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Office 2004 Compatibility Pack

Starting with Office 2007 for Windows and continuing with Office 2008 for Macs, Microsoft has included an updated document format. Documents with this new format end in the file extensions .docx, .xlsx, and .pptx. This new format cannot be read by older versions of Microsoft Office without updates. The directions below will allow a computer still running Microsoft Office 2004 to read the updated document format.

If you would like to upgrade to Office 2008, there are a few options. For College-owned computers, please contact the Help Desk at x3333 to request an update. For personally owned computers, please check our Computing Purchasing Page for faculty, staff, and student discounts on Office 2008.

Update Office 2004 with the latest patches

  1. Launch Microsoft Word, and go to Word > About to see if you are using v11.5.0. It will be listed in the second line, under 'Microsoft Word 2004 for Mac'. If the version listed is not 11.5.0, please close the window and go to Help > Check for Updates.
  2. Microsoft AutoUpdate will launch. Click the Check for Updates button.
  3. If updates are available, make sure they are all checked and click Install. If you need to install the update manually, it can be downloaded directly from Microsoft here.
  4. The updates will now download. When they have finished downloading, and installer window will appear.
  5. Click Continue to allow the update to run scripts.
  6. In the Welcome window, click Continue.
  7. In the Important Information window, click Continue.
  8. In the Software License Agreement window, click Continue, then Agree.
  9. In the Standard Install window, click Install.
  10. When the install is complete, you may be asked to restart your computer. If so, please allow the computer to restart.

This update does not include the converter, but is required to install the Compatibility Pack. Please continue to the next section to install the Compatibility Pack.

Install the Office 2004 Compatibility Pack

  1. Download the Compability Pack from Microsoft's website here.
  2. Once the download has completed, you should see an OpenXMLConverter100.dmg file on your Mac Desktop.
  3. Double-click on the OpenXMLConverter100.dmg file and wait a few moments for the install to begin. It may takes up to 10 minutes to launch the installer window.
  4. When the installer menu appears, click through the menus, leaving all the default settings.

You have now installed the Compability Pack for Office 2004. When you open a document in the Office07/08 format on your computer, you will be asked if you want to convert the document. When you click Yes, the Compatibility Pack will convert the document to the older Office97-2003 format and then open it in the appropriate application. When you go to save the document, it will be saved in the Office97-2003 format, not the new Office07/08 format. There may be some loss of formatting, but it is not usually significant.