Ever get a .doc (Microsoft Word) file as an email attachment on your Mac, only to find that you can’t seem to open it or do anything to view the contents of the file?
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There are an incredible number of Windows PCs in the workplace. And almost all of them have a program called Microsoft Word, which is by far the predominant word processing application. Word creates .doc or .docx files, which is its native file format. Occasionally, Windows users decide to forward on one of these .doc files to a friend or colleague, forgetting to inquire whether they have or use Microsoft Word.
A typical Mac user, in fact, won’t have Microsoft Word on their Mac. It is certainly available, and even popular among Mac users. But if you are a casual computer user, you probably haven’t invested in Microsoft Office for Mac, which means you don’t have Word. So how can you open these files?
Fortunately, a Mac user has many options. The first is to simply use TextEdit, a program that comes with Mac OS X. Long-time computer users might mistake TextEdit for a simple text editor, like Notepad or SimpleText. But TextEdit is capable of relatively advanced formatting, and can do tricks like, well, open .doc files.
But TextEdit is no Word. Word has hundreds of layout and design elements that can do anything from a simple letter to a complete book. Fortunately, the vast majority of Word files that you will get will be rather simple, barely touching on Word’s real power. So opening them in TextEdit will most likely give you at least a glimpse at the content of the file. However, don’t expect the layout or design of the document to be intact. Here’s an example of a Word document on the left, and the result when you open it up in TextEdit on the right.
But don’t grab your wallet go off and buy Office for Mac yet. You’ve got some more options if TextEdit doesn’t cut it. Two open source office programs can be downloaded and installed for free, and both can open and display Word files, including some of the design features.
The first is OpenOffice, which you can get at http://www.openoffice.org/. The second is NeoOffice, which is at http://www.neooffice.org/. The second program is actually and off-shoot of the first. Here is how NeoOffice 2.2 displays the document (right) compared to the original in Word (left).
There is another free solution to opening Word files on your Mac, and it is one that is not obvious. If you have a Google account, such as a gmail account, you can use Google Docs at http://docs.google.com/. This is an online office suite that is completely free and includes its own powerful word processor, which you can use right in your Web browser.
You can also upload .doc files and Google will instantly convert them for you. You can then see the contents, though they look a lot like the do in TextEdit, without the design elements.
Now, if you do want to spend some money, you could always go for Microsoft Office for Mac, which naturally gives you the best compatibility. You can also use Pages, part of Apple’s own office suite iWork. But the idea is to be able to open a .doc file that you get in an email without much hassle.
Another method I like is to email the person back and let them know about their faux pas. They shouldn’t assume that you own an expensive business program like Word. They probably didn’t think about it. In my experience, those .doc files are often just a few simple paragraphs of text, which could have been pasted in the body of the email itself. I’ve even received .doc files that contain nothing but a single image, which could have been attached to the email on its own.
On the other end of the spectrum, you have large companies that send out official documents as .doc files. They should be told not to expect their customers or clients to have Word, and they should switch to a much more universal format like .pdf which can be easily read on Windows, Mac, Linux and even devices like the iPhone.Thanks to Gary Rosenzweig for this great contribution. Gary runs the useful Macmost Apple Mac news information site. It’s must reading (along with this site too, of course).
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Avoid Problems When Working Offline
- Sync Issues. Two of the main benefits to Google Drive is that you can access your files on any device, and that it is easy to collaborate on documents with other users. Remember that when you edit a document offline, the changes won’t be immediately available in another browser, or to another user. If you sync your offline edits after the document has been edited elsewhere, the two versions of the file will be merged. To avoid confusion, you should let any collaborators know when you take a file offline, so they know not to work on it themselves.
- Offline Spreadsheet Compatibility. Spreadsheets created in Google Sheets before December 2013 cannot be edited, and only accessed in read-only mode. Copy and paste the content into a new document if you need to edit an older spreadsheet.
- Limited Functionality. When you take Google Docs offline on the desktop, it reverts to being little more than a basic text editor. You get basic formatting options, but many common features are removed. These include spell checking, adding images, and accessing any add-ons you have installedEnhance Google Services with These 5 Add-OnsEnhance Google Services with These 5 Add-OnsMost of us use at least one Google service each day – usually much more than just one. Search, Gmail, Reader, Calendar, Drive, Play, YouTube…. this is just a partial list of the services we..Read More. This is less of an issue on mobile, where the apps are already lighter in features.
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Working Offline is a Compromise
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If i work with someone on different computers, and we both work offline. Our files wont be overwritten right? The will be merged?
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I wish that you could still edit Google Docs through a web browser. My school district limits the apps on certain iPads, so while we have access to the Drive app to upload or download files, we aren't allowed access to the Docs app. I was hoping that the ability to edit a doc through the Safari or Chrome browser was still an option, but every time I tried it sent me to the app store, which I don't have access to. I think my district policy is to not clutter up the ipads that are going to be used for a two or three week science unit. However, at this point they are sitting around collecting dust for the other 35 weeks. Does anyone know an online word processing option that doesn't require an app? I'd prefer to stick with Google, but I am frustrated enough at this point to try anything.
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I was using docs installed in my tablet, online or offline..today i wrote a page of important notes from meeting..and suddenly i cannot open that document or any of other offline document, someone has idea how to get my notes back? I'm lost! (and pi**ed)
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Where does the Google Docs Offline Extension in Chrome save the data from these docs?
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To erase offline copies of Docs, delete following items in default profile dir (%localappdata%GoogleChromeUser DataDefault):To erase the actual data:
- in IndexedDB the docs and drive folder
- in Local Storage the docs and drive file and journalTo erase HTTP cache, which could still contain them:
- CacheNow, if you access the file offline in Google Chrome, you get a nice message 'Resource unavailable' from an Chrome Extension (G Slides, G Docs..). If you are paranoid delete the offline App too, to get 'Network unavailable' from the browser.
- Application CacheWorks for me in Google Chrome 51.0 and Google Docs Offline 1.4. The behavior might change in the future. For example the Apps might start using File System storage.
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