4.1.6 does not open docx

[dacaswell]

Just installed 4.1.6 on my Mac OS10.7.5, and it will no longer open docx files. Any suggestions?

[Zizi64]

Any suggestions?

Try to install the LibreOffice.

How you tried to open the .docx files? From the menu: File - Open? Or by some clicks on the file name in a file browser application?
(Try to associate the .docx extension to the Open/LibreOffice in your operating system...)

[RoryOF]

All docx files, or just a particular one?

[John_Ha]

Download this file. File > Open ..., and navigate to it. Does it open? Repeat with your file.

See [Tutorial] Differences between Writer and MS Word files for why you should always work in and save files as .odt.

[dacaswell]

Will not open any docx files.
For those saying I should always save as odt, since open office won't save in docx, all the files in question are docs sent to me.

[John_Ha]

Will not open any docx files.

That is no help as it gives no information. It's like saying "My car won't go - what's wrong with it?"

AOO 4.1.6 does open .docx files so your statement is clearly incorrect.

What happened when you went File > Open ..., and navigated to the .docx I uploaded as I asked above? Or didn't you bother to try?

And what happened when you then repeated with one of your documents? Give an exact description of how you are attempting to open a .docx file including the exact words of any error messages.

You do need to do a little maths. AOO has been downloaded by some 200,000,000 people. You say it does not work for you.

Do you think the problem lies with the AOO software the other 199,999,999 people find is OK?

Or do you think that, just possibly, the problem might lie with your understanding (or lack of understanding), your installation, your unique PC configuration, your way of working and/or your file(s)?

[mcf]

Hi there,

I have been having this problem (failure to open .docx) with 4.1.6 ever since I updated. When I try to open a .docx file by double-clicking on it in Finder, OpenOffice will open (i.e. splash screen appears) but nothing happens - it will not open anything or show an error message. When I try to open a .docx file by opening OpenOffice first and using the File-->Open... process, the same thing happens, i.e. nothing at all. I never had any trouble opening this file format in the previous version I had installed, so the issue seems to have come with the update to the latest version.

I have been able to open .docx in TextEdit and then copy/paste into OpenOffice, but for anything more complex than simple text this is not really a workable long-term solution. As a long-term user and fan of OpenOffice this is a pretty big fail point, and I would be very grateful if anyone can recommend a solution.

Thank you.

[RoryOF]

AbiWord will often open .docx that OpenOffice cannot.

If your concern is the reliable opening of any format and preservation of its document formatting, you should use an application for which that format is native.

[mcf]

AbiWord appears to only be available for Linux - I use a Mac. Are there simply no workarounds or updates that restore .docx compatibility to OpenOffice?

[RoryOF]

Some of the earlier versions are certainly available for Mac.

[Hagar Delest]

LibreOffice is told to have a better OOXML support (docx/xlsx...).
But beware that this is still a proprietary format, not designed to be compatible with anything else than MS Office.
If you need a perfect support, just buy MS Office.