How to open .docx files on a Mac

MS always feels the need to throw its users curve ball with every new release, such as completely changing the interface of MS Office or migrating to an entirely new document format! Thanks Steve Ballmer and Bill Gates.

Here's a bandaid solution for the frustrated, though you'll most likely lose formatting. Best thing to do is download the converter mentioned at the end of mindplunge's post or upgrade to Office 2008 for Mac.

Open .docx files on a mac | mindplunge:

Ever had to open up a docx file on a Mac and you had no idea how to? Here is the simple solution:

• Change .docx to .zip
• Unzip it.
• Go to Safari and File > Open File…
• Navigate to the /insert_name_of_Word_file_here/word/document.xml and open.
• Read text.

Update:

Microsoft released a converter for the Mac last December. It’s still in beta but it does the job perfectly. Download Microsoft Office Open XML File Format Converter for Mac 0.2.1 (Beta) here.