WD97: "Save Word Files As" Help Topic Incorrect (161984)

SYMPTOMS

In Microsoft Word, the following statement in Help may be misleading:

   If you always save documents in a different format, for example, if you
   need to share documents with coworkers who are using a previous version
   of Office, you can change the default file format Word uses to save
   documents.

This statement applies only to new documents that you save in Word. If you open an existing document, Word detects the document format. When you save the document, Word retains that existing format, unless you specifically change the "Save as type" option in the Save As dialog box.

CAUSE

The "Save Word files as" option is used to set the default format that Word will use each time you save a new document. However, changing the "Save Word files as" option has no effect on the format Word uses to save existing documents.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the products listed at the beginning of this article. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

MORE INFORMATION

To change the "Save Word files as" option, use the following steps:

On the Tools menu, click Options, and click the Save tab.
Change the "Save Word files as" option to the desired format, and then click OK.

For additional information, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

161978 Word 97: RTF Format Given to File Saved in Word 6.0/95

162602 WORD 97: Questions About Saving in the Word 6.0/95 File Format