Saving a file for older versions of Microsoft Office

If you need to share files with people using older versions of Microsoft Office, you need to save your files in a different file format known as 97-2003, such as Word 97-2003 Document or PowerPoint 97-2003 Presentation.

This special 97-2003 file format saves Office 2007 files so that previous versions of Microsoft Office 97/2000/XP/2003 can open and edit your files.

When you save files in the 97-2003 format, Microsoft Office 2007 saves your files with a three-letter file extension, like .doc or .xls. When you save files in the Office 2007 format, Microsoft Office 2007 saves your files with a four or five-letter file extension, such as .docx or .pptx, as shown in Table

To save your Office 2007 files as a 97-2003 format, follow these steps:

1. Click the Office Button and then choose Save As.
   A Save As dialog box appears.


2. Click in the Save as Type list box.
   A list of different formats appears, as shown in Figure 1-8.
   When you choose the Save As command in Step 1, you’re making a copy of your original file.


3. Choose the 97-2003 format option, such as Word 97-2003 Format or Excel 97-2003 Format.
   The Save as Type list box displays a huge list of file formats, such as XML Data or Text. Most programs can accept files stored in the 97-2003 format, but many older programs cannot, so you may have to resort to saving a file in one of these other formats instead.

4. (Optional) Click in the File Name text box and type a descriptive name for your file.
5. Click Save.