Document Size Changes

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated June 11, 2021)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


When converting Word documents from an older version of Word to a newer version, you may notice changes in the sizes of the documents. Particularly, you may notice that some files shrink in size. The biggest potential reason for this is the settings you have selected in the newer version of Word.

For instance, let's say that you had been working with a document for quite some time in Word 97, and you had the "Allow Quick Saves" feature turned on. In this case, the file could have quite a bit of the "quick save" edit data saved with the base file (resulting in a very bloated disk file). If you have this feature turned off in Word 2002, then when you loaded the document, and saved it back out, the edit data was incorporated into the base document and the document was saved as a whole. The result is that less disk space is required to save the document.

Other settings which may potentially affect the size of your files are those settings dealing with how Word stores graphics with your documents. In addition, how you have inserted the graphics into your document will also affect the size. If you suspect there is a problem, it is typically best to select Options from the Tools menu and check out your settings.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (156) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Modifying the General Startup Process

Having problems getting Windows to start properly? You can try to track down what is causing the problem by using the ...

Discover More

Quick Screen Clear

Do you work with a lot of open windows at the same time? If so, you'll love this way to easily focus on only one of those ...

Discover More

Adding Area Codes to Phone Numbers

If you keep phone numbers in an Excel worksheet, you may need a way to add an area code to the beginning of all of the ...

Discover More

Create Custom Apps with VBA! Discover how to extend the capabilities of Office 2013 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Access) with VBA programming, using it for writing macros, automating Office applications, and creating custom applications. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2013 today!

More WordTips (menu)

Embedding TrueType Fonts

If you need to make sure that the fonts in your document can be used by another person or on a different system, you'll ...

Discover More

Creating Multiple Blank Documents in One Step

Word makes it easy to create a new, blank document. What if you want to create more than one document at a time, however? ...

Discover More

Opening a Text File and Template from the Command Line

Word includes a command-line syntax that you can use to open files and do other operations. If you want to load a text ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 1 + 1?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the menu interface (Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, or Word 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.

Videos
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.