Introduction to New File Name Extensions and Open XML Formats

The 2007 Microsoft Office system introduces a new file format that is based on XML. It is called Open XML Formats and applies to Microsoft Office Word 2007, Microsoft Office Excel 2007, and Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007. This paper summarizes key benefits of the new format, describes what the new file name extensions are, and discusses how one can share the 2007 Office release files with people who are using earlier versions of Office.