How to Open Word 2003 Templates in Word 2007

To Open a 2003 Template Document in Word 2007
1. Open Microsoft Word 2007. You will have a blank document on your screen.
2. Click on the “Open Office button” in the top-left corner of the window and click on “New.” You will see the New Document dialog window. Click on “My Templates.” You should see a list of your templates. You may need to browse until you find your templates on your computer system.
3. Select the template you want to use and click “OK.” You will now have a document on your screen based on your 2003 template. Look in the file name area at the top of the screen. You should see the file name followed by the words Compatibility Mode. This mode allows you to work in Word 2007 with the file based on your 2003 template. You cannot use all the features of Word 2007, though. You can convert this document to a Word 2007 file or you can convert the entire template.
To Convert a 2003 Template to a 2007 Template
4. Click the “Open Office button” and click “Open.” Select “Trusted Templates” in the dialog window. You will see your templates. Templates created in Word 2003 have a .DOT file extension after them. Select the template you want to convert.
5. Click “Open,” and in the file name you will see the name of the template and the words Compatibility Mode.
6. Click on the “Open Office button” and “Convert.” You should receive a warning message about converting your 2003 template to a 2007 one. Click “OK” and, after a second or two, you will see the words Compatibility Mode disappear. But the file name still reflects the .DOT file extension.
7. Click the “Save” button at the top left of your screen next to the Open Office button. In the “Save As” dialog box, give your template a new name or you can keep the current one. Click “OK” to save your new template. Your file name should now have the extension .DOTX for a Word 2007 template. Close out of the template before you make a file from it.