Browse, restore, duplicate, and delete versions On your Mac, open the document, then choose File Revert To Browse All Versions. Click tick marks along the timeline to browse versions. Display the version you want, then do one of the following. Word 2011 now opens oldest Word document formats. I've been using Word for the Mac since v1.0, so I have a lot of older documents created in early versions. At some point I discovered that Word (I forget which version) dropped support for the earliest document formats - you could retrieve the text, but that was it.

1. Older Versions Of Word For Mac
2. Previous Versions Of Word Doc Mac

I am afraid this 'hint' is simply incorrect. I have old Word 3/4 documents from 1988/1989 that Word 2011 (or Word 2008 for that matter) is simply unable to open, no matter which option I choose. When I try to open them, Word throws a 'Convert File' dialog box asking me to choose a file format to convert from, but 'Word 3 document' and 'Word 4 document' are not listed as options and 'Rich Text Format' does not work.

Word 1.05 for Mac, 3.5' disks only. Yes, includes primary and original backup disk. 034-096-003 and 034-096-006. Word 1.05 for Mac. Yes, like new in retail box with exterior paper sleeve and unused reg. Enhance the original functionality with a number of add-ons. The 16.50 version of Microsoft Word for Mac is provided as a free download on our website. This Mac download was scanned by our antivirus and was rated as clean. This free Mac app was originally developed by Microsoft.

There is also an option called 'Recover text from any file' (which is apparently a file format in MS's parlance) but it fails to preserve accented characters, so even that option is useless. For such files, my only option is to force-open them in TextEdit, which at least preserves the accents. (Take that, Microsoft.)

Word 2011 is indeed able to open Word 5 documents, but not via double-click or drag-and-drop. You are obliged to go through the Open File dialog box for each file. If you make sure that the file name includes '.doc', you don't have to use any special options to open them. (Be aware, however, that some Word 5 documents will cause Word 2011 to crash or freeze, presumably because of the nature of some of their contents, so you have no guarantee here either.)

Microsoft's inability to support its own older file formats is scandalous, but we are used to such disregard for usability and data integrity from the world's biggest software developers, I am afraid.

In light of these shortcomings in Word 2011 and Lion's lack of support for older versions of Word, I made sure to convert all my older Word documents before upgrading to Lion:

'Getting ready for Lion: Converting old files'
http://www.betalogue.com/2011/07/14/lion-oldfiles/

Pierre

To get the latest features and maintain the security, stability, compatibility, and performance of your Mac, it's important to keep your software up to date. Apple recommends that you always use the latest macOS that is compatible with your Mac.

Learn how to upgrade to macOS Big Sur, the latest version of macOS.

Check compatibility

The version of macOS that came with your Mac is the earliest version it can use. For example, if your Mac came with macOS Big Sur, it will not accept installation of macOS Catalina or earlier.

If a macOS can't be used on your Mac, the App Store or installer will let you know. For example, it might say that it's not compatible with this device or is too old to be opened on this version of macOS. To confirm compatibility before downloading, check the minimum hardware requirements:

• macOS Catalina 10.15 hardware requirements
• macOS Mojave 10.14 hardware requirements
• macOS High Sierra 10.13 hardware requirements
• macOS Sierra 10.12 hardware requirements
• OS X El Capitan 10.11 hardware requirements
• OS X Yosemite 10.10 hardware requirements

Older Versions Of Word For Mac

Download macOS using Safari on your Mac

Safari uses these links to find the old installers in the App Store. After downloading from the App Store, the installer opens automatically.

• macOS Catalina 10.15 can upgrade Mojave, High Sierra, Sierra, El Capitan, Yosemite, Mavericks
• macOS Mojave 10.14 can upgrade High Sierra, Sierra, El Capitan, Yosemite, Mavericks, Mountain Lion
• macOS High Sierra 10.13 can upgrade Sierra, El Capitan, Yosemite, Mavericks, Mountain Lion

Safari downloads the following older installers as a disk image named InstallOS.dmg or InstallMacOSX.dmg. Open the disk image, then open the .pkg installer inside the disk image. It installs an app named Install [Version Name]. Open that app from your Applications folder to begin installing the operating system.

Previous Versions Of Word Doc Mac

• macOS Sierra 10.12 can upgrade El Capitan, Yosemite, Mavericks, Mountain Lion, or Lion
• OS X El Capitan 10.11 can upgrade Yosemite, Mavericks, Mountain Lion, Lion, or Snow Leopard
• OS X Yosemite 10.10can upgrade Mavericks, Mountain Lion, Lion, or Snow Leopard