OOXML Strict Converter for Office 2010

OOXML Strict Converter is a small patch for Microsoft Office that adds support for working with Strict Open XML files in version 2010 of the suite. It applies for Microsoft Excel 2010 and Microsoft Word 2010.

Installing the OOXML Strict Converter extends the suite’s capabilities by adding write support for Strict Open XML format. This type of file is created by Microsoft Office 2013 and using the converter makes them compatible with the earlier revision.

The documents are opened preserving their original properties but saving them is done in the Transitional format.

Getting the update on the system is not a difficult job, regardless of the computer knowledge of the user. There are different downloads for the 32-bit and 64-bit platforms and following the instructions on the screen should complete the process without any problems.

Although support for Office Open XML files (DOCX, XLSX and PPTX), which are archived XML text, has been introduced in Office with the 2007 revision, it is only partial as ISO standardization required support for legacy features, which resulted splitting the format in two: Transitional and Strict.

The former, supported in Office 2007, ensures that older documents can still be opened without losing the original features. Both types of files can be read in Office 2010 and above but the Strict Open XML ones can be saved only in the 2013 release.

Among the advantage of the zipped XML text is smaller size of the resulting file and increased stability compared to the old binary files.

The patch is useful when a document created with Office 2013 needs to be opened in the earlier version of the suite, without losing the original features of the file. However, keep in mind that it does not ensure full compatibility of the Strict Open XML format.