WD2000: Part 2: Limitations Converting from Word Document Format to Word 6.0/95 Format

ID: Q216920

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Word 2000

SUMMARY

This article (Part 2 of 2) provides information about what happens when you convert a Microsoft Word 2000 document to Word 6.x or Word 7.0 format.

NOTE: Word 95 and Word 6.x implement a 32-MB limit for document file size. If you are saving a large document with a lot of graphics from Word 2000 to the Word 6.0/95 format and receive a message, it is recommended that you break up the Word 2000 document into smaller files before saving it in the Word 6.0/95 (*.doc) format.

For Part 1 of this article, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q212268 Part 1: Limitations Converting from Word Document Format to Word 6.0/95 Format

MORE INFORMATION

When you save a Word 2000 document as Word 6.0/95, Word warns you with the message "Some of the features in this document aren't supported by Microsoft Word 6.0/95" and shows you a summary of the features that are not supported and how they appear in Word 6.0/95. The following tables show the elements that Word changes or removes upon saving as Word 6.0/95.

NOTE: Unless otherwise noted, the features listed in the following tables also behave the same as listed if you do either of the following:

In Word 6.0 or Word 95, you open a document created in Word 2000 (saved as Word 6.0/95), resave as a Word document, and then reopen the file in Word 2000.

-or-
In Word 2000, you open a document created in Word 2000 and saved as Word 6.0/95.

Graphic Formatting

This formatting in Word 2000	Looks like this in Word 6.0/95
Drawings created with the Drawing toolbar	Simple shapes are retained. Decorative line styles and other features not supported in Word 6.0/95 are changed to their nearest equivalent.
Objects and pictures with Allow Overlap turned off	Objects and pictures are allowed to overlap. Some objects and pictures may be obscured in Word 6.0/95.
EMF, PNG, GIF, and JPEG graphics	Graphics are saved in applicable format and are converted to WMF (Windows Metafile) or PICT (Macintosh) format. To avoid having two copies of each graphic saved in the document, add the option ExportPictureWithMetafile=0 in the registry at the following location: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Word\Options
Pictures with tight or through wrapping	Pictures with tight or through text wrapping become square text wrapping in Word 6.0/95.
Pictures with text wrapping around them in tables	Pictures with text wrapping around them in tables are moved to the paragraph above the table.
OLE objects with text wrapping	OLE objects with text wrapping are converted to OLE objects in text boxes in front of or behind text in Word 6.0/95.
WordArt	Converted to metafile in Word 6.0/95. Graphics are displayed but cannot be edited.
Objects middle or bottom aligned	Objects middle or bottom aligned move up in Word 6.0/95.
Objects aligned horizontally right, center, inside, or outside	Objects that are aligned horizontally right, center, inside, or outside shift slightly but are close to their position in Word 6.0/95.
Pictures and objects positioned relative to line	Pictures and objects that are positioned relative to line are positioned relative to paragraph. Objects and pictures may shift in Word 6.0/95.
Pictures and objects positioned relative to character	Pictures and objects that are positioned relative to character are positioned relative to column. Objects and pictures may shift in Word 6.0/95.

Asian Text Formatting

This formatting in Word 2000	Looks like this in Word 6.0/95
Horizontal in Vertical	Horizontal in Vertical becomes horizontal text in Word 6.0/95.
Two lines in one	Two lines in one becomes one regular line in Word 6.0/95.
Text snaps to character grid	Character grid is lost and text is not positioned on it in Word 6.0/95.
First and last line breaks control characters	Line breaks do not respect these character settings in Word 6.0/95.
Emphasis dot	Emphasis dot is removed, and text is underlined in Word 6.0/95.
East Asian and right-to-left characters are lost	The English version of Word 6.0/95 does not support East Asian or right-to-left characters.

Table Formatting

This formatting in Word 2000	Looks like this in Word 6.0/95
Vertically merged table cells	Merged table cells are split into separate cells in Word 6.0/95.
Vertically aligned text	Vertically aligned text aligns at the top of the cell in Word 6.0/95.
Vertical text direction	Vertical text direction becomes horizontal text direction in Word 6.0/95.
Diagonal cell borders	No diagonal cell borders in Word 6.0/95.
Nested table with text	Nested table is removed, and text is put in a paragraph in the outer table cell in Word 6.0/95.
Decorative table border styles	Decorative table border styles become box border styles in Word 6.0/95.
Spacing between cells	Lost in Word 6.0/95.
Cell margins	Lost in Word 6.0/95.
Numbering in cells	Numbers converted to regular text but retain their appearance. Automatic numbering does not work in Word 6.0/95.
Allow page breaks in a table is turned on	Allow page breaks in a table is turned off in Word 6.0/95.
Pictures with text wrapping around them in tables	Pictures with text wrapping around them are moved to the paragraph above the table in Word 6.0/95.

Web Page Formatting

This formatting in Word 2000	Looks like this in Word 6.0/95
Hyperlink that's active	Hyperlink text is blue underlined, but hyperlink is not active in Word 6.0/95.
Frames pages	Frames pages are lost. The Web pages used by the Frames page are saved. In Word 6.0/95, the document shows the text "This page uses frames but your browser doesn't support them."
Microsoft ActiveX controls on forms	ActiveX controls are converted to metafiles. Results can be viewed but not edited in Word 6.0/95.

Miscellaneous

This formatting in Word 2000	Looks like this in Word 6.0/95
Microsoft Visual Basic Projects	Visual Basic Projects are lost in Word 6.0/95.
Unicode characters	May result in potential data loss. Unicode characters (2 bytes per character) are mapped to corresponding ANSI (Windows) or Macintosh equivalents (1 byte per character), or converted to question marks (?). Foreign language characters are the most likely to be affected.
DOCPROPERTY field	The DOCPROPERTY field is retained in Word 95. In Word 6.x, the field appears as "Error! Bookmark not defined."
Embedded fonts	Embedded fonts are lost, and Word 95 or Word 6.x assigns the closest font available.
ActiveX controls on Forms	Can be used but not modified in Word 6.0/95.

REFERENCES

For additional information about incorrectly documented features when saving as Word 6.0/95, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q216764 WD2000: Doc Err: Save a Word 2000 Document in Word 6.0/95 Format

Additional query words: converting converts converted transferred transferring transfers


Keywords          : kbdta wd2000 
Version           : WINDOWS:2000
Platform          : WINDOWS 
Issue type        : kbinfo

Last Reviewed: July 20, 1999