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Format

Microsoft Word Document

Download XML

Summary

Name
Microsoft Word Document
Version
97-2003
Identifiers
  • MIME: application/msword
  • Apple Uniform Type Identifier: com.microsoft.word.doc
  • PUID: fmt/40
Format type
Word Processor
Disclosure
None
Description
With the release of Word 97, Microsoft revised the native binary word processing format, which is 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 releases of Word 2000, 2002 and 2003. An alternative extension of .wbk refers to a backup file of a Word document, however there is no material or structural difference between a .wbk file and the .doc file it is a backup of.
File extensions
doc, wbk
Source
Archives New Zealand / Archives New Zealand
Developed by
Microsoft Corporation
Supported by
Microsoft Corporation

Relationships

Has lower priority than
Has priority over
Is subsequent version of
Is subtype of

Internal signatures

Microsoft Word for Windows 97 - 2002

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
4D6963726F736F667420576F7264(20382E30|20392E30|2031302E30|2D446F6B756D656E74)
Endianness
None

Container signatures

Type: OLE2

1020 - Microsoft Word 97 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.8' 00

Changelog

  • Updated in V122

    Release date
    19 January 2026

    Microsoft Word Document 97-2003: . Submitted by Archives New Zealand.

  • Updated in V79

    Release date
    6 November 2014

    Microsoft Word 97-2003: Added .wbk as an extension and updated description. Submitted by Archives New Zealand - Te Rua Mahara o te Kawanatanga.

  • Updated in V78

    Release date
    23 September 2014

    Microsoft Word 97-2003: Added .wbk as an extension and updated description. Submitted by Archives New Zealand - Te Rua Mahara o te Kawanatanga.

  • Updated in V72

    Release date
    12 November 2013

    Microsoft Word Document 97-2003: Gave priority over fmt/609 - Microsoft Word (Generic) 6.0-2003.

  • Updated in V62

    Release date
    28 August 2012

    Microsoft Word Document 97-2003: Renamed from 'Microsoft Word Document for Windows 97-2003' to reflect that this format is identical on Mac.

  • Updated in V60

    Release date
    11 June 2012

    Microsoft Word for Windows 97-2003: Container signature statement added to record notes.