How to Change the Default File Format for Saving in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2016

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When you create new documents, workbooks, or presentations in Microsoft Office 2016 applications like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, they are saved in the default file formats – .docx for Word, .xlsx for Excel, and .pptx for PowerPoint.

However, you may sometimes need to save files in other formats like .doc, .xls, or .ppt for compatibility with older versions of Office or other programs. Rather than changing the file format manually each time you save, you can set your preferred format as the default in Office 2016.

Why Change the Default File Format

Here are some common reasons you may want to change the default file format in Office 2016:

  • Share files with people using older versions of Office that don’t support newer formats like .docx, .xlsx, etc.
  • Need to export files to other programs that require specific formats like .txt, .csv, etc.
  • Reduce file size for email attachments by saving in a compressed format.
  • Maintain macro functionality by saving as macro-enabled file types like .docm, .xlsm, etc.

By setting an older or alternate file format as your default, you ensure all new files will save accordingly without extra effort.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Follow these simple steps to change the default file format for saving files in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2016:

Change Default File Format in Word 2016

  1. Open Word 2016 and click the File tab.
  2. Click Options in the left sidebar.
  3. Click Save on the left.
  4. Under “Save documents,” find “Save files in this format.”
  5. Select your desired default format from the drop-down menu.

Change default file format in Word 2016

Common alternate formats for Word include:

  • Word 97-2003 Document (.doc)
  • Rich Text Format (.rtf)
  • Plain Text (.txt)
  • PDF (.pdf)
  • OpenDocument Text (.odt)

Change Default File Format in Excel 2016

  1. Open Excel 2016 and click File.
  2. Click Options in the left sidebar.
  3. Click Save on the left.
  4. Under “Save workbooks,” find “Save files in this format.”
  5. Choose your desired default format from the drop-down menu.

Change default file format in Excel 2016

Useful alternate formats for Excel include:

  • Excel 97-2003 Workbook (.xls)
  • CSV (Comma delimited) (.csv)
  • XML Data (.xml)
  • OpenDocument Spreadsheet (.ods)

Change Default File Format in PowerPoint 2016

  1. Launch PowerPoint 2016 and select the File tab.
  2. Click Options on the left.
  3. Click Save on the left sidebar.
  4. Under “Save presentations,” find “Save files in this format.”
  5. Pick your preferred default format from the drop-down list.

Change default file format in PowerPoint 2016

Helpful alternate PowerPoint formats:

  • PowerPoint 97-2003 Presentation (.ppt)
  • OpenDocument Presentation (.odp)
  • Strict Open XML Presentation (.pptx)
  • PDF (.pdf)

And that’s it! Going forward, any new documents, workbooks, or presentations you create will automatically save in the default format you set. You can change it back at any time by repeating the steps.

Compatibility Considerations

When choosing alternate file formats, keep in mind:

  • Older formats like .doc, .xls, and .ppt don’t support all the features of newer Office versions. Some content or formatting may be lost when saving to these legacy formats.
  • Other programs may not fully support the full Office Open XML formats like .docx, .xlsx, and .pptx. Features could be missing or display incorrectly.
  • Closed, proprietary formats like .doc and .ppt limit accessibility and interoperability with non-Microsoft software. Open standards like .odt and .odp offer greater flexibility.

Test files saved in alternate formats to ensure they still appear as expected before sharing or migrating content.

Tips for Smoother File Sharing

  • Let collaborators know you’ve changed the default save format before sharing files to avoid surprises.
  • When sharing between Office versions, save to the oldest supported format needed rather than the absolute newest.
  • Use Compatibility Checker to identify and fix interoperability issues.
  • Convert files to non-Office formats like PDF when sharing with non-Office users.

Changing the default file format for Office files takes just a minute and can enhance cross-platform support for your documents. Follow the steps outlined to seamlessly integrate older Office versions or other software into your workflow.

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