DOC Microsoft Word Document (Legacy)

The original Word file format was “.doc”, which was introduced in 1983 with the first version of Microsoft Word, called Multi-Tool Word for Xenix.

At that time, the .doc file format was a proprietary binary format used to store formatted text documents. The format evolved over time, and different versions of Word used slightly different variations of the .doc format.

Here’s a brief overview of the evolution of the Word file format:

  1. Word 1.x (.doc): This was the original format used in the first version of Microsoft Word for Xenix (1983) and later for MS-DOS (1985).
  2. Word 2.x-4.x (.doc): In the late 1980s, Microsoft introduced new features, such as formatting and graphics support, which expanded the .doc file format.
  3. Word 5.x-6.x (.doc): With the release of Word for Windows in 1991 (version 2), the .doc format continued to evolve, incorporating more advanced features like tables and drawing tools.
  4. Word 97-2003 (.doc): The .doc file format became widely used with the release of Office 97, which included a new version of Word that supported OLE (Object Linking and Embedding) objects.

In 2007, Microsoft introduced the new Office Open XML (OOXML) format, which replaced the traditional .doc format. This new format, also known as .docx, is an open standard that allows for greater compatibility with other software applications.

Today, both .doc and .docx formats are still supported by modern versions of Word, but .docx has become the default file format since Office 2007.