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Can I load .odt files into Word?

Dear online Buddy

I have been working on a full-length book in .odt.  But when I came to create a pdf file to send to a publisher I ended up with pages of Japanese/Chinese/Outer Mongolian (when i tried to open the pdf myself) So I wondered about going back to Word to avoid this.  I used to use Word until I (made the mistake of) upgraded my OS in Mac, at which point several of my apps., including Word, were no longer supported.

I couldn't send a stable .odt file through the web, although a small-fonted, wide-margined, half-formatted version did emerge - but not good enough for anyone to assess the book

Any help will be appreciated.

John Comer

PS  Is the student version of Word just as good as the 'Full version' of Office.

PPS  Thanks mate/gal
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Answer
Answer
Last question first :-) The individual programs in Mac Office 2011 are identical regardless of edition. The difference between editions has more to do with licensing & what is included additional to the Word, Excel & PPT apps.

As for your main issue, the bottom line is that Mac Word does not support the .odt file format. In fact, prior to Office 2010 .odt wasn't even supported by Win Word [although I believe it was added to Office 2007 after-the-fact by SP2].

You'll need to either:
  • Open the file in OpenOffice or LibreOffice to Save a copy in .doc format [preferably .docx if they can do it] or in .rtf [Rich Text]. Fidelity of the result may be less than perfect depending on a number of variables. Or,
  • Find a program [e.g., Win Word 2010 or 2013] that supports the .odt format, Or
  • Use a PDF app that directly supports .odt files

Of course, you also have the option of contacting OpenOffice

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Hi John,


ODT is the default, native file format for all forks of OpenOffice, including LibreOffice and NeoOffice. However, this format has been replaced with a newer open standard called Office Open XML, also known as OOXML.


Most current word processors support OOXML. All versions of Microsoft Word since Word 2007 for Windows and 2008 for the Mac use OOXML as the default file format. The file extension for word processing documents (without macors and not saved as a template) in OOXML file format is (.docx).


Only one fork of OpenOffice can save in the standard open file format. That fork is called LibreOffice. The course of action I suggest is that you download and install the LibreOffice version of OpenOffice. Open your ODT book in LibreOffice and then use the LibreOffice File > Export feature. Choose to save in the Office Open XML file format (.docx). I think LibreOffice incorrectly calls the standard open format "Microsoft Word" format. Although Microsoft Word defaults to the open standard, it is more correctly called OOXML format.


My experience with LibreOffice's ability to save in the standard open word processor format is dismal. Your results may vary. Ironically, OpenOffice and LibreOffice seem to make better files when exporting to actual Microsoft Word format (.doc).  You might try both formats and see which one turns out best.


You can open both (.doc) and (.docx) files at Docs.com to see how they look in Microsoft Word without having to purchase or install anything. Docs.com is the free version of Microsoft Office.



Be sure to include the version number and OS version when asking your question.

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Last updated September 26, 2024 Views 5,843 Applies to: