A friend of yours sent you a document in DOCX format, but you can’t open it? Really strange. DOCX files are the default Microsoft Word documents and are compatible with a wide range of third-party software, even free ones. If you are unable to view them, it means that you are using a very old version of Office, such as Office 2003, or any other word processing software that – strangely enough – does not support them. In any case, don’t worry, I’m here to help you today.
Let’s start by saying that DOCX files are Office documents in Open XML format: a file type introduced by Microsoft in Office 2007 and which is very similar to the OpenDocument format of OpenOffice and LibreOffice (well-known free and open source productivity suites alternative to Microsoft Office), but with some proprietary code parts. They differ from classic DOC files in that they support advanced functions and features and are more compatible with third-party software. In short, they are more “modern” and standards-compliant and should therefore be preferred to the now obsolete DOC files.
With that in mind, let’s get down to business and find out how to open DOCX using Microsoft Word and other solutions that allow you to view, edit and create documents in the above format without spending a dime. We’ll also take a look at some online services and mobile apps, so you can take action from your browser window and on the go, respectively. But now, let’s not waste any more time on chit-chat and get down to business!
How to open DOCX with PC and Mac
For starters, let’s find out how to open DOCX with PC and Mac. Below, therefore, you’ll find out how to proceed on Windows, macOS and Linux operating systems, both using the famous Word and other programs.
Microsoft Word (Windows/MacOS)
As I told you, DOCX files are documents in Office Open XML format and are natively supported by all versions of Microsoft Word since 2007. So, to open DOCX, view and edit them, all you have to do is get a not too old version of Office (Microsoft’s productivity suite that also includes Word) and install it on your computer, whether Windows or macOS.
Unfortunately, however, it’s not free: the software must be used by subscribing to the Microsoft 365 service, which costs 7 euros/month (valid for 1 computer) or 10 euros/month (valid for 6 computers) with 30-day free trial; or by purchasing a single license, valid for the entire office suite or for Word only, which can be obtained by purchasing the Office Home & Student version that requires a one-time payment of 149 euros and supports updates only for the current version. Alternatively, on Windows 10 and later you can buy the stand-alone version of the application for 135 euros. It should be noted that the single application is also available for macOS, the download of which is completely free of charge, but it requires a subscription to work.
That said, if you have not yet downloaded and installed Word on your computer, you can do so by following the instructions for the various versions of the program that I have provided in my guide specifically dedicated to how to download Word.
Next, to open a DOCX file, simply double-click on its icon and it should automatically appear in Word. If this is not the case, restore the association between DOCX files and Microsoft Word by following the instructions I provided in my guide on how to change the default program.
Alternatively, to open the DOCX files you are interested in, start Word by selecting its shortcut added to the Windows Start menu or the appropriate icon in the MacOS Launchpad, then click Open in the left sidebar and indicate the location and the file you are interested in. Alternatively, you can select the file by clicking on the File menu at the top of the screen and then on the Open entry there or, again, by right-clicking on the DOCX file and selecting Word from the Open With menu that appears.
LibreOffice (Windows/MacOS/Linux)
If you don’t want to spend money on Office or if you’re looking for an alternative and totally free solution to Microsoft’s proposal, you can look elsewhere and switch to LibreOffice, which is a productivity suite based on OpenOffice. It is open source in nature, in Italian and at no cost and includes the Writer application for word processing, which is what you need. It is compatible with Windows and macOS. It is also considered the best solution for opening DOCX on Ubuntu as it is often available “as standard” on Linux.
That said, to download LibreOffice on your computer, connect to its website and click the Download x.x.x version button. When the download is complete, if you are using Windows, open the .msi file and in the window that appears on the desktop, click the Run button, press the Next button, select the Typical option and complete the setup by clicking the Next, Install, Yes and Finish buttons.
If you’re using macOS, instead, open the .dmg package obtained, move the LibreOffice icon to the Applications folder of your Mac, right-click on it, select Open from the contextual menu and press the Open button in the window that appears on the screen, in order to launch the program and circumvent Apple’s restrictions on applications from non-certified developers (this should only be done on first startup). At this point, close the software completely, using the key combination cmd+q.
Also on Mac, after performing the above steps, visit the LibreOffice website again and click on the Translated User Interface button, to download the Italian translation of the program (on Windows it is already integrated). When the download is complete, open the new .dmg package, right-click on the LibreOffice Language Pack executable inside, select Open from the menu that appears and click the Open and Install buttons. Then select the /Applications/LibreOffice.app entry from the window that appears and click the Install button.
If, while doing the above steps, you see a warning that you do not have high enough privileges to continue, press the Yes, identify me button, enter your macOS user account password in the window that opens and click the OK button twice in a row to complete the installation of the LibreOffice Language Pack.
At this point, regardless of the operating system you use, to open DOCX files, launch LibreOffice by selecting its shortcut on the Windows Start menu or by clicking on its icon that has been added to the macOS Launchpad and, once the main window of the program appears, click the Open File button located on the left sidebar, then choose the document of your interest and you’re done. If you are already using Writer, you can open other DOCX files directly from there as well, by clicking the File menu in the top left corner and then choosing the Open item attached to it.
WordPad (Windows)
Not everyone knows this, but you can open DOCX even with the good old WordPad, the simple writing and note-taking program that comes pre-installed on Windows. Don’t believe us? No problem, let’s fix it right now!
All you have to do is start WordPad on your PC, by clicking on the Start button (the one with the Microsoft logo) located on the taskbar and selecting the relevant shortcut from the menu that appears.
Now that you see the program’s window on your desktop, click on the File menu at the top left corner, select Open from it and then open the DOCX file of your interest.
Pages (macOS)
If, on the other hand, you’re looking for a specific solution to open DOCX with Mac, you can resort to the use of Pages, the word processing application developed directly by Apple for its users, part of a package of productivity software on macOS. It is free and can be found pre-installed on the latest Macs (if not, or if it is removed, it can be picked up from the relevant section of the Mac App Store). It also supports document synchronization via iCloud.
To use Pages for your purpose, all you have to do is access the Launchpad, select the icon (the one with the colored squares) that you find on the Dock bar and click on the application icon on the screen shown next.
Use the automatic window that appears to select the DOCX file you want to open, click the Open button and you’re done. Alternatively, if you have already opened other documents in Pages, you can open your DOCX files by clicking on the File menu in the upper left corner and selecting Open.
How to open DOCX online
You don’t want to or can’t download and install new programs on your computer or you don’t have your PC handy and, therefore, would like to find out if it is possible to open DOCX online? Of course you can! There are web services that allow you to open, edit and create documents in this format directly from your browser. Below are some of the most interesting ones.
Word Online
There is also Word Online, a version of the famous word processing program I told you about in the step at the beginning of the tutorial that you can use for free from any browser, without subscribing to Microsoft 365. Just log in to the service using your Microsoft account and you can create, view and edit DOCX files without installing any kind of software on your computer.
To be able to use it, log in to the service’s home page, sign in to your Microsoft account and upload the DOCX file on your computer that you want to view by clicking on the Upload and Open item in the top right corner. If your file is on OneDrive, you can also take it directly from there by selecting it from the list below or by clicking on the More in OneDrive entry.
After completing the above steps, you’ll find yourself in the presence of the text editor and can then view your DOCX file in all its glory. That was easy, wasn’t it?
Keep in mind that the changes applied to the documents are saved directly to OneDrive, but you can download the files offline by simply clicking on the File item located in the top left corner, choosing the Save As option from the menu that appears on the side and pressing the Download a Copy button.
Other solutions to open DOCX online
There are also other solutions through which you can open DOCX online, such as those listed below. They are all very good services and easy to use.
Google Docs – this is the free text editor from “big G”, accessible from any browser and operating system, after logging into your Google account, through which you can write text documents and open various text files, including those in DOCX format. It should be noted that all documents are automatically saved on Google Drive and synchronized between the devices on which you are logged in.
Pages Online – is the accessible online version of the Pages application for macOS that I told you about in the initial part of the guide. You can use it for free and from any browser, but an iCloud account is required.
DocsPal – is a free Word file viewer, available without registration, easy to use and with a pleasant user interface. Note that it also supports other types of Office files and also allows you to open images.
How to open DOCX on Android and iOS/iPadOS
Do you currently don’t have your computer at hand, so you are looking for apps through which you can open DOCX files on Android and iOS/iPadOS? I’ll satisfy you right now. Here are some apps that you can download and use for free to work with Word format documents from smartphones and tablets.
Word (Android/iOS/iPadOS)
What if I told you that you can open, edit and create DOCX files with Word even from your smartphone or tablet? Maybe not everyone knows this, but Microsoft has released a version of its famous word processing program in the form of an app for Android and iOS/iPadOS. Unlike its counterpart for computers, the one I described in the step at the beginning of the tutorial, it is completely free, provided that the device used has dimensions equal to or less than 10.1″ (otherwise, even from mobile you need to subscribe to Microsoft 365). In addition, it requires you to be logged in with your Microsoft account to work.
To download and install Word on your device, proceed as follows: if you’re using Android, visit the relevant section of the Play Store and press the Install button (if you’re using a device on which the Play Store is not available, you can download the app via an alternative store); if you’re using iOS/iPadOS, go to the relevant section of the App Store, press the Get button, then the Install button and authorize the download via Face ID, Touch ID or Apple ID password. After that, launch the app by selecting the icon that has been added to the home screen.
Now that you’re viewing the Word screen, press the Get Started button, follow the brief introductory tutorial that is offered to configure the app’s operation, and sign in with your Microsoft account.
Next, tap on the folder icon at the bottom right corner, indicate the location from which you want to retrieve the DOCX file you want to open, select the document you are interested in and you can finally view it on the next screen.
Pages (iOS/iPadOS)
In addition to Mac, as I indicated in the step at the beginning of this guide, Pages is also available as a free app for iOS/iPadOS and has all the main features and functions of its computer counterpart, but it is clearly optimized for use with touch controls and smaller screens.
To use it, download and install the app from the relevant section of the App Store, then open it by selecting the icon that has been added to the home screen and/or the iOS/iPadOS App Library and, using the new screen that appears, choose the DOCX document you want to view from the Recent section or from the Browse section.
Next, wait until the Pages editor screen with your file is visible. If you also want to make changes to the file, you must exit the view-only mode by pressing the Edit button in the upper right corner.
More solutions to open DOCX on Android and iOS/iPadOS
If you’re looking for more apps to open DOCX files from mobile, I invite you to consider the other solutions of this type that I’ve included in the list below.
Google Docs (Android/iOS/iPadOS) – is the app for Android, iPhone and iPad of the word processing service made available by Google that I mentioned in the previous lines. It allows you to both view and edit and create files in DOCX format, even offline.
WPS Office (Android/iOS/iPadOS) – this is a free productivity suite (in its basic ad-supported version) that allows you to work with documents, spreadsheets and presentations. It supports all major cloud storage services. You can use it for free, but in-app purchases are offered (at the basic cost of €4.49/month) to unlock access to all available features.
Polaris Office (Android/iOS/iPadOS) – is another popular productivity suite alternative to Microsoft Office. It supports all major Office file formats, so you can also use it to open DOCX on Android and iOS/iPadOS. It also lets you upload files directly from various cloud storage services. It is free of cost, but offers in-app purchases (starting at €3.99) to unlock extra features.