How to Delete Duplicate DOCX and DOC Files in Windows

As a Windows user, you must have come across DOC and DOCX file formats. Although both formats can be accessed and edited in Microsoft Word, there is always confusion as to which format is better. Simply put, .DOC is the older version of Word documents, whereas, .DOCX is the newer version. 

If you are a regular Word user, you can expect some duplicate files to exist on your computer. Let’s see how you can not only differentiate between .DOCX and .DOC files but also keep your computer safe from piles of unnecessary documents hogging your storage drive..

What Is .DOC?

When you save a file using Microsoft Word, it will either save it as .DOCX or .DOC. If it is saving the file in .DOC format, it means the file contains editable text unlike in the case of PDF or other formats where the text cannot be edited. To edit the PDF format file, you will first need to convert the file to .DOC.

What is .DOCX?

If you have recently updated your Windows or created a new Word document, you will notice that it will be saved as .DOCX. It’s a new version adopted by Microsoft post 2007. This means any file with .DOCX at the end is an XML format file.

These files are used for presentations, newsletter, resumes and more. In addition to that, .DOCX files are not only limited to text but also contain images, videos, audios and other formats. Furthermore, .DOCX files are also easier to store and work with.

The reason is that .DOCX files are more compact than .DOC files and your computer can hold a lot of .DOCX files while maintaining its processing speed and power. 

How to Delete Duplicate .DOCX and .DOC files?

As mentioned earlier, if you are using Microsoft Word on a regular basis, it is inevitable that you would create duplicate files and then forget about them while they take up space on your computer.. The best way to prevent that is by opting for a tool like Clones File Checker. 

All you need to do is download the program and launch it. Clones File Checker has a user-friendly interface as you can see in the screenshot below. Simply add a drive/folder that contains duplicate .DOCX and .DOC files and click ‘Start Search’.

You can also filter your search results by selecting the file size and the types. Once the duplicates have been identified, Clones File Checker will present them in a list form. You can either select the files manually or automatically if you wish to delete or move them to a different folder at once. 

Conclusion

To end, the difference between .DOCX and .DOC files is straightforward. While one is a newer , more compact version, the other is older. However, if you are struggling with duplicate , DOC or .DOCX  files, be sure to check out Clones File Checker