you convert the report, they probably won't have the option to work with specific segments of the record that were made in the fresher renditions of Word.

You may refer to this link https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/34ec742e-f0f9-4d95-bbe3-3ee8e30a86fa">https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/34ec742e-f0f9-4d95-bbe3-3ee8e30a86fa on how to do it https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/34ec742e-f0f9-4d95-bbe3-3ee8e30a86fa

Best regards,
John

You would think that in 30+ years of "upgrades" MS would get the message that a "batch" process to upgrade file format would be useful.

.

Nope!

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Here are a couple of utilities created for Windows. They are macro based so I have no idea if they will work on Mac. Other than that, yes, you just have to do it one file at a time as you use the files ...

Apply processes to a batch of Word documents – Graham Mayor

http://www.gmayor.com/document_batch_processes.htm

Elsewhere on this web site there are batch processes to perform a number of tasks on a range of documents. The add-in featured here below is intended to cover those processes that have hitherto not been included.

The original version of the add-in was inspired by an add-in from my old friend Greg Maxey, to which it bore only a superficial resemblance; however as so often happens when we share ideas, he wanted to get involved in the further development, so from Version 2,0 the add-in is a collaborative effort.

The version you see illustrated below is functionally similar to Greg's version, though the branding reflects our individual tastes with links to resources on our own sites.

As with all the add-ins from this site, it is presented as a Word template and is supplied in zipped format complete with installation instructions. When installed it will add a tab and a pair of buttons to the Word ribbon as shown below :

One of the processes, pre-configured in the add-in template, employs a table stored in the body of the document 'Find and Replace Pairs Table.docx' included in the zip file, and which may be accessed by opening the template for editing in Word. This document is normally stored in the user's documents folder,

. Addon- Process All Files in a Batch Folder – Gred Maxey https://gregmaxey.com/word_tip_pages/process_batch_folder_addin.html

My Rename a Batch of Files tips page provides some basic code and a practical example of using a VBA routine to process a batch of Word documents stored in a common folder.

This Microsoft Word Tips & Microsoft Word Help page is the result of a collaborative effort with Word MVP Doug Robbins and more recently Word MVP Graham Mayor to expand and enhance the method described in that article.

The add-in presented here was prepared by Graham and  me, and it represents a major revision to the original add-in.  You can use it to process a batch of files using several pre-defined processes or custom processes you can define yourself.