I can't get Word 365 out of Compatibility Mode

Hello PF.

I’m Segunfunmi, an Independent Advisor and Microsoft user like you. Thanks for posting the query here in this forum.

You’ve already tried changing the default save format to .docx, but Word is still opening new documents in Compatibility Mode. One possible solution is to check if the default document template (Normal. dotm) is saved in an older format. If it is, you can try deleting or renaming the Normal. dot file will force Word to create a new default template in the latest format. Here’s how you can do this:

Close all instances of Word. Open File Explorer, paste %appdata%\Microsoft\Templates into the address bar, then press Enter. Locate the Normal. Dot the file and delete or rename it (e.g., to Normal_old. dot). Restart Word. It should create a new Normal—dot file in the latest format. If this doesn’t work, you can try resetting Word’s settings by deleting or renaming the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Word registry key. However, please note that this will reset all your Word settings and should be done cautiously.

You can also visit the link below for further assistance: https://support.microsoft.com/article/34ec742e-f0f9-4d95-bbe3-3ee8e30a86fa

I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any further questions.

Kind regards, Segunfunmi.