What is a DOC file?
DOC is the older Word document, from before 2007. Modern software still opens one, but support thins out a little more every year, so converting an old DOC to DOCX or PDF is worth doing before it becomes a problem. DOC is listed here for reference. It is not one this site can convert.
Specification
| Full name | Microsoft Word Binary Document |
|---|---|
| Extensions | .doc |
| Media type | application/msword |
| Compression | Uncompressed |
| Transparency | — |
| Animation | — |
| Multiple pages | Supported |
| Colour depth | OLE compound file with binary text and formatting streams |
| Size limits | — |
| Introduced | 1983 |
| Developed by | Microsoft |
| Standard | Proprietary |
| Browser support | Not displayed by browsers |
What DOC is used for
- Documents archived from Office 2003 and earlier
- Legacy templates still in circulation inside older organisations
- Files received from correspondents using very old software
Strengths and limitations
What DOC does well
- Still opens in current Word and most office suites
- Enormous existing archive of documents in this format
Where DOC falls short
- Undocumented for two decades, so third-party readers are inconsistent
- Fragile: slight corruption can make the whole document unreadable
- Superseded by DOCX in every respect and no longer produced by default
Questions about DOC
What is a .doc file?
DOC is the older Word document, from before 2007. The extension .doc identifies it, and its media type is application/msword.
How do I open a DOC file?
Browsers do not display DOC natively, so you either need software that understands it or you convert it to something more common first. Converting is usually the faster route when you only need to look at the contents once.
Is DOC lossy or lossless?
Uncompressed. Nothing is discarded, so repeated saves never degrade the contents.
What is DOC good for?
Still opens in current Word and most office suites. Enormous existing archive of documents in this format. In practice that makes it a good fit for documents archived from Office 2003 and earlier, and Legacy templates still in circulation inside older organisations.
What are the drawbacks of DOC?
Undocumented for two decades, so third-party readers are inconsistent. Fragile: slight corruption can make the whole document unreadable. Superseded by DOCX in every respect and no longer produced by default.