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How to change the default file format when saving to Office

Microsoft Office 2016 brings all kinds of new improvements 13+ Reasons Why You Should Upgrade To Microsoft Office 2016 13+ Reasons Why You Should Upgrade To Microsoft Office 2016 Microsoft Office 2016 is here and it's time for you to make a decision. The productivity question is:should I upgrade? We're bringing you the new features and the new reasons to help you... Read More With your Office 365 subscription, Microsoft Office 2016 for Windows has landed and brings lots of smart new features. If you have an Office 365 subscription, you can get it now for free, and we'll show you how below. Read more . However, older versions of Office still have their fans, which is why Office allows you to save your files in legacy formats.

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In Word, Excel, or PowerPoint 2016 (this also works in 2007-2013), click File and choose Options . Navigate to Save tab on the left, and at the top you will see the option Save files in this format . In this dropdown box, you can choose from a variety of options.

A macro-enabled document is useful if you need to share complex macros with others in Excel workbooks, for example. However, macros can be used maliciously, so it's probably not a good idea to save them in this format unless you have to.

If you save as a Word 97-03 document, you will retain backwards compatibility. To make your document generic rich text that any word processor can read, use the Rich Text Format. You can even use the old Microsoft Works file format if you still know someone who uses it.

Most people should be fine with the default format, but if you change this box a lot, you can also apply it globally instead of having to correct it each time.

What file format do you save by default? Did any of the options on the list surprise you? Let us know below!