How to Open a Word 2007 Document in Word 2003

1. To permanently save files in .doc format in Word 2007, click the 'Office' button and click 'Save' in the left pane of the Word Options dialog. From the 'Save files in this format' drop-down selection, select 'Word 97-2003 document (*.doc)' as the default option. Then click 'OK.' Documents created in Word 2007 will subsequently be saved in the .doc format, which Word 2003 could open.
2. Alternatively, download and install the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack (Microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?displaylang=en&id=3) on your computer which runs Word 2003. To do so, first ensure that your system is up-to-date with the latest Microsoft updates. Then download the Compatibility Pack and double-click the FileFormatConverters.exe file and follow the on-screen instructions. After installation, Word 2003 will be able to open documents created in Word 2007 (and Word 2010).
3. Another way of opening a Word 2007 is by using a free online conversion application, such as Convert DOCX to DOC Online (docx2doc.com). To do so, browse to the desired Word 2007 file. Then select the 'Prompt to save or open file' radio button and click the 'Convert File to Doc' button. After the file is saved, you can open it in Word 2003.