What is compatibility mode in microsoft office

When you open a document of any type in Microsoft Office, at the top, where you get the name of the document, it is common to see "Compatibility Mode" next to the name of that document. This influences the way the document appears, and may prevent you from using some of the features that later versions of the suite have.

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What is Compatibility Mode in Microsoft Office

Compatibility mode is generally not something to worry about. Since this is an Office function that ensures that older versions can continue to function smoothly. Although we have the possibility to leave it on or off.

What is compatibility mode

The first thing we have to do is know exactly what this compatibility mode is that we can see in the documents in Microsoft Office. New versions of Office introduce features that are not compatible with older versions. Also, older versions have a different way of executing documents.

So when we open a document in an old version of Office, it opens in compatibility mode. So it has the same appearance as the most current versions. In addition, it provides the user with access to these new functions that have been incorporated in later versions. So you have no problems in this regard and you can use any function.

Compatibility mode is present so that users who have different versions of Microsoft Office can continue working together. Thus there are no barriers or compatibility problems, or that one cannot see certain functions or changes in a document. So it is an important solution for the office suite par excellence.

Although there are some functions that are not activated in compatibility mode. Which ones depend on the version of Office you are using in said mode. Since if you use Word 2016 and open a Word 2010 document, you will not be able to use Office Applications or enter videos online.

How to know what compatibility mode is being used

Microsoft Office gives us the possibility to know what compatibility mode is being used in a specific document. Although in order to have this information we have to carry out a series of steps. For this we have to go to the file first, within the document.

Then we select the Information option, then check errors / check problems and finally check compatibility. When we are in this option to check compatibility, we have an option that allows us to see the version that is being used. We have to click on it and then we will be able to see the version of Microsoft Office that is being used in this compatibility mode. So we can know in which version of the suite said document was created.

How to update a document and leave compatibility mode

There may be users who want to update the document and thus stop using compatibility mode. The steps to do this are simple. First of all we have to open this document with our version of Microsoft Office.

Then we adduced to file and click on information. There we get several options, of which one is called converting. What this function is going to do is convert the document in question into a modern Office document, of the most recent version at that time.

This is something that we can do easily, but that we should only do with documents that only we use. Since if we are working with other people and they send us a document in compatibility mode, this person may need the document in this old version. So it would be a major problem.

These are the most important aspects that we have to consider about the compatibility mode. So we hope that they have been useful to you, in addition to knowing how to use documents in this Microsoft Office Compatibility Mode a little better.