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Format

Microsoft Word Document

Download XML

Summary

Name
Microsoft Word Document
Version
6.0/95
Identifiers
  • MIME: application/msword
  • Apple Uniform Type Identifier: com.microsoft.word.doc
  • PUID: fmt/39
Format type
Word Processor
Disclosure
None
Description
With the release of Word 6.0, Microsoft introduced a new native binary word processing format, based on its generic OLE2 Compound Document Format. The format is proprietary and Microsoft does not make details of its structure public. The information here is derived primarily from OpenOffice.org's reverse-engineered documentation of the format and should not therefore be regarded as definitive. A Word document is stored as a ‘WordDocument’ stream within a Compound Document Format file. The format remained unchanged with the release of Word 95.
File extensions
doc
Source
Digital Preservation Department / The National Archives
Developed by
Microsoft Corporation

Relationships

Has priority over
Is previous version of
Is subsequent version of
Is subtype of

Internal signatures

Microsoft Word for Windows 6.0/95

Note
Compound document header + WordDocument user stream + version number

Byte sequences

Min Frag Length
Absolute from BOF
Offset
0
Max offset
None
Byte Sequence
D0CF11E0A1B11AE1{20}FEFF
Endianness
None
Min Frag Length
Variable
Offset
None
Max offset
None
Byte Sequence
57006F007200640044006F00630075006D0065006E007400{42}02(00|01)
Endianness
None
Min Frag Length
Variable
Offset
None
Max offset
None
Byte Sequence
4D6963726F736F667420576F726420(362E30|666F722057696E646F7773203935|362E302D446F6B756D656E74)
Endianness
None

Container signatures

Type: OLE2

1000 - Microsoft Word 6.0/95 OLE2

File path
WordDocument
File path
CompObj

Byte sequence reference

BOFoffset

Sub sequences
Min Frag Length
Position
1
Sub sequence min offset
40
Sub sequence max offset
1024
Sequence
10 00 00 00 'Word.Document.' ['6'-'7'] 00

Changelog

  • Updated in V72

    Release date
    12 November 2013

    Microsoft Word Document 6.0/95: Gave priority over fmt/609 - Microsoft Word (Generic) 6.0-2003.

  • Updated in V62

    Release date
    28 August 2012

    Microsoft Word Document 6/95: Renamed from 'Microsoft Word Document for Windows 6/95' to reflect that this format is identical on Mac.

  • Updated in V60

    Release date
    11 June 2012

    Microsoft Word for Windows 6.0: Container signature statement added to record notes.