Google has just announced that its office suites will now be able to edit Microsoft Office files.
Previously, though it seemed Google’s suite of apps could edit MS Office files, you first had to convert them. Sometimes that conversion ended up with messing with the formatting.
As things worked out, you first had to convert Office files to Google Docs supported format, or save it in Office Compatibility Mode (OCM) that gave you limited functionality. With the update, you no longer need to worry about that.
Simply open you MS Office file in Google Docs and edit away. Something that will come in handy for people wishing to collaborate on a document but don’t have a copy of the Microsoft Office suite.
Formats of MS Office files supported by Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides include:
Word format: .doc, .dot, .docx
Excel files: .xls, .xlt, .xlsx, .xlsm (macro enabled Excel files)
Powerpoint files: .ppt, .pps, .pot, .pptx
According to Google, the update will be initially rolled out to a limited number of users starting next week. The extended rollout of the feature will begin next month.