Checking .doc formatting between OSX/Windows
September 20, 2015 3:24 PM   Subscribe

I'm trying to upload a word document with significant text formatting to a website that will only accept .doc and .docx. The problem is, I'm on a Mac and I know from experience that my formatting is likely to get horribly messed up if viewed in Windows. Is there some way to check how my document will look on a Windows machine without actually having access to Microsoft Word on a Windows machine?
posted by Dante Riordan to Technology (5 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
Perhaps an online virtual windows system? But have you checked if a local library has a system with Word?
posted by sammyo at 4:45 PM on September 20, 2015


  • The library approach might be expedient, and maybe you could use something like Dropbox or Google Drive to transfer documents. Take appropriate security precautions, perhaps password protecting your Office documents.
  • Maybe invest in an old Windows computer, but that's $ and hassle.
  • Ideally, I hope someone finds a free online virtual MS Windows service that isn't overloaded. Alas, the few I found lack MS Office.. The for-fee Virtual Private Server sites are probably pricey for your purposes (as in $53/month for Windows 8+Office 2013).
  • I must run Windows applications from a Mac several times a day. So I installed VirtualBox (free) and installed in that MS Windows (retail ~ $120) + needed applications such as MS Office (retail $90 - $140). If this is for a business or school setting, you might get the MS software at no or little cost to you.
  • Also in such a setting you might be permitted to Microsoft's free app Remote Desktop Connection to connect to a Remote Desktop Server (aka Terminal Server) or to an individual Windows workstation. If this must be done from off-campus, there's the added complication of a VPN. But this is a common way to telecommute, and does not require starting from a Windows machine. Check with IT.

posted by gregoreo at 5:05 PM on September 20, 2015


What version of Word for Mac are you using? The current version is much improved on visual compatibility with Windows than before.
posted by scruss at 9:19 PM on September 20, 2015


Dropbox has an Office 365 based file previewer, which might give you some idea.
posted by flabdablet at 2:14 AM on September 21, 2015


If you're writing extraordinarily complex documents this might be an issue. But in general, with the newest version of Office for Mac, this is minor enough of an issue that I wouldn't worry too much about it. Assuming it's not ultra-complex, you could probably check it in Word online, and if it looks OK there, it's probably fine.
posted by cnc at 12:53 PM on September 21, 2015


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