The following is a list of Microsoft Office filename extensions, used in Microsoft Office software suite as of January 2017. Word Legacy Legacy filename extensions. Learn what a PDF file is, how to open a PDF file or how to convert a PDF file to another file format. Open XML Formats and file name extensions. Starting with the 2. Microsoft Office system, Microsoft Office uses the XML based file formats, such as. These formats and file name extensions apply to Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft Power. Point. This article discusses key benefits of the format, describes the file name extensions and discusses how you can share Office files with people who are using earlier versions of Office. In this article. What are the benefits of Open XML Formats What are the XML file name extensionsCan different versions of Office share the same files What are the benefits of Open XML FormatsThe Open XML Formats include many benefits  not only for developers and the solutions that they build, but also for individual people and organizations of all sizes Compact files     Files are automatically compressed and can be up to 7. The Open XML Format uses zip compression technology to store documents, offering potential cost savings as it reduces the disk space required to store files and decreases the bandwidth needed to send files via e mail, over networks, and across the Internet. When you open a file, it is automatically unzipped. When you save a file, it is automatically zipped again. You do not have to install any special zip utilities to open and close files in Office. Improved damaged file recovery     Files are structured in a modular fashion that keeps different data components in the file separate from each other. How to open or find the Normal template in Microsoft Word from the Frequently Asked Questions about Word compiled from the Microsoft Word newsgroups. Cannot open File Extension DLL Find help to choose the appropriate program for DLL files in Microsoft Windows and Linux. Fix file association errors. Cute Pdf And Office 2007. Rightclick Normal. Rename. Type Oldword. ENTER. Close Windows Explorer. Start Word, and then open the document. This allows files to be opened even if a component within the file for example, a chart or table is damaged or corrupted. Better privacy and more control over personal information     Documents can be shared confidentially, because personally identifiable information and business sensitive information, such as author names, comments, tracked changes, and file paths can be easily identified and removed by using Document Inspector. Better integration and interoperability of business data     Using Open XML Formats as the data interoperability framework for the Office set of products means that documents, worksheets, presentations, and forms can be saved in an XML file format that is freely available for anyone to use and to license, royalty free. Office also supports customer defined XML Schemas that enhance the existing Office document types. This means that customers can easily unlock information in existing systems and act upon it in familiar Office programs. Information that is created within Office can be easily used by other business applications. All you need to open and edit an Office file is a ZIP utility and an XML editor. Easier detection of documents that contain macros     Files that are saved by using the default x suffix such as. Visual Basic for Applications VBA macros and XLM macros. Only files whose file name extension ends with an m such as. Before you decide to save the file in a binary format, read Can different versions of Office share the same files Top of Page. What are the XML file name extensions By default, documents, worksheets, and presentations that you create in Office are saved in XML format with file name extensions that add an x or an m to the file name extensions that you are already familiar with. Click on StartSearchAll Files Folders and type normal. Name or Partial Name field. Typing normal. dot will also find normal. Word 2007 and. Starting with the 2007 Microsoft Office system, Microsoft Office uses the XMLbased file formats, such as. These formats and file name. Normal. dotm. Normal. It opens whenever you start Microsoft Office Word 2013 and it includes default. Do one of the following In Windows Vista Click Templates, and then doubleclick the Normal. In Microsoft Windows XP or Microsoft Windows Server. About Normal. dot in Microsoft Word. Understanding normal. Word. Normal. dot endearingly referred to as Normal Dot Dot is. The x signifies an XML file that has no macros, and the m signifies an XML file that does contain macros. For example, when you save a document in Word, the file now uses the. When you save a file as a template, you see the same kind of change. The template extension used in earlier versions is there, but it now has an x or an m on the end. If the file contains code or macros, you must save it by using the new macro enabled XML file format, which adds an m for macro to the file extension. The following tables list all the default file name extensions in Word, Excel, and Power. Point. Word. XML file type. Extension. Document. Macro enabled document. Template. dotx. Macro enabled template. Excel. XML file type. Extension. Workbook. Macro enabled workbook. Template. xltx. Macro enabled template. Non XML binary workbook. Macro enabled add in. Power. Point. XML file type. Extension. Presentation. Macro enabled presentation. Template. potx. Macro enabled template. Macro enabled add in. Show. ppsx. Macro enabled show. Slide. sldx. Macro enabled slide. Office theme. thmx. Top of Page. Can different versions of Office share the same files Office lets you save files in the Open XML Formats and in the binary file format of earlier versions of Office and includes compatibility checkers and file converters to allow file sharing between different versions of Office. Opening existing files in Office     You can open and work on a file that was created in an earlier version of Office, and then save it in its existing format. Because you might be working on a document with someone who uses an earlier version of Office, Office uses a compatibility checker that verifies that you have not introduced a feature that an earlier version of Office does not support. When you save the file, the compatibility checker reports those features to you and then lets you remove them before continuing with the save.