Opening a DOCX File

The DOCX file type is primarily associated with Word.

DOCX	File extension: DOCX
	File type:	document

What is a DOCX file?

DOCX files mostly belong to Word by Microsoft. A DOCX file is a document saved in Office Open XML format. It contains multiple XML documents representing text, formatting, and metadata saved alongside objects and images compressed into a ZIP archive with DOCX filename extension. This format was introduced in Word 2003 and adopted as the default document format in Office 2007 (replacing DOC format). Various word processors and text editors may assign DOCX filename extension to documents saved in Rich Text Format, Rich Text Format Directory, HTML, or MHTML format. Office Open XML is a ZIP- and XML-based document, spreadsheet, and presentation format developed by Microsoft.

How to open DOCX files

You need a suitable software like Word to open a DOCX file. Without proper software you will receive a Windows message "How do you want to open this file?" or "Windows cannot open this file" or a similar Mac/iPhone/Android alert. If you cannot open your DOCX file correctly, try to right-click or long-press the file. Then click "Open with" and choose an application. You can also display a DOCX file directly in the browser:. Just drag the file onto this browser window and drop it.

Online DOCX File Viewer

Choose your .docx file to view

or drag and drop it here

Online File Viewer

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How to convert a DOCX file to PDF, HTML, DOCX, JPG, ...

You can convert DOCX files using our online DOCX file viewer (powered by Convert.Guru):

To do this, click the button "Choose your .docx file to view" on this page.
After your file is opened in browser,
click "Save as..." in the menu.
Select the office format (e.g. PDF, DOCX, XLSX, PPTX, ODF, HTML, JPG, ...) you want.
Your file will be converted and downloaded.

Programs that open and convert DOCX files:

Word by Microsoft
See the previous paragraphs to learn more about the main application. DOCX files are often referred to as Word page layouts because this type of file is primarily created or used by this software.
Acrobat (document) by Adobe
Acrobat is a cross-platform program for authoring and reading documents in PDF (Portable Document Format). It can open a PDF document which has DOCX filename extension. This file format is classified as Page Layout. Related links: PDF
Chrome (single file web page) by Google
Chrome is an Internet browser that is based on V8 JavaScript engine and Chromium. It can open a DOCX file containing a single file webpage saved in MHTML format. This file format is classified as Web (source). Related links: MHTML
macOS (binary property list) by Apple
macOS is a desktop operating system which runs on MacBooks. Some of its binary property list (PLIST) files have DOCX filename extension. This file format is classified as System. Related links: Property list
macOS (shortcut) by Apple
macOS is the operating system for MacBooks (computers) manufactured by Apple. It can run a DOCX file containing a shortcut (an alias) which points to a Word document (DOCX). This file format is classified as System. Related links: Alias (Mac OS)
Sublime (web page) by Sublime
Sublime is a desktop application for editing source code, markup, and plain text. It can open and edit an HTML webpage saved in a file with DOCX filename extension. This file format is classified as Web (source). Related links: HTML
TextEdit (document) by Apple
TextEdit is a versatile text editor with file conversion support. It can save, open, and edit a DOCX file saved in Rich Text Format or Rich Text Format Directory format. This file format is classified as Page Layout. Related links: Rich Text Format Directory, Rich Text Format
Windows (shortcut) by Microsoft
Windows is a proprietary operating system for desktop, server, and IoT platforms. A Windows shortcut file with DOCX filename extension can open an actual DOCX document when executed. This file format is classified as System. Related links: Shell Link (.LNK) Binary File Format
Word (single file web page) by Microsoft
Word is a proprietary word processor available for mobile and desktop platforms. It can open and edit a DOCX file containing a single file web page saved in MHTML format. This file format is classified as Web (source). Related links: MHTML
XnView (image) by XnSoft
XnView is a cross-platform image organizer with tools for converting and editing images in various formats. It can open a DOCX file saved in JPG or PNG format. This file format is classified as Raster Image. Related links: JPEG, Portable Network Graphics

DOCX file format details:

If you know the file format, you can also find out how to open or edit the file. Often, the file format can be deduced from the file extension or the initial bytes (called the signature). However, different programs can use the same file extension, and file extensions can be assigned incorrectly. So you need a detailed analysis of a file to find out the format and the associated program. Below you will find our evaluation of the DOCX files:

DOCX is a very widely used file extension. The file type is mainly used by one program with a specific format. However, the following two file formats are common:

85% of all DOCX files use ZIP compression, the DOCX file contains a number of compressed files. The number of files included is on average 13 and ranges from 11 to 24. File names inside are always [Content_Types].xml, \_rels\.rels, \docProps\app.xml, \docProps\core.xml, \word\_rels\document.xml.rels, \word\document.xml, \word\fontTable.xml, \word\numbering.xml, \word\settings.xml, \word\styles.xml, \word\theme\theme1.xml and \word\webSettings.xml. If you want to see the included files and images, simply rename the file extension to .zip and double-click it. A typical file size is 27 KB. The keywords [Content_Types].xml are typical for these files. Such DOCX files store data about document, resume, word, report, form, letter, assignment and microsoft.
2% of all DOCX files utilize the Microsoft Compound File format, which is also known by the name OLE2 Compound Document Format or Composite Document File Format. This is a complex container format used by earlier versions of Microsoft Office and other Windows programs. Header signature for the CFB format with 8-byte Hex value D0CF11E0A1B11AE1 (which looks like "DOCFILE"). Each DOCX file has an application name, which is Microsoft Office Word, Microsoft Macintosh Word or WPS Office. There is also a globally unique identifier 00020906-0000-0000-c000-000000000046 or f4754c9b-64f5-4b40-8af4-679732ac0607. The internal containers are called SummaryInformation, WordDocument, DocumentSummaryInformation, 1Table, EncryptedPackage, DataSpaces, CompObj and EncryptionInfo. DOCX files can be up to 15 MB in size, but are often around 18 KB - 1 MB. These files are often associated with auto, recovery, save, network, traffic, design and review.

The remaining 13% of all DOCX files are files with no common format, often, for example, PDF, Mac2OSX, PNG, JPG, LNK, Microsoft and rtfd. Often described as notes, project, template, application, paper, task or week. Just click the "Choose your .docx file to view" button on this page to find out what your DOCX file is.

Technical Data for DOCX File Extension

File classification:

Page Layout

Related files:

pdf, sdocx, doc, dox, check, pptx, rpt, error, crash, jpg, world, xlsx, tmp, txt, adoc, fdpart, unknown, downloadfile, bad, cid, mso, docm

Mime type:

application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document

The following listing is compiled from the database produced by the 'Associate This!' program, selected data from the main FILExt database and file extension information submitted by users.

ProgramID: Word.Document.12
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\MICROS~4\Office10\WINWORD.EXE /n

ProgramID: eDataSecurity-DOCX
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Acer\Empowering Technology\eDataSecurity\decryption.exe

ProgramID: Word.Document.12
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\MI1933~1\Office10\WINWORD.EXE /n

ProgramID: Word.Document.12
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\MI1933~1\OFFICE11\WORDVIEW.EXE /n

ProgramID: docxfile
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Windows NT\Accessories\WORDPAD.EXE

Show all 5 listings To Top

a docx document is a special file format by Microsoft and should only be edited and saved with the appropriate software.

How to solve problems with DOCX files

Associate the DOCX file extension with the correct application.
Update your software that should actually open documents. Because only the current version supports the latest DOCX file format. Search, therefore, e.g. on the Microsoft manufacturer website after an available Word update.
To make sure that your DOCX file is not corrupted or virus-infected, get the file again and scan it with Google's virustotal.com.
Click here to open your .DOCX file online - secure, fast, and no downloads needed.