Open Microsoft Word documents in OpenOffice

Open Microsoft Word documents in OpenOffice

There are different ways to open a Microsoft Word document in OpenOffice. This article will explain two ways below.

Open documents in OpenOffice on a per document basis

If you want to open certain Microsoft Word documents in OpenOffice, the simplest way to do this is to:
  1. Open OpenOffice.
  2. Click on the Open icon.
  3. A new window will appear. Use browse to select the document.
  4. The Microsoft Word document will now open in OpenOffice.

Always open documents in OpenOffice

For convenience, you can change your computer's settings to open Microsoft Word documents in OpenOffice by default. This change will enable you to double-click on any Microsoft Word file and have it load in OpenOffice.

Follow these steps to make this change:
  1. Find a Microsoft Word document on your computer. This will be marked with the suffix: ".docx" (or ".doc").
  2. Right-click on the Microsoft Word document and hover over Open with. A list of applications will appear on the right.
  3. Select Choose Another App.
  4. Select OpenOffice and locate the checkbox with the caption Always use this app to open .docx files.
  5. Tick the box and then click OK to close.
All Microsoft Word documents will open in OpenOffice by default.