Basics4Mac - Editing Microsoft Word Files Without Using Word

If you don't own Word

Microsoft Word is no doubt the most used word processor out there. It is pretty much the de facto standard on PCs and also available on the Mac, although it is not nearly as popular on the Mac side.

One reason Word isn't so popular on the Mac is that we have more choices. Text Edit is a limited word processor that comes with every Mac and Pages (part of iWork '09) is an inexpensive add-on to your Mac that, while not as powerful as Word, will take care of most of your word processing needs.

From time to time, however, you will probably come across a Word file that you need to open. Most likely it will be from someone in the PC world that just assumes you can open it. Well you can. Even if you if don't own MS Word or even Pages.

The following is from a recent tip on the Apple Pro Tips website:

It’s easy to work with Microsoft Word files on your Mac, even if you don’t have Microsoft Word installed on your computer. TextEdit, your Mac’s built-in word processing program, can open MS Word files (which are often distinguished by a “.doc” or “.docx” suffix). Simply double-click the document icon. It will automatically open in TextEdit if that’s the only word-processing program on your computer.

Read the rest of the Pro Tip here

Note that TextEdit might not open a complicated Word file with the formatting perfectly intact, and while you can make simple edits, you can't expect TextEdit to do all the heavy lifting that Word can do. Nevertheless, TextEdit can be the perfect tool when you need to take a look inside a Word file.