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What is the default file extension for all word documents?

GeneralClass 12AllAnswered 27 Mar 2026
Answer

The default file extension for all Microsoft Word documents is ".docx". This file extension was introduced with the release of Microsoft Word 2007 and is used for documents created in Word 2007 and later versions. Documents saved in the ".docx" format use the Office Open XML (OOXML) file format, which is based on XML (eXtensible Markup Language) and is designed to be more open, interoperable, and efficient than previous binary formats.

Before Word 2007, the default file extension for Word documents was ".doc". However, with the introduction of the new file format and the Office Open XML standard, ".docx" became the default file extension for saving Word documents in order to take advantage of the benefits offered by the updated format.

General · Class 12