:Microsoft Word

{{Main|History of Microsoft Word}}

File:Microsoft Word logo (2013-2019).png

File:Office Word 2007 logo.svg

File:Microsoft Office Word (2000–03).svg

File:Word 1.0.png

In 1981, Microsoft hired Charles Simonyi, the primary developer of Bravo, the first GUI word processor, which was developed at Xerox PARC.{{cite news | url=http://www.pcworld.com/article/152585/microsoft_word_turns_25.html | title=Microsoft Word Turns 25 | last=Edwards | first=Benj | work=PC World | date=October 22, 2008 | access-date=November 7, 2010 | archive-date=July 4, 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120704162738/http://www.pcworld.com/article/152585/microsoft_word_turns_25.html | url-status=dead }} Simonyi started work on a word processor called Multi-Tool Word and soon hired Richard Brodie, a former Xerox intern, who became the primary software engineer.{{Cite book | title=Microsoft First Generation | first=Cheryl | last=Tsang | year=1999 | publisher=John Wiley & Sons | isbn=978-0-471-33206-0 | url=https://archive.org/details/microsoftfirstge00cher }}{{cite web | url=http://blogs.msdn.com/rick_schaut/archive/2004/05/19/135315.aspx | title=Anatomy of a Software Bug | first=Rick | last=Schaut | date=May 19, 2004 | work=MSDN Blogs | access-date=December 2, 2006 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100201040227/http://blogs.msdn.com/rick_schaut/archive/2004/05/19/135315.aspx | archive-date=February 1, 2010 | url-status=dead }}

Microsoft announced Multi-Tool Word for Xenix and MS-DOS in 1983.{{cite news | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4S8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA10 | title=Mouse and new WP program join Microsoft product lineup | last=Markoff | first=John | work=InfoWorld | date=May 30, 1983 | page=10 | access-date=November 7, 2010}} Its name was soon simplified to Microsoft Word. Free demonstration copies of the application were bundled with the November 1983 issue of PC World, making it the first to be distributed on-disk with a magazine.{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/08/25/business/technologyandrew-pollack-computerizing-magazines.html | title=Computerizing Magazines | work=The New York Times | date=August 25, 1983 | access-date=April 24, 2013 | last=Pollack | first=Andrew | archive-date=May 12, 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110512095456/http://www.nytimes.com/1983/08/25/business/technologyandrew-pollack-computerizing-magazines.html | url-status=live }} That year Microsoft demonstrated Word running on Windows.{{cite news | url=https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1983-12/1983_12_BYTE_08-12_Easy_Software#page/n49/mode/2up | title=Microsoft Windows | work=BYTE | date=December 1983 | access-date=October 20, 2013 | author=Lemmons, Phil | pages=48}}

Unlike most MS-DOS programs at the time, Microsoft Word was designed to be used with a mouse. Advertisements depicted the Microsoft Mouse and described Word as a WYSIWYG, windowed word processor with the ability to undo and display bold, italic, and underlined text,{{cite news | url=https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1983-12/1983_12_BYTE_08-12_Easy_Software#page/n89/mode/2up | title=Undo. Windows. Mouse. Finally. | work=BYTE | date=December 1983 | access-date=October 20, 2013 | author=Advertisement | pages=88–89}} although it could not render fonts. It was not initially popular, since its user interface was different from the leading word processor at the time, WordStar.{{cite book|last=Peterson|first=W.E. Pete|title=Almost Perfect: How a Bunch of Regular Guys Built Wordperfect Corporation|year=1994|publisher=Prima Publishing|isbn=0-7881-9991-9}} However, Microsoft steadily improved the product, releasing versions 2.0 through 5.0 over the next six years. In 1985, Microsoft ported Word to the classic Mac OS (known as Macintosh System Software at the time). This was made easier by Word for DOS having been designed for use with high-resolution displays and laser printers, even though none were yet available to the general public.{{cite news | url=http://lowendmac.com/2013/microsoft-word-for-mac-faq/ | title=Microsoft Word for Mac History | last=Knight | first=Dan | work=Low End Mac | date=May 22, 2008 | access-date=November 7, 2010 | archive-date=July 21, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130721044510/http://lowendmac.com/2013/microsoft-word-for-mac-faq/ | url-status=live }} It was also notable for its very fast cut-and-paste function and unlimited number of undo operations, which are due to its usage of the piece table data structure.{{cite news | title=The Piece Table | url=https://darrenburns.net/posts/piece-table/ | access-date=October 25, 2020 | archive-date=November 12, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112021307/https://darrenburns.net/posts/piece-table/ | url-status=live }}

Following the precedents of LisaWrite and MacWrite, Word for Mac OS added true WYSIWYG features. It fulfilled a need for a word processor that was more capable than MacWrite.{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/stream/Whole_Earth_Software_Catalog_for_1986_1985_Point/Whole_Earth_Software_Catalog_for_1986_1985_Point_djvu.txt|title=Whole Earth Software Catalog|year=1989 |isbn=9780385233019 |quote=For a year, I waited for a heavier-duty word processor than MACWRITE. I finally got it— WORD.|last1=Brand |first1=Stewart |publisher=Quantum Press/Doubleday }} After its release, Word for Mac OS's sales were higher than its MS-DOS counterpart for at least four years.

The second release of Word for Mac OS, shipped in 1987, was named Word 3.0 to synchronize its version number with Word for DOS; this was Microsoft's first attempt to synchronize version numbers across platforms. Word 3.0 included numerous internal enhancements and new features, including the first implementation of the Rich Text Format (RTF) specification, but was plagued with bugs. Within a few months, Word 3.0 was superseded by a more stable Word 3.01, which was mailed free to all registered users of 3.0. After MacWrite Pro was discontinued in the mid-1990s, Word for Mac OS never had any serious rivals. Word 5.1 for Mac OS, released in 1992, was a very popular word processor owing to its elegance, relative ease of use, and feature set. Many users say it is the best version of Word for Mac OS ever created.{{cite web | url=http://blogs.msdn.com/rick_schaut/archive/2004/02/26/80193.aspx | title=Mac Word 6.0 | work=Buggin' My Life Away | publisher=MSDN Blogs | last=Schaut | first=Rick | date=February 26, 2004 | access-date=June 21, 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040514091238/http://blogs.msdn.com/rick_schaut/archive/2004/02/26/80193.aspx | archive-date=May 14, 2004 | url-status=dead }}

In 1986, an agreement between Atari and Microsoft brought Word to the Atari ST{{cite web |url=http://www.atarimagazines.com/compute/issue77/News_Products.php?tag= |title=Atari announces agreement with Microsoft |publisher=Atarimagazines.com |date=April 25, 2008 |access-date=June 21, 2010 |archive-date=June 18, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100618010538/http://www.atarimagazines.com/compute/issue77/News_Products.php?tag= |url-status=live }} under the name Microsoft Write. The Atari ST version was a port of Word 1.05 for the Mac OS{{cite web |url=http://www.atarimagazines.com/startv3n1/microsoftwrite.html |title=Feature Review: Microsoft Write |publisher=Atarimagazines.com |date=April 25, 2008 |access-date=June 21, 2010 |archive-date=May 28, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160528150414/http://atarimagazines.com/startv3n1/microsoftwrite.html |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://www.atarimagazines.com/v5n11/ataricorp.html |title=Today's Atari Corp.: A close up look inside |publisher=Atarimagazines.com |date=April 25, 2008 |access-date=June 21, 2010 |archive-date=January 19, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110119223108/http://www.atarimagazines.com/v5n11/ataricorp.html |url-status=live }} and was never updated.

The first version of Word for Windows was released in 1989. With the release of Windows 3.0 the following year, sales began to pick up and Microsoft soon became the market leader for word processors for IBM PC-compatible computers. In 1991, Microsoft capitalized on Word for Windows' increasing popularity by releasing a version of Word for DOS, version 5.5, that replaced its unique user interface with an interface similar to a Windows application.{{cite news | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tDwEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA151 | title=First Look: Microsoft Updates Look of And Adds Pull-Down Menus to Character-Based Word 5.5 | last=Miller | first=Michael J. | work=InfoWorld | date=November 12, 1990 | page=151 | access-date=November 7, 2010}}{{cite news | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wFAEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA108 | title=Microsoft Word 5.5: Should You Fight or Switch? | last=Needleman | first=Raphael | work=InfoWorld | date=November 19, 1990 | page=106 | access-date=November 7, 2010}} When Microsoft became aware of the Year 2000 problem, it made Microsoft Word 5.5 for DOS available for free downloads. {{As of|2021|February}}, it is still available for download from Microsoft's website.{{cite web | url=http://download.microsoft.com/download/word97win/Wd55_be/97/WIN98/EN-US/Wd55_ben.exe | title=Microsoft Word 5.5 for MS-DOS (EXE format) | work=Microsoft Download Center | access-date=August 19, 2011 | archive-date=June 29, 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629172129/http://download.microsoft.com/download/word97win/Wd55_be/97/WIN98/EN-US/Wd55_ben.exe | url-status=live }}

In 1991, Microsoft embarked on a project code-named Pyramid to completely rewrite Microsoft Word from the ground up. Both the Windows and Mac OS versions would start from the same code base. It was abandoned when it was determined that it would take the development team too long to rewrite and then catch up with all the new capabilities that could have been added at the same time without a rewrite. Instead, the next versions of Word for Windows and Mac OS, dubbed version 6.0, both started from the code base of Word for Windows 2.0.

With the release of Word 6.0 in 1993, Microsoft again attempted to synchronize the version numbers and coordinate product naming across platforms, this time across DOS, Mac OS, and Windows (this was the last version of Word for DOS). It introduced AutoCorrect, which automatically fixed certain typing errors, and AutoFormat, which could reformat many parts of a document at once. While the Windows version received favorable reviews (e.g., from InfoWorld{{cite news | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6DoEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA66 | title=War of the Words | work=InfoWorld | date=February 7, 1994 | pages=66–79 | access-date=November 7, 2010}}), the Mac OS version was widely derided. Many accused it of being slow, clumsy, and memory intensive, and its user interface differed significantly from Word 5.1. In response to user requests, Microsoft offered Word 5 again, after it had been discontinued.{{cite web | url=http://www.geek.com/hwswrev/off98mac.htm | title=UGeek Software Review: Microsoft Office 98 Gold for Macintosh | last=Lockman | first=James T.W. | date=May 15, 1998 | access-date=November 7, 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101203220342/http://www.geek.com/hwswrev/off98mac.htm | archive-date=December 3, 2010 | url-status=dead }} Subsequent versions of Word for macOS are no longer direct ports of Word for Windows, instead featuring a mixture of ported code and native code.

{{Infobox

| bodystyle = width:314px

| title = Native file formats

| image =

| caption = Left: The icon for .doc files.
Right: The icon for .docx files. The file formats are differentiated by using the Word logo as seen in Office 2000 and the logo for the current version of Word.

| label1 = DOC

| data1 = Legacy Word document

| label2 = DOT

| data2 = Legacy Word templates

| label3 = WBK

| data3 = Legacy Word document backup

| label4 = DOCX

| data4 = XML Word document

| label5 = DOCM

| data5 = XML Word macro-enabled document

| label6 = DOTX

| data6 = XML Word template

| label7 = DOTM

| data7 = XML Word macro-enabled template

| label8 = DOCB

| data8 = XML Word binary document

}}

Microsoft Word's native file formats are denoted either by a .doc or .docx filename extension.

Although the Doc (computing) extension has been used in many different versions of Word, it actually encompasses four distinct file formats:

1. Word for DOS
2. Word for Windows 1 and 2; Word 3 and 4 for Mac OS
3. Word 6 and Word 95 for Windows; Word 6 for Mac OS
4. Word 97 and later for Windows; Word 98 and later for Mac OS

(The classic Mac OS of the era did not use filename extensions.){{Cite web|url=https://eclecticlight.co/2015/05/02/why-the-extensions-quirks-in-the-naming-of-files-and-folders/|title=.why .the .extensions? Quirks in the naming of files and folders|last=Oakley|first=Howard|date=May 2, 2015|website=The Eclectic Light Company|language=en|url-status=dead|access-date=February 26, 2020|quote=Macs used to be the only computers that did not need filename extensions...on classic Mac systems, you can name applications, documents, and most other files almost anything that you like, as the name is not linked in any way to the type of thing that file is.|archive-date=February 26, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200226054403/https://eclecticlight.co/2015/05/02/why-the-extensions-quirks-in-the-naming-of-files-and-folders/}}

The newer .docx extension signifies the Office Open XML international standard for Office documents and is used by default by Word 2007 and later for Windows as well as Word 2008 and later for macOS.{{Cite web|url=https://www.loc.gov/preservation/digital/formats/fdd/fdd000397.shtml|title=DOCX Transitional (Office Open XML), ISO 29500:2008-2016, ECMA-376, Editions 1-5|date=January 20, 2017|website=loc.gov|access-date=July 9, 2019|archive-date=November 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112020030/https://www.loc.gov/preservation/digital/formats/fdd/fdd000397.shtml|url-status=live}}

During the late 1990s and early 2000s, the default Word document format (.DOC) became a de facto standard of document file formats for Microsoft Office users.{{Citation needed|date=December 2015}} There are different versions of "Word Document Format" used by default in Word 97–2007.{{cite book|title=[MS-DOC]: Word (.doc) Binary File Format|publisher=Microsoft|location=Redmond, WA|url=http://download.microsoft.com/download/2/4/8/24862317-78F0-4C4B-B355-C7B2C1D997DB/%5BMS-DOC%5D.pdf|chapter=5 Appendix A: Product Behavior|chapter-url=http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd946767%28v=office.12%29.aspx|access-date=January 10, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150110202652/http://download.microsoft.com/download/2/4/8/24862317-78F0-4C4B-B355-C7B2C1D997DB/%5BMS-DOC%5D.pdf|archive-date=January 10, 2015|url-status=dead}} Each binary word file is a Compound File,{{cite book|title=[MS-DOC]: Word (.doc) Binary File Format|publisher=Microsoft|location=Redmond, WA|url=http://download.microsoft.com/download/2/4/8/24862317-78F0-4C4B-B355-C7B2C1D997DB/%5BMS-DOC%5D.pdf|chapter=2.1 File Structure|chapter-url=http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd923543%28v=office.12%29.aspx|access-date=January 10, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150110202652/http://download.microsoft.com/download/2/4/8/24862317-78F0-4C4B-B355-C7B2C1D997DB/%5BMS-DOC%5D.pdf|archive-date=January 10, 2015|url-status=dead}} a hierarchical file system within a file. According to Joel Spolsky, Word Binary File Format is extremely complex mainly because its developers had to accommodate an overwhelming number of features and prioritize performance over anything else.{{cite web | url=http://www.joelonsoftware.com/items/2008/02/19.html | title=Why are the Microsoft Office file formats so complicated? (And some workarounds) | work=Joel on Software | date=February 19, 2008 | last=Spolsky | first=Joel | access-date=May 23, 2011 | archive-date=October 14, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014090710/http://joelonsoftware.com/items/2008/02/19.html | url-status=live }}

As with all OLE Compound Files, Word Binary Format consists of "storages", which are analogous to computer folders, and "streams", which are similar to computer files. Each storage may contain streams or other storage. Each Word Binary File must contain a stream called the "WordDocument" stream and this stream must start with a File Information Block (FIB).{{cite book|title=[MS-DOC]: Word (.doc) Binary File Format|publisher=Microsoft|location=Redmond, WA|url=http://download.microsoft.com/download/2/4/8/24862317-78F0-4C4B-B355-C7B2C1D997DB/%5BMS-DOC%5D.pdf|chapter=2.1.1 WordDocument Stream|chapter-url=http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd926131%28v=office.12%29.aspx|access-date=January 10, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150110202652/http://download.microsoft.com/download/2/4/8/24862317-78F0-4C4B-B355-C7B2C1D997DB/%5BMS-DOC%5D.pdf|archive-date=January 10, 2015|url-status=dead}} FIB serves as the first point of reference for locating everything else, such as where the text in a Word document starts, ends, what version of Word created the document and other attributes.

Word 2007 and later continue to support the DOC file format, although it is no longer the default.

{{Main|Microsoft Office XML formats}}The .docx XML format introduced in Word 2003{{cite web|year=2004|title=What You Can Do with Word XML [Word 2003 XML Reference]|url=http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa223584(office.11).aspx|publisher=MSDN|access-date=August 13, 2010|archive-date=August 21, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100821014000/http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa223584(office.11).aspx|url-status=live}} was a simple, XML-based format called WordProcessingML or WordML.

The Microsoft Office XML formats are XML-based document formats (or XML schemas) introduced in versions of Microsoft Office prior to Office 2007. Microsoft Office XP introduced a new XML format for storing Excel spreadsheets and Office 2003 added an XML-based format for Word documents.

These formats were succeeded by Office Open XML (ECMA-376) in Microsoft Office 2007.

Opening a Word Document file in a version of Word other than the one with which it was created can cause an incorrect display of the document. The document formats of the various versions change in subtle and not-so-subtle ways (such as changing the font or the handling of more complex tasks like footnotes). Formatting created in newer versions does not always survive when viewed in older versions of the program, nearly always because that capability does not exist in the previous version. Rich Text Format (RTF), an early effort to create a format for interchanging formatted text between applications, is an optional format for Word that retains most formatting and all content of the original document.

Plugins permitting the Windows versions of Word to read and write formats it does not natively support, such as international standard OpenDocument format (ODF) (ISO/IEC 26300:2006), are available. Up until the release of Service Pack 2 (SP2) for Office 2007, Word did not natively support reading or writing ODF documents without a plugin, namely the SUN ODF Plugin or the OpenXML/ODF Translator. With SP2 installed, ODF format 1.1 documents can be read and saved like any other supported format in addition to those already available in Word 2007.{{cite book | last1=Casson | first1=Tony | last2=Ryan | first2=Patrick S. | ssrn=1656616 | chapter=Open Standards, Open Source Adoption in the Public Sector, and Their Relationship to Microsoft's Market Dominance | title=Standards Edge: Unifier or Divider? | editor-last=Bolin | editor-first=Sherrie | date=May 1, 2006 | page=87 | publisher=Sheridan Books}}{{Cite web |title=Microsoft Expands List of Formats Supported in Microsoft Office, May 21, 2008 |url=http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/press/2008/may08/05-21ExpandedFormatsPR.aspx |work=News Center |publisher=Microsoft |date=May 21, 2008 |access-date=April 24, 2013 |archive-date=April 18, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120418055644/http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/press/2008/may08/05-21ExpandedFormatsPR.aspx |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |title=Next Office 2007 service pack will include ODF, PDF support options |date=May 21, 2008 |url=http://www.betanews.com/article/Next_Office_2007_service_pack_will_include_ODF_PDF_support_options/1211343807 |work=Betanews |first=Scott M. III |last=Fulton |access-date=December 24, 2008 |archive-date=December 4, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081204140151/http://www.betanews.com/article/Next_Office_2007_service_pack_will_include_ODF_PDF_support_options/1211343807 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |author=Andy Updegrove |url=http://consortiuminfo.org/standardsblog/article.php?story=20080521092930864 |title=Microsoft Office 2007 to Support ODF – and not OOXML |date=May 21, 2008 |publisher=Consortiuminfo.org |access-date=June 21, 2010 |archive-date=May 23, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080523233233/http://www.consortiuminfo.org/standardsblog/article.php?story=20080521092930864 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |url=http://software.silicon.com/applications/0,39024653,39230395,00.htm |title=Microsoft: Why we chose ODF support over OOXML |date= 23 May 2008 |first1= Tom |last1=Espiner |publisher=Software.silicon.com |access-date=June 21, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090721062335/http://software.silicon.com/applications/0%2C39024653%2C39230395%2C00.htm |archive-date=July 21, 2009 }} The implementation faces substantial criticism, and the ODF Alliance and others have claimed that the third-party plugins provide better support.{{cite web |url = http://www.odfalliance.org/resources/fact-sheet-Microsoft-ODF-support.pdf |title = MS Office 2007 Service Pack 2 With Support for ODF: How Well Does It Work? |access-date = May 24, 2009 |quote = MS Excel 2007 will process ODF spreadsheet documents when loaded via the Sun Plug-In 3.0 for MS Office or the SourceForge "OpenXML/ODF Translator Add-in for Office," but will fail when using the "built-in" support provided by Office 2007 SP2. |publisher = OpenDocument Format Alliance |url-status=dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090611181719/http://www.odfalliance.org/resources/fact-sheet-Microsoft-ODF-support.pdf |archive-date = June 11, 2009}} Microsoft later declared that the ODF support has some limitations.{{cite web |url=http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/word/HA102835631033.aspx |title=Differences between the OpenDocument Text (.odt) format and the Word (.docx) format - What happens when I save a Word 2007 document in the OpenDocument Text format? |website=Microsoft Office Online |access-date=April 5, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100318034328/http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/word/HA102835631033.aspx |archive-date=March 18, 2010 }}

In October 2005, one year before the Microsoft Office 2007 suite was released, Microsoft declared that there was insufficient demand from Microsoft customers for the international standard OpenDocument format support and that therefore it would not be included in Microsoft Office 2007. This statement was repeated in the following months.{{cite web |last=Goodwins |first=Rupert |url=http://news.zdnet.co.uk/software/0,1000000121,39225406,00.htm |title=Office 12 to support PDF creation |publisher=News.zdnet.co.uk |date=October 3, 2005 |access-date=June 21, 2010 |archive-date=July 23, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090723224815/http://news.zdnet.co.uk/software/0,1000000121,39225406,00.htm |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |last=Marson |first=Ingrid |url=http://news.zdnet.co.uk/software/0,1000000121,39226547,00.htm |title=Microsoft 'must support OpenDocument' |publisher=News.zdnet.co.uk |date=October 6, 2005 |access-date=June 21, 2010 |archive-date=July 25, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090725100911/http://news.zdnet.co.uk/software/0,1000000121,39226547,00.htm |url-status=dead }}March 23, 2006, Gates: Office 2007 will enable a new class of application {{cite web |url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/mass-holding-tight-to-opendocument/ |title=Mass. holding tight to OpenDocument |website=ZDNet |date= Jul 5, 2006 |first1=Martin |last1=LaMonica }}{{cite web |first=Martin |last=LaMonica |url=https://www.cnet.com/tech/tech-industry/microsoft-office-to-get-a-dose-of-opendocument/ |title=Microsoft Office to get a dose of OpenDocument |date=May 5, 2006 |work=CNET News |access-date=August 25, 2024}} As an answer, on October 20, 2005, an online petition was created to demand ODF support from Microsoft.{{cite web |url=http://opendocumentfellowship.com/press/2005-10-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080323060829/http://opendocumentfellowship.com/press/2005-10-20 |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 23, 2008 |title=OpenDocument Support: Tell Microsoft You Want It! |publisher=OpenDocument Fellowship |date=October 20, 2005 |access-date=June 21, 2010 }}

In May 2006, the ODF plugin for Microsoft Office was released by the OpenDocument Foundation.{{cite web |url=https://www.debianhelp.co.uk/coming-soon-odf-for-ms-office.html |title=Coming soon: ODF for MS Office |publisher=DebianHelp |first1= Steven J. |last1=Vaughan-Nichols |date=May 4, 2006 |access-date=June 21, 2010 |archive-date=December 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221221214316/https://www.debianhelp.co.uk/coming-soon-odf-for-ms-office.html |url-status=usurped }} Microsoft declared that it had no relationship with the developers of the plugin.

In July 2006, Microsoft announced the creation of the Open XML Translator project – tools to build a technical bridge between the Microsoft Office Open XML Formats and the OpenDocument Format (ODF). This work was started in response to government requests for interoperability with ODF. The goal of the project was not to add ODF support to Microsoft Office, but only to create a plugin and an external toolset.{{cite web |url=http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2006/jul06/07-06OpenSourceProjectPR.mspx |title=Microsoft Expands Document Interoperability |publisher=Microsoft |date=July 5, 2006 |access-date=June 21, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070204160529/http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2006/jul06/07-06OpenSourceProjectPR.mspx |archive-date=February 4, 2007 |url-status=dead }}{{Cite web |url=http://blogs.msdn.com/brian_jones/archive/2006/07/05/657510.aspx |title=Open XML Translator project announced (ODF support for Office) |first1=Brian |last1=Jones |first2=Zeyad |last2=Rajabi |work= Office Solutions |publisher=Microsoft |date=July 6, 2006 |access-date=April 24, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100118181302/http://blogs.msdn.com/brian_jones/archive/2006/07/05/657510.aspx |archive-date=January 18, 2010 |url-status=dead }} In February 2007, this project released a first version of the ODF plugin for Microsoft Word.{{cite web | url=http://news.cnet.com/Microsoft-to-release-ODF-document-converter/2100-1046_3-6155585.html | title=Microsoft to release ODF document converter | work=CNet News | date=February 1, 2007 | access-date=April 24, 2013 | last=LaMonica | first=Martin | archive-date=October 12, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012044009/http://news.cnet.com/Microsoft-to-release-ODF-document-converter/2100-1046_3-6155585.html | url-status=dead }}

In February 2007, Sun released an initial version of its ODF plugin for Microsoft Office.{{cite web |last=Lombardi |first=Candace |url=http://news.cnet.com/Sun-to-release-ODF-translator-for-Microsoft-Office/2100-1012_3-6157189.html |title=Sun to release ODF translator for Microsoft Office |publisher=CNET |date=February 7, 2007 |access-date=June 21, 2010 |archive-date=May 10, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110510085757/http://news.cnet.com/Sun-to-release-ODF-translator-for-Microsoft-Office/2100-1012_3-6157189.html |url-status=dead }} Version 1.0 was released in July 2007.{{cite web |last=Paul |first=Ryan |url=https://arstechnica.com/journals/linux.ars/2007/07/07/sun-releases-odf-plugin-1-0-for-microsoft-office |title=Sun releases ODF Plugin 1.0 for Microsoft Office |publisher=Ars Technica |date=July 7, 2007 |access-date=June 21, 2010 |archive-date=October 16, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081016090840/http://arstechnica.com/journals/linux.ars/2007/07/07/sun-releases-odf-plugin-1-0-for-microsoft-office |url-status=live }}

Microsoft Word 2007 (Service Pack 1) supports (for output only) PDF and XPS formats, but only after manual installation of the Microsoft "Save as PDF or XPS" add-on.{{cite web |url=http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=4d951911-3e7e-4ae6-b059-a2e79ed87041 |title=Download details: 2007 Microsoft Office Add-in: Microsoft Save as PDF or XPS |publisher=Microsoft.com |date=November 8, 2006 |access-date=June 21, 2010 |archive-date=June 18, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100618201506/http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=4D951911-3E7E-4AE6-B059-A2E79ED87041&displaylang=en |url-status=live }}Microsoft to remove PDF support from Office 2007 in wake of Adobe dispute, Friday, June 2, 2006 [http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/26786/118/ Microsoft to remove PDF support from Office 2007 in wake of Adobe dispute | TG Daily] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090201042942/http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/26786/118/ |date=February 1, 2009 }} On later releases, this was offered by default.

{{More citations needed section|date=November 2010}}

Among its features, Word includes a built-in spell checker, a thesaurus, a dictionary, and utilities for manipulating and editing text. It supports creating tables. Depending on the version, it can perform simple and complex calculations, and supports formatting formulas and equations.{{Cite web |title=Word Features Comparison: Web vs Desktop - Microsoft Support |url=https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/word-features-comparison-web-vs-desktop-3e863ce3-e82c-4211-8f97-5b33c36c55f8 |access-date=2025-02-03 |website=support.microsoft.com}}

The following are some aspects of its feature set.

Several later versions of Word include the ability for users to create their own formatting templates, allowing them to define a file in which: the title, heading, paragraph, and other element designs differ from the standard Word templates.{{Cite web|url=https://www.howtogeek.com/school/microsoft-word-document-formatting-essentials/lesson5/|title=Word Formatting: Mastering Styles and Document Themes|last=Klein|first=Matt|website=How-To Geek|language=en-US|access-date=July 9, 2019|archive-date=July 9, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190709204809/https://www.howtogeek.com/school/microsoft-word-document-formatting-essentials/lesson5/|url-status=live}} Users can find how to do this under the Help section located near the top right corner (Word 2013 on Windows 8).

For example, Normal.dotm is the master template from which all Word documents are created. It determines the margin defaults as well as the layout of the text and font defaults. Although Normal.dotm is already set with certain defaults, the user can change it to new defaults. This will change other documents which were created using the template.{{Cite web|title=Change the Normal template (Normal.dotm )|url=https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/change-the-normal-template-normal-dotm-06de294b-d216-47f6-ab77-ccb5166f98ea|access-date=May 20, 2021|website=support.microsoft.com|language=en-US|archive-date=May 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210520001124/https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/change-the-normal-template-normal-dotm-06de294b-d216-47f6-ab77-ccb5166f98ea|url-status=live}} It was previously Normal.dot.[http://pubs.logicalexpressions.com/Pub0009/LPMArticle.asp?ID=151 in-depth explanation of Normal.dot] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050620082713/http://pubs.logicalexpressions.com/Pub0009/LPMArticle.asp?ID=151 |date=June 20, 2005 }}

Word can import and display images in common bitmap formats such as JPG and GIF. It can also be used to create and display simple line art. Microsoft Word added support{{cite web |title=Edit SVG images in Microsoft Office 365 |url=https://support.office.com/en-us/article/edit-svg-images-in-microsoft-office-365-69f29d39-194a-4072-8c35-dbe5e7ea528c |website=Office Support |publisher=Microsoft |access-date=February 4, 2019 |archive-date=November 6, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181106162647/https://support.office.com/en-us/article/edit-svg-images-in-microsoft-office-365-69f29d39-194a-4072-8c35-dbe5e7ea528c |url-status=live }} for the common SVG vector image format in 2017 for Office 365 ProPlus subscribers and this functionality was also included in the Office 2019 release.{{Cite web |title=What is MS Word? - Basics, Uses, Features & Questions |url=https://byjus.com/govt-exams/microsoft-word/ |access-date=2025-02-03 |website=BYJUS |language=en}}

{{Main|WordArt}}

File:WordArt.png

WordArt enables drawing text in a Microsoft Word document such as a title, watermark, or other text, with graphical effects such as skewing, shadowing, rotating, stretching in a variety of shapes and colors, and even including three-dimensional effects. Users can apply formatting effects such as shadow, bevel, glow, and reflection to their document text as easily as applying bold or underline. Users can also spell-check text that uses visual effects and add text effects to paragraph styles.

A macro is a rule of pattern that specifies how a certain input sequence (often a sequence of characters) should be mapped to an output sequence according to a defined process. Frequently used or repetitive sequences of keystrokes and mouse movements can be automated. Like other Microsoft Office documents, Word files can include advanced macros and even embedded programs. The language was originally WordBasic, but changed to Visual Basic for Applications as of Word 97.

This extensive functionality can also be used to run and propagate viruses in documents. The tendency for people to exchange Word documents via email, USB flash drives, and floppy disks made this an especially attractive vector in 1999. A prominent example was the Melissa virus, but countless others have existed.

These macro viruses were the only known cross-platform threats between Windows and Macintosh computers and they were the only infection vectors to affect any macOS system up until the advent of video codec trojans in 2007.{{citation needed|date=June 2021}} Microsoft released patches for Word X and Word 2004 that effectively eliminated the macro problem on the Mac by 2006.

Word's macro security setting, which regulates when macros may execute, can be adjusted by the user, but in the most recent versions of Word, it is set to HIGH by default, generally reducing the risk from macro-based viruses, which have become uncommon.

Before Word 2010 (Word 14) for Windows, the program was unable to correctly handle ligatures defined in OpenType fonts.[http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/word-help/what-s-new-in-word-2010-HA010372687.aspx What's new in Word 2010] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100618035713/http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/word-help/what-s-new-in-word-2010-HA010372687.aspx |date=June 18, 2010 }}. Retrieved July 1, 2010. Those ligature glyphs with Unicode codepoints may be inserted manually, but are not recognized by Word for what they are, breaking spell checking, while custom ligatures present in the font are not accessible at all. Since Word 2010, the program now has advanced typesetting features which can be enabled,[http://jeffhuang.com/better_word_papers.html Improving the look of papers written in Microsoft Word] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100526134119/http://jeffhuang.com/better_word_papers.html |date=May 26, 2010 }}. Retrieved May 30, 2010. OpenType ligatures,[http://www.orzeszek.org/blog/2009/05/17/how-to-enable-opentype-ligatures-in-word-2010/ How to Enable OpenType Ligatures in Word 2010] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090611050447/http://www.orzeszek.org/blog/2009/05/17/how-to-enable-opentype-ligatures-in-word-2010/ |date=June 11, 2009 }}, Oreszek Blog, May 17, 2009. kerning and hyphenation (previous versions already had the latter two features). Other layout deficiencies of Word include the inability to set crop marks or thin spaces. Various third-party workaround utilities have been developed.Such as {{cite web |url=http://sbarnhill.mvps.org/WordFAQs/BlankPage.htm |title=How to delete a blank page in Word |publisher=Sbarnhill.mvps.org |access-date=June 21, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100505105925/http://sbarnhill.mvps.org/WordFAQs/BlankPage.htm |archive-date=May 5, 2010 }}

In Word 2004 for Mac OS X, support of complex scripts was inferior even to Word 97{{cite web|title=Unicode and Multilingual Editors and Word Processors for Mac OS X|url=http://www.alanwood.net/unicode/utilities_editors_macosx.html|author=Alan Wood|access-date=December 3, 2013|archive-date=January 14, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140114080658/http://alanwood.net/unicode/utilities_editors_macosx.html|url-status=live}} and Word 2004 did not support Apple Advanced Typography features like ligatures or glyph variants.{{cite web |last=Neuburg |first=Matt |url=http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=07715 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120708192529/http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=07715 |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 8, 2012 |title=TidBITS : Word Up! Word 2004, That Is |publisher=Db.tidbits.com |date=May 19, 2004 |access-date=June 21, 2010 }}

Microsoft Word is only partially suitable for some kinds of technical writing, specifically, that which requires mathematical equations,{{cite web|url=https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msoffice/forum/all/automatically-numbering-equations-and-other/c3c4e43f-2ed1-438c-9810-09f884760ff5?page=2|title=Automatically numbering equations and other equation-related questions in Word for Mac 2011|date=February 6, 2013|website=Microsoft Community}} figure placement, table placement and cross-references to any of these items.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}} The usual workaround for equations is to use a third-party equation typesetter.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}} Figures and tables must be placed manually; there is an anchor mechanism but it is not designed for fully automatic figure placement and editing text after placing figures and tables often requires re-placing those items by moving the anchor point and even then the placement options are limited.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}} This problem is deeply baked into Word's structure since 1985 as it does not know where page breaks will occur until the document is printed.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}

Microsoft Word supports bullet lists and numbered lists. It also features a numbering system that helps add correct numbers to pages, chapters, headers, footnotes, and entries of tables of content; these numbers automatically change to correct ones as new items are added or existing items are deleted. Bullets and numbering can be applied directly to paragraphs and converted to lists.{{cite web|last1=McGhie|first1=John|title=Word's numbering explained|url=http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/Numbering/WordsNumberingExplained.htm|website=word.mvps.org|date=March 26, 2011|access-date=January 10, 2015|archive-date=February 9, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150209033637/http://word.mvps.org/faqs/numbering/WordsNumberingExplained.htm|url-status=live}} Word 97 through 2003, however, had problems adding correct numbers to numbered lists. In particular, a second irrelevant numbered list might have not started with number one but instead resumed numbering after the last numbered list. Although Word 97 supported a hidden marker that said the list numbering must restart afterward, the command to insert this marker (Restart Numbering command) was only added in Word 2003. However, if one were to cut the first item of the listed and paste it as another item (e.g. fifth), then the restart marker would have moved with it and the list would have restarted in the middle instead of at the top.{{cite web |url=http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/Numbering/ListRestartMethods.htm |title=Methods for restarting list numbering |website=Word.mvps.org |date=March 26, 2011 |first=Margaret |last=Aldis |access-date=April 25, 2007 |archive-date=May 9, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070509134228/http://word.mvps.org/faqs/numbering/ListRestartMethods.htm |url-status=live }}

Word continues to default to non-Unicode characters and non-hierarchical bulleting, despite user preference for PowerPoint-style symbol hierarchies (e.g., filled circle/emdash/filled square/endash/emptied circle) and universal compatibility.

Available in certain versions of Word (e.g., Word 2007), AutoSummarize highlights passages or phrases that it considers valuable and can be a quick way of generating a crude abstract or an executive summary.{{Cite web|url=https://www.word-tips.com/auto-summarize/|title=How To Access Auto Summarize in Microsoft Word 2007|date=December 14, 2011|website=Sue's Word Tips|language=en-US|access-date=July 9, 2019|archive-date=July 9, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190709204810/https://www.word-tips.com/auto-summarize/|url-status=live}} The amount of text to be retained can be specified by the user as a percentage of the current amount of text.

According to Ron Fein of the Word 97 team, AutoSummarize cuts wordy copy to the bone by counting words and ranking sentences. First, AutoSummarize identifies the most common words in the document (barring "a" and "the" and the like) and assigns a "score" to each word – the more frequently a word is used, the higher the score. Then, it "averages" each sentence by adding the scores of its words and dividing the sum by the number of words in the sentence – the higher the average, the higher the rank of the sentence. "It's like the ratio of wheat to chaff," explains Fein.{{cite web |last=Gore |first=Karenna |url=http://www.slate.com/id/2419 |title=Cognito Auto Sum |work=Slate |date=February 9, 1997 |access-date=June 21, 2010 |archive-date=June 27, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100627072528/http://www.slate.com/id/2419 |url-status=live }}

AutoSummarize was removed from Microsoft Word for Mac OS X 2011, although it was present in Word for Mac 2008. AutoSummarize was removed from the Office 2010 release version (14) as well.[https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc179199 Changes in Word 2010 (for IT pros)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170826175549/https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc179199 |date=August 26, 2017 }}. Technet.microsoft.com (May 16, 2012). Retrieved July 17, 2013.

Spike is a specialized cut command in Microsoft Word. It is named after an implement in restaurants on which receipts are impaled, and similarly sequentially stores data to be pasted and adds them together to the document when the second function step, or paste, is performed. Please note that spiking (CONTROL–F3) performs a cut function, which can be immediately undone to simulate a "copy" command, while the pasting function (SHIFT–CONTROL–F3) will also clear the data from the spike, although this can be avoided by using alternatives to the three-key shortcut.{{cite web|url=https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/use-the-spike-to-cut-and-paste-multiple-items-in-word-f378c7af-5116-4df7-97f1-1a4780e4c8e1|title=Use the Spike to cut and paste multiple items in Word|website=Microsoft|access-date=7 July 2023}}

Word supports marking selected text as "hidden". Hidden text is text that is stored in the document but is not displayed.{{cite web |url=https://www.techrepublic.com/article/use-hidden-text-word/ |title=How to use hidden text to make one document do the work of two in Microsoft Word |first=Susan |last=Harkins |date=August 11, 2022 |website=TechRepublic}} For example, pages containing large amounts of markup language text can be made visually more readable during the editing process.

{{More citations needed section|date=December 2024}}{{Main|Microsoft Office password protection}}

Three password types can be set in Microsoft Word:

• Password to open a document{{cite web |title=Password protect documents, workbooks, and presentations |url=http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/word-help/password-protect-documents-workbooks-and-presentations-HA010148333.aspx |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140212134311/http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/word-help/password-protect-documents-workbooks-and-presentations-HA010148333.aspx |archive-date=February 12, 2014 |access-date=April 24, 2013 |work=Microsoft Office website |publisher=Microsoft}}
• Password to modify a document
• Password restricting formatting and editing{{cite web |date=June 22, 2010 |title=How to Restrict Editing in Word 2010/2007 |url=http://www.trickyways.com/2010/06/how-to-restrict-editing-in-word-2010-2007/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100626230112/http://www.trickyways.com/2010/06/how-to-restrict-editing-in-word-2010-2007/ |archive-date=June 26, 2010 |access-date=April 24, 2010 |work=Trickyways}}

The second and third password types were developed by Microsoft for convenient shared use of documents rather than for their protection. There is no encryption of documents that are protected by such passwords and the Microsoft Office protection system saves a hash sum of a password in a document's header where it can be easily accessed and removed by the specialized software. Password to open a document offers much tougher protection that had been steadily enhanced in the subsequent editions of Microsoft Office.

Word 95 and all the preceding editions had the weakest protection that utilized a conversion of a password to a 16-bit key.

Key length in Word 97 and 2000 was strengthened up to 40 bit. However, modern cracking software allows removing such a password very quickly – a persistent cracking process takes one week at most. Use of rainbow tables reduces password removal time to several seconds. Some password recovery software can not only remove a password but also find an actual password that was used by a user to encrypt the document using the brute-force attack approach. Statistically, the possibility of recovering the password depends on the password strength.

Word's 2003/XP version default protection remained the same but an option that allowed advanced users to choose a Cryptographic Service Provider was added.{{cite web |title=How safe is Word encryption. Is it secure? |url=http://www.oraxcel.com/projects/encoffice/help/How_safe_is_Word_encryption.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130417033732/http://www.oraxcel.com/projects/encoffice/help/How_safe_is_Word_encryption.html |archive-date=April 17, 2013 |access-date=April 24, 2013 |publisher=Oraxcel.com}} If a strong CSP is chosen, guaranteed document decryption becomes unavailable and, therefore, a password can't be removed from the document. Nonetheless, a password can be fairly quickly picked with a brute-force attack, because its speed is still high regardless of the CSP selected. Moreover, since the CSPs are not active by default, their use is limited to advanced users only.

Word 2007 offers significantly more secure document protection which utilizes the modern Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) that converts a password to a 128-bit key using a SHA-1 hash function 50,000 times. It makes password removal impossible (as of today, no computer that can pick the key in a reasonable amount of time exists) and drastically slows the brute-force attack speed down to several hundreds of passwords per second.

Word's 2010 protection algorithm was not changed apart from the increasing number of SHA-1 conversions up to 100,000 times and consequently, the brute-force attack speed decreased two times more.

File:MS Word 2007.png

Word for Windows is available stand-alone or as part of the Microsoft Office suite. Word contains rudimentary desktop publishing capabilities and is the most widely used word processing program on the market. Word files are commonly used as the format for sending text documents via e-mail because almost every user with a computer can read a Word document by using the Word application, a Word viewer or a word processor that imports the Word format (see Microsoft Word Viewer).

Word 6 for Windows NT was the first 32-bit version of the product,{{Cite web |last=Rose |first=Daniel |title=Microsoft Office for Windows NT |url=http://www.danielsays.com/ss-gallery-winnt2k-ms-office-nt.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150127063342/http://www.danielsays.com/ss-gallery-winnt2k-ms-office-nt.html |archive-date=January 27, 2015 |access-date=May 15, 2015 |website=DanielSays.com – Daniel's Legacy Computer Collections}} released with Microsoft Office for Windows NT around the same time as Windows 95. It was a straightforward port of Word 6.0. Starting with Word 95, each release of Word was named after the year of its release, instead of its version number.{{cite web |last=Ericson |first=Richard |date=October 11, 2006 |title=Final Review: The Lowdown on Office 2007 |url=http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9003994/Final_Review_The_Lowdown_on_Office_2007?taxonomyId=18&pageNumber=2 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629200448/http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9003994/Final_Review_The_Lowdown_on_Office_2007?taxonomyId=18&pageNumber=2 |archive-date=June 29, 2011 |access-date=November 8, 2010 |work=Computerworld}}

Word 2007 introduced a redesigned user interface that emphasized the most common controls, dividing them into tabs, and adding specific options depending on the context, such as selecting an image or editing a table.{{Cite web |last=Lowe |first=Scott |date=December 11, 2006 |title=An introduction to the Microsoft Office 2007 ribbon interface |url=https://www.techrepublic.com/article/an-introduction-to-the-microsoft-office-2007-ribbon-interface/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211214213953/https://www.techrepublic.com/article/an-introduction-to-the-microsoft-office-2007-ribbon-interface/ |archive-date=December 14, 2021 |access-date=December 14, 2021 |website=TechRepublic}} This user interface, called Ribbon, was included in Excel, PowerPoint and Access 2007, and would be later introduced to other Office applications with Office 2010 and Windows applications such as Paint and WordPad with Windows 7, respectively.{{Cite web |last=Shultz |first=Greg |date=February 25, 2009 |title=Be ready for new and improved applets in Windows 7 |url=https://www.techrepublic.com/blog/windows-and-office/be-ready-for-new-and-improved-applets-in-windows-7/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211214213955/https://www.techrepublic.com/blog/windows-and-office/be-ready-for-new-and-improved-applets-in-windows-7/ |archive-date=December 14, 2021 |access-date=December 14, 2021 |website=TechRepublic}}

The redesigned interface also includes a toolbar that appears when selecting text, with options for formatting included.{{Cite web |last=Lowe |first=Scott |date=January 26, 2007 |title=Explore what is new and different in Microsoft Word 2007 |url=https://www.techrepublic.com/article/explore-what-is-new-and-different-in-microsoft-word-2007/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211214213955/https://www.techrepublic.com/article/explore-what-is-new-and-different-in-microsoft-word-2007/ |archive-date=December 14, 2021 |access-date=December 14, 2021 |website=TechRepublic}}

Word 2007 also included the option to save documents as Adobe Acrobat or XPS files, and upload Word documents like blog posts on services such as WordPress.

Word 2010 allows the customization of the Ribbon,{{cite news |last=Mendelson |first=Edward |author-link=Edward Mendelson |date=May 11, 2010 |title=Microsoft Office 2010 |url=https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2362921,00.asp |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160429174848/http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2362921,00.asp |archive-date=April 29, 2016 |access-date=November 8, 2010 |work=PC Magazine}} adds a Backstage view for file management,{{cite news |last=Mendelson |first=Edward |author-link=Edward Mendelson |date=May 11, 2010 |title=Microsoft Office 2010: Office 2010's Backstage View |url=https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2362923,00.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101202043605/http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2362923,00.asp |archive-date=December 2, 2010 |access-date=November 8, 2010 |work=PC Magazine}} has improved document navigation, allows creation and embedding of screenshots,{{cite news |last=Mendelson |first=Edward |author-link=Edward Mendelson |date=May 11, 2010 |title=Microsoft Office 2010: Lots of Graphics Options |url=https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2362924,00.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100424202035/https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2362924,00.asp |archive-date=April 24, 2010 |access-date=December 14, 2021 |work=PC Magazine}} and integrates with online services such as Microsoft OneDrive.{{cite web |title=Introduction to Word Web App |url=http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/web-apps-help/introduction-to-word-web-app-HA010378341.aspx |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101129062236/http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/web-apps-help/introduction-to-word-web-app-HA010378341.aspx |archive-date=November 29, 2010 |access-date=November 8, 2010 |publisher=Microsoft}}

Word 2019 added a dictation function.

Word 2021 added co-authoring, a visual refresh on the start experience and tabs, automatic cloud saving, dark mode, line focus, an updated draw tab, and support for ODF 1.3.

{{see also|Microsoft Office#Mac versions|label 1=Microsoft Office § Mac versions}}File:Word for Mac screenshot.png (13.2)]]The Mac was introduced on January 24, 1984, and Microsoft introduced Word 1.0 for Mac a year later, on January 18, 1985. The DOS, Mac, and Windows versions are quite different from each other. Only the Mac version was WYSIWYG and used a graphical user interface, far ahead of the other platforms. Each platform restarted its version numbering at "1.0".{{cite web |title=Microsoft Word 1.x (Mac) |url=https://winworldpc.com/product/microsoft-word/1x-mac |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211222235427/https://winworldpc.com/product/microsoft-word/1x-mac |archive-date=December 22, 2021 |access-date=December 22, 2021 |publisher=WinWorld}} There was no version 2 on the Mac, but version 3 came out on January 31, 1987, as described above. Word 4.0 came out on November 6, 1990, and added automatic linking with Excel, the ability to flow text around graphics, and a WYSIWYG page view editing mode. Word 5.1 for Mac, released in 1992 ran on the original 68000 CPU and was the last to be specifically designed as a Macintosh application. The later Word 6 was a Windows port and poorly received. Word 5.1 continued to run well until the last classic Mac OS. Many people continue to run Word 5.1 to this day under an emulated Mac classic system for some of its excellent features, such as document generation and renumbering, or to access their old files.

File:Microsoft Word for Mac 2011.png

In 1997, Microsoft formed the Macintosh Business Unit as an independent group within Microsoft focused on writing software for the classic Mac OS. Its first version of Word, Word 98, was released with Office 98 Macintosh Edition. Document compatibility reached parity with Word 97, and it included features from Word 97 for Windows, including spell and grammar checking with squiggles.{{cite news |last=McLean |first=Prince |date=November 12, 2007 |title=Road to Mac Office 2008: an introduction (Page 3) |url=http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/07/11/12/road_to_mac_office_2008_an_introduction.html&page=3 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707153946/http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/07/11/12/road_to_mac_office_2008_an_introduction.html%26page%3D3 |archive-date=July 7, 2011 |access-date=November 7, 2010 |work=AppleInsider}} Users could choose the menus and keyboard shortcuts to be similar to either Word 97 for Windows or Word 5 for Mac.

Word 2001, released in 2000, added a few new features, including the Office Clipboard, which allowed users to copy and paste multiple items.{{cite web |last=Tetrault |first=Gregory |date=January 2001 |title=Review: Microsoft Office 2001 |url=http://www.atpm.com/7.01/office.shtml |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101120035246/http://atpm.com/7.01/office.shtml |archive-date=November 20, 2010 |access-date=November 7, 2010 |work=ATPM: About This Particular Macintosh}} It was the last version to run on the classic Mac OS and, on Mac OS X, it could only run within the Classic Environment. Word X, released in 2001, was the first version to run natively on, and to require, Mac OS X, and introduced non-contiguous text selection.{{cite news |last=Negrino |first=Tom |date=February 1, 2002 |title=Review: Microsoft Office v. X |url=http://www.macworld.com/reviews/product/407306/review/microsoft_office_overall_rating.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100818084538/http://www.macworld.com/reviews/product/407306/review/microsoft_office_overall_rating.html |archive-date=August 18, 2010 |access-date=November 7, 2010 |work=MacWorld}}

Word 2004 was released in May 2004. It included a new Notebook Layout view for taking notes either by typing or by voice.{{cite news |last1=Lunsford |first1=Kelly |last2=Michaels |first2=Philip |last3=Snell |first3=Jason |date=March 3, 2004 |title=Office 2004: First Look |url=http://www.macworld.com/article/29728/2004/03/office2004firstlook.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100625001248/http://www.macworld.com/article/29728/2004/03/office2004firstlook.html |archive-date=June 25, 2010 |access-date=November 7, 2010 |work=MacWorld}} Other features, such as tracking changes, were made more similar with Office for Windows.{{cite web |last=Friedberg |first=Steve |date=May 25, 2004 |title=Review: Microsoft Office |url=http://www.macnn.com/reviews/microsoft-office.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100405220059/http://www.macnn.com/reviews/microsoft-office.html |archive-date=April 5, 2010 |access-date=November 7, 2010 |work=MacNN}}

Word 2008, released on January 15, 2008, included a Ribbon-like feature, called the Elements Gallery, that can be used to select page layouts and insert custom diagrams and images. It also included a new view focused on publishing layout, integrated bibliography management,{{cite news |last=McLean |first=Prince |date=November 14, 2007 |title=Road to Mac Office 2008: Word '08 vs Pages 3.0 |url=http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/07/11/14/road_to_mac_office_2008_word_08_vs_pages_3_0.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101206164346/http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/07/11/14/road_to_mac_office_2008_word_08_vs_pages_3_0.html |archive-date=December 6, 2010 |access-date=November 7, 2010 |work=AppleInsider}} and native support for the new Office Open XML format. It was the first version to run natively on Intel-based Macs.{{cite news |last=McLean |first=Prince |date=November 12, 2007 |title=Road to Mac Office 2008: an introduction (Page 4) |url=http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/07/11/12/road_to_mac_office_2008_an_introduction.html&page=4 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707153958/http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/07/11/12/road_to_mac_office_2008_an_introduction.html%26page%3D4 |archive-date=July 7, 2011 |access-date=November 7, 2010 |work=AppleInsider}}

Word 2011, released in October 2010, replaced the Elements Gallery in favor of a Ribbon user interface that is much more similar to Office for Windows,{{cite news |last=McLean |first=Prince |date=March 29, 2010 |title=New Office 11 for Mac sports dense ribbons of buttons |url=http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/10/03/29/new_office_11_for_mac_sports_dense_ribbons_of_buttons.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101124085400/http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/10/03/29/new_office_11_for_mac_sports_dense_ribbons_of_buttons.html |archive-date=November 24, 2010 |access-date=November 7, 2010 |work=AppleInsider}} and includes a full-screen mode that allows users to focus on reading and writing documents, and support for Office Web Apps.{{cite news |last=Dilger |first=Daniel Eran |date=October 25, 2010 |title=Review: Microsoft's Office 2011 for Mac (Page 2) |url=http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/10/10/25/review_microsofts_office_2011_for_mac.html&page=2 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101028082955/http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/10/10/25/review_microsofts_office_2011_for_mac.html%26page%3D2 |archive-date=October 28, 2010 |access-date=November 7, 2010 |work=Apple Insider}}

Word 2021 added real-time co-authoring, automatic cloud saving, dark mode, immersive reader enhancements, line focus, a visual refresh, the ability to save pictures in SVG format, and a new Sketched style outline.

Word 2024, released on September 16, 2024, included Word session recovery, support for ODF 1.4, new theme and color palette and ability for easier collaboration. Even though collaboration features were also available in Microsoft Word 2021 as part of post release update, they were not available in Word LTSC 2021 or Word LTSC 2024.{{Cite web |date=September 16, 2024 |title=Differences between Word 2021 and Word 2024 |url=https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/what-s-new-in-word-2024-for-windows-and-mac-9fe36ecd-820b-4f42-a9a2-0861f7615954 |website=Microsoft}}

{{See also|History of Microsoft Word#Write for Atari ST}}File:MS Write on Atari ST.png

Microsoft Write for the Atari ST is the Atari version of Microsoft Word 1.05 released for the Apple Macintosh while sharing the same name as the Microsoft Write program included in Windows during the 80s and early 90s.{{cite magazine |last=Friedland |first=Nat |date=March 1987 |title=Today's Atari Corp.: A close up look inside |url=http://www.atarimagazines.com/v5n11/ataricorp.html |access-date=January 13, 2014 |magazine=Antic |volume=5 |number=11}} While the program was announced in 1986, various delays caused the program to arrive in 1988.{{cite magazine |last=Chadwick |first=Ian |date=Summer 1988 |title=Feature Review: Microsoft Write – Was it worth the wait? |url=http://www.atarimagazines.com/startv3n1/microsoftwrite.html |access-date=January 13, 2014 |magazine=STart |volume=3 |number=1}} Microsoft Write for Atari ST and Microsoft Word for Windows would both make their debut at the 1988 COMDEX in Atlanta, Georgia alongside their respective booths.{{cite web |title=New From Atari (Special Issue Number Two, 1988, pages 14) |url=https://archive.org/details/startissue03winter1986/STart%20Issue%2009%20%28Special%20Issue%20%201988%29/page/n13/mode/2up |website=STart}}{{cite web |title=COMDEX '88: The Computer Dealers Exposition (Summer 1988, Volume 3, Number 1, pages 8 - 13, 77 - 83) |url=https://archive.org/details/ST_Log_Magazine_Issue_23/page/n7/mode/2up |website=ST Log}}{{cite web |title=Looking Back At 10 Years Of Microsoft 365 Making History (January 11, 2023) |url=https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365-life-hacks/stories/looking-back-ten-years-microsoft-365 |website=Microsoft}}

Like the Mac version, the Atari version features WYSIWYG form (via GDOS) and used a graphical user interface (via GEM).{{cite web| url=https://www.atarimagazines.com/v7n5/NewSTWordProcessors.html|title=New ST Word Processing Entries Microsoft Write|website=Antic}}

Microsoft Write was one of the first Atari word processors that utilizes the GDOS (Graphics Device Operating System) part of GEM (Graphics Environment Manager) allowing the word processor to display and print graphic fonts & styles making it a multifont word processor for the Atari ST (a 2nd disk drive was required to run both Microsoft Write and GDOS). Microsoft Write was packaged with GDOS 1.1 and the drivers for the Atari XMM804 dot matrix printer along with 3rd party printers like Epson FX-80 and Star Micronics NB-15 on 4 diskettes (3½ inch format).{{cite web |title=MICROSOFT WRITE: Was It Worth The Wait? (Summer 1988, Volume 3, Number 1, pages 36 - 38) |url=https://archive.org/details/startissue03winter1986/STart%20Issue%2012%20%28Summer%201988%29/page/n35/mode/2up |website=STart}}

Accompanying the retail packaging was a 206-page slip-cased user's manual that was divided into 3 sections: Learning Write, Using Write and Write Reference.{{cite web| url=https://www.atarimania.com/st/files/microsoft_write_microsoft_manual.pdf|title=Microsoft Write A word-processing program for all MEGA and ST computers User's Manual|website=Atarimania}} In addition, Microsoft Write also featured a "Help Screen" tool to help a user explore the advanced features of the word processor that earned high praise for its form and presentation.{{cite web| url=https://www.atarimagazines.com/startv3n1/microsoftwrite.html|title=FEATURE REVIEW MICROSOFT WRITE Was It Worth The Wait?|website=STart}}

In October 1987, Microsoft released Microsoft Write for Macintosh. Write is a version of Microsoft Word with limited features that Microsoft hoped would replace aging MacWrite in the Macintosh word processor market. Write was priced well below Word, though at the time MacWrite was included with new Macintoshes. Write is best described as Word locked in "Short Menus" mode, and as such it used the same file format so that users could exchange files with absolutely no conversion necessary.{{cite magazine |last=Flynn |first=Laurie |date=October 26, 1987 |title=Microsoft Pursues Mac Write With Low-End Word Processor |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_z4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA45 |access-date=January 13, 2014 |magazine=InfoWorld |publisher=InfoWorld Media Group |page=45 |volume=9 |issn=0199-6649 |number=43}} Write did not sell well and was discontinued before the System 7 era. Microsoft Write was part of a short-lived trend for "lightweight" Macintosh word processors initiated by the introduction of the Macintosh Portable and early PowerBook systems. Others included LetterPerfect and Nisus Compact.

File:Pocket Word on HPC.png]]

The first mobile versions of Word were released with Windows CE in 1996 on Handheld PCs{{Cite web |date=1998-10-09 |title=First Handheld PCs Based on Microsoft's H/PC Pro Edition Software Expected in Stores Later This Year |url=https://news.microsoft.com/1998/10/09/first-handheld-pcs-based-on-microsofts-hpc-pro-edition-software-expected-in-stores-later-this-year/ |access-date=2024-12-06 |website=Stories |language=en-US}} and later also on Pocket PCs.File:Word for Android.png version of Microsoft Word running on Android 13]]

The modern Word Mobile{{Cite web |url=http://apps.microsoft.com/store/detail/word-mobile/9WZDNCRFJB9S?hl=en-us&gl=us |title=Word Mobile |access-date=March 29, 2023 |archive-date=March 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230329233135/https://apps.microsoft.com/store/detail/word-mobile/9WZDNCRFJB9S?hl=en-us&gl=us |url-status=live }} supports basic formatting, such as bolding, changing font size, and changing colors (from red, yellow, or green). It can add comments, but can't edit documents with tracked changes. It can't open password-protected documents; change the typeface, text alignment, or style (normal, heading 1); insert responsive checkboxes; insert pictures; or undo.{{cite web|last1=Ralph|first1=Nate|title=Office for Windows Phone 8: Your handy starter guide|url=http://www.techhive.com/article/2025977/office-for-windows-phone-8-your-handy-starter-guide.html|website=TechHive|access-date=August 30, 2014|archive-date=October 15, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141015060254/http://www.techhive.com/article/2025977/office-for-windows-phone-8-your-handy-starter-guide.html|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|last1=Wollman|first1=Dana|title=Microsoft Office Mobile for iPhone hands-on|url=https://www.engadget.com/2013/06/14/microsoft-office-mobile-for-iphone-hands-on/|website=Engadget|date=June 14, 2013 |access-date=August 30, 2014|archive-date=September 3, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140903102756/http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/14/microsoft-office-mobile-for-iphone-hands-on/|url-status=live}}{{cite news|last1=Pogue|first1=David|title=Microsoft Adds Office for iPhone. Yawn.|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/20/technology/personaltech/microsoft-office-for-the-iphone-is-here-yawn.html|work=The New York Times|date=June 19, 2013|access-date=August 30, 2014|archive-date=July 22, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140722005603/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/20/technology/personaltech/microsoft-office-for-the-iphone-is-here-yawn.html|url-status=live}}{{Cite web |last=Mashirenko |first=Vladislav |date=July 3, 2023 |title=How to insert a checkbox in Word {{!}} Tab-TV |url=https://www.tab-tv.com/how-to-insert-a-checkbox-in-word/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230704155725/https://www.tab-tv.com/how-to-insert-a-checkbox-in-word/ |archive-date=July 4, 2023 |access-date=2023-07-04 |website=www.tab-tv.com}}

Word Mobile is neither able to display nor insert footnotes, endnotes, page footers, page breaks, certain indentation of lists, and certain fonts while working on a document, but retains them if the original document has them. Word Mobile can insert lists, but doesn't allow to set custom bullet symbols and customize list numbering. In addition to the features of the 2013 version, the 2007 version on Windows Mobile also has the ability to save documents in the Rich Text Format and open legacy PSW (Pocket Word).[http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/help/pocketpc/unsupportedword.mspx Unsupported Features in Word Mobile] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090314233206/http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/help/pocketpc/unsupportedword.mspx |date=March 14, 2009 }}. Microsoft. Retrieved September 21, 2007. Furthermore, it includes a spell checker, word count tool, and a "Find and Replace" command. In 2015, Word Mobile became available for Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile on Windows Store.{{Cite web|last1=Koenigsbauer|first1=Kirk|last2=Microsoft 365|first2=Corporate Vice President for|date=July 29, 2015|title=Office Mobile apps for Windows 10 are here!|url=https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/blog/2015/07/29/office-mobile-apps-for-windows-10-are-here/|access-date=July 11, 2020|website=Microsoft 365 Blog|language=en-US|archive-date=July 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200712164949/https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/blog/2015/07/29/office-mobile-apps-for-windows-10-are-here/|url-status=live}} Support for the Windows 10 Mobile version ended on January 12, 2021.{{Cite web |title=Office Apps for Windows 10 Mobile: End of Support for Windows Phones |url=http://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/microsoft-365-blog/office-apps-for-windows-10-mobile-end-of-support-for-windows/ba-p/1050049 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230329233135/https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/microsoft-365-blog/office-apps-for-windows-10-mobile-end-of-support-for-windows/ba-p/1050049 |archive-date=March 29, 2023 |access-date=March 29, 2023}}

Word for iOS was released on March 27, 2014{{cite web |last1=Cunningham |first1=Andrew |date=March 27, 2014 |title=Microsoft brings Office to iPad, makes iPhone version free to all |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/03/microsoft-brings-word-excel-and-powerpoint-to-the-ipad-today/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230307183411/https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/03/microsoft-brings-word-excel-and-powerpoint-to-the-ipad-today/ |archive-date=March 7, 2023 |access-date=27 January 2023 |website=Ars Technica}} and for Android was released on January 29, 2015.{{cite web |last1=Lardinois |first1=Frederic |date=January 29, 2015 |title=Microsoft's Office For Android Tablets Comes Out Of Preview |url=https://techcrunch.com/2015/01/29/microsofts-office-for-android-tablets-comes-out-of-preview/?guccounter=1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230307183412/https://techcrunch.com/2015/01/29/microsofts-office-for-android-tablets-comes-out-of-preview/?guccounter=1 |archive-date=March 7, 2023 |access-date=28 January 2023 |website=TechCrunch}}

{{Further|Microsoft Office#Office on the web}}

Word for the web is a free lightweight version of Microsoft Word available as part of Office on the web, which also includes web versions of Microsoft Excel and Microsoft PowerPoint.

Word for the web lacks some Ribbon tabs, such as Design and Mailings. Mailings allows users to print envelopes and labels and manage mail merge printing of Word documents.{{Cite web |url=https://www.pcworld.com/article/2872072/office-online-vs-office-365-what-s-free-what-s-not-and-what-you-really-need.html |title=Office Online vs. Office 365: What's free, what's not, and what you really need |last=Bradley |first=Tony |date=February 2, 2015 |website=PC World |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170724204611/http://www.pcworld.com/article/2872072/office-online-vs-office-365-what-s-free-what-s-not-and-what-you-really-need.html |archive-date=July 24, 2017 |access-date=July 16, 2020 }}{{Cite web |url=https://www.pcworld.com/article/3226384/microsoft-office-online-review-office-alternative.html |title=Microsoft Office Online review: Work with your favorite Office formats for free |website=PC World |date=September 28, 2017 |last=Ansaldo |first=Michael |access-date=October 31, 2019 |archive-date=July 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704092800/https://www.pcworld.com/article/3226384/microsoft-office-online-review-office-alternative.html |url-status=live }} Word for the web is not able to edit certain objects, such as: equations, shapes, text boxes or drawings, but a placeholder may be present in the document. Certain advanced features like table sorting or columns will not be displayed but are preserved as they were in the document. Other views available in the Word desktop app (Outline, Draft, Web Layout, and Full-Screen Reading) are not available, nor are side-by-side viewing, split windows, and the ruler.{{Cite web |url=https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Differences-between-using-a-document-in-the-browser-and-in-Word-3e863ce3-e82c-4211-8f97-5b33c36c55f8 |title=Differences between using a document in the browser and in Word |website=Office Support |publisher=Microsoft |access-date=November 1, 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107030828/https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Differences-between-using-a-document-in-the-browser-and-in-Word-3e863ce3-e82c-4211-8f97-5b33c36c55f8 |archive-date=November 7, 2017 }}

{{Expand section|date=December 2021}}

Initial releases of Word were met with criticism. Byte in 1984 criticized the documentation for Word 1.1 and 2.0 for DOS, calling it "a complete farce". It called the software "clever, put together well and performs some extraordinary feats", but concluded that "especially when operated with the mouse, has many more limitations than benefits... extremely frustrating to learn and operate efficiently".{{cite news | url=https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1984-09/1984_09_BYTE_09-09_Guide_to_the_IBM_PCs#page/n171/mode/2up | title=Word Processing Revisited | work=BYTE | date=September 1984 | access-date=October 23, 2013 | author=Cameron, Janet | pages=171 | type=review}} PC Magazine{{'s}} review was very mixed, stating: "I've run into weird word processors before, but this is the first time one's nearly knocked me down for the count" but acknowledging that Word's innovations were the first that caused the reviewer to consider abandoning WordStar. While the review cited an excellent WYSIWYG display, sophisticated print formatting, windows, and footnoting as merits, it criticized many small flaws, very slow performance, and "documentation produced by Madame Sadie's Pain Palace". It concluded that Word was "two releases away from potential greatness".{{cite news|author=Manes, Stephen|date=February 21, 1984|title=The Unfinished Word|pages=192|work=PC Magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UCIvSU6Y2GAC&pg=192|access-date=October 19, 2021}}

Compute!'s Apple Applications in 1987 stated that "despite a certain awkwardness", Word 3.01 "will likely become the major Macintosh word processor" with "far too many features to list here". While criticizing the lack of true WYSIWYG, the magazine concluded that "Word is marvelous. It's like a Mozart or Edison, whose occasional gaucherie we excuse because of his great gifts".{{cite news | url=https://archive.org/stream/COMPUTEs_Apple_Applications_Vol._5_No._2_Issue_6_1987-12_COMPUTE_Publications_US#page/n55/mode/2up | title=Macintosh: The Word Explosion | work=Compute!'s Apple Applications | date=December 1987 | access-date=September 14, 2016 | author=McNeill, Dan | pages=54–60}}

Compute! in 1989 stated that Word 5.0's integration of text and graphics made it "a solid engine for basic desktop publishing". The magazine approved of improvements to text mode, described the $75 price for upgrading from an earlier version as "the deal of the decade" and concluded that "as a high-octane word processor, Word is worth a look".{{Cite magazine |last=Nimersheim |first=Jack |date=December 1989 |title=Compute! Specific: MS-DOS |url=https://archive.org/stream/1989-12-compute-magazine/Compute_Issue_115_1989_Dec#page/n11/mode/2up |magazine=Compute! |pages=11–12}}

During the first quarter of 1996, Microsoft Word accounted for 80% of the worldwide word processing market.{{cite magazine|title=Data Stream|magazine=Next Generation|issue=21 |publisher=Imagine Media|date=September 1996|page=21}}

In 2013, Microsoft added Word to the new Office 365 product, where Microsoft has combined their most popular software,{{Cite web |title=Looking back at 10 years of Microsoft 365 making history |url=https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365-life-hacks/stories/looking-back-ten-years-microsoft-365#:~:text=In%20January%202013,%20Office%20365,20%20GB%20of%20SkyDrive%20storage. |access-date=2024-10-23 |website=Microsoft 365 |language=en-US}} which is a cloud based computing software that is subscription-based to compete with Google Docs.

{{Version |l |show=11100}}

File:Word 2010.png

{{Notelist}}

{{Reflist}}

• Tsang, Cheryl. Microsoft: First Generation. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. {{ISBN|978-0-471-33206-0}}.
• Liebowitz, Stan J. & Margolis, Stephen E. Winners, Losers & Microsoft: Competition and Antitrust in High Technology Oakland: Independent Institute. {{ISBN|978-0-945999-80-5}}.

{{wikiversity|Microsoft Office/Word}}

{{commons category}}

• {{Official website|https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/word}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20140209231503/http://office.microsoft.com/en-ca/word-help/find-and-replace-text-by-using-regular-expressions-advanced-HA102350661.aspx Find and replace text by using regular expressions (Advanced)] - archived official support website

{{Word processors}}

{{Microsoft Office}}

{{Authority control}}

Word

Category:Classic Mac OS word processors

Category:DOS word processors

Category:MacOS word processors

Category:Windows word processors

Category:Technical communication tools

Category:Screenshot software

Category:1983 software

Category:Atari ST software

Category:Word processors

Category:Proprietary cross-platform software

Category:Microsoft software