DOCX Viewer

About the DOCX Viewer

Someone sent you a Word file, and your computer, phone or school laptop has no Word. This free DOCX viewer opens it in your browser so you can read it right away.

Drop the file on the box. The document appears as a clean page: headings, bold and italic text, lists, tables, pictures, links, footnotes and comments. You can search it, copy the text and print it.

The file is never uploaded. It is opened on your own device, so private letters, contracts and school work stay private.

Features

• Opens .docx and .doc — Word 2007 and newer, and the text of old Word 97–2003 files
• Text, tables and pictures — headings, lists, links, footnotes and comments too
• Find — every match is marked, and you jump from one to the next
• Bigger or smaller text — A− and A+ for easy reading
• Copy and print — copy all the text, or print only the document
• Document details — title, author, dates, and the header and footer text
• Private — nothing is uploaded, no sign-up, no limit

Why a .docx file will not open

A .docx file is the normal Word document since Word 2007. Inside, it is a ZIP package with the text in XML and the pictures as files. A phone, a Chromebook or a computer without Microsoft Office often has no program for it, so the file opens as a strange icon, as unreadable characters, or not at all.

You do not need to buy Word to read it. This viewer reads the package in the browser and shows what is inside.

What the viewer shows, and what it does not

If you need the document exactly as it looks in Word, page by page, open it in Word, LibreOffice Writer or Google Docs. To read it, check a number or print the words, this viewer is enough.

Old .doc files (Word 97–2003)

An old .doc file is a different, binary format. The viewer reads the text of a .doc file — paragraphs and the words in tables — but not its pictures or formatting. It tells you this when it opens one. Some ".doc" files are really RTF files; the viewer reads their text too.

A file that asks for a password to open is encrypted. No viewer can open it without the password and Word.

Frequently asked questions

How do I open a .docx file without Word?

Drop the file on the box at the top of this page. It opens in a few seconds, and you can read, search, copy and print it. You do not need Word, an account or an app.

Can I open a Word file on my phone?

Yes. Open this page on your phone, tap the box and choose the file from your downloads or files app. The text fits the small screen.

Is my document uploaded?

No. The file is read by your own browser. It is never sent to a server, so nobody else can see it.

Can I edit the document?

No, this is a viewer. To change a .docx you need a word processor such as Word, LibreOffice Writer (free) or Google Docs. You can copy the text from here and paste it into one.

How do I turn the Word file into a PDF?

Use the Save as PDF button. It opens our Word to PDF converter: drop the same file there and download the PDF.

Why does the page look different from Word?

This is a reading view. It keeps the words, tables and pictures, but it does not copy Word's fonts, colours, margins or page breaks.

Related tools

• Word to PDF — turn the .docx into a PDF that looks the same everywhere
• PDF to Word — the other direction: edit a PDF as a Word document
• Excel Viewer — open an Excel file without Excel
• PPTX Viewer — open a PowerPoint file without PowerPoint
• Pages to PDF — open an Apple Pages file on Windows

How to use it

• Drop your Word file (.docx or .doc) on the box, or click it to choose the file
• Read the document — scroll down; use A+ for bigger text
• Type a word in Find and press Enter to jump from match to match
• Click Copy text to copy everything, or Print to print only the document
• Open Document details to see the author, the dates and the header and footer text
• Click Another file to open the next document