How do DOCX and XLSXcompare? Here's everything you need to know to choose the right format — and how to convert between them.
Office Open XML Document
DOCX is the default format for Microsoft Word documents. It's an XML-based format that replaced the older .doc format, offering better compression, easier recovery, and broader compatibility.
Office Open XML Spreadsheet
XLSX is the default format for Microsoft Excel spreadsheets. It supports complex formulas, charts, pivot tables, and large datasets. It's the industry standard for data analysis and financial modeling.
| Specification | DOCX | XLSX |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Office Open XML Document | Office Open XML Spreadsheet |
| Extension | .docx | .xlsx |
| MIME type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet |
| Category | Document | Document |
| Developer | Microsoft | Microsoft |
| Year introduced | 2007 | 2007 |
DOCX and XLSX serve different purposes. DOCX is ideal for business reports and memos, while XLSX excels at financial reports and budgets.
Need to switch formats? Convert for free with SquishConvert.