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What is Reduced Functionality Mode in Office? How to remove limited functionality mode in Word

Welcome, friends, to another article in the “Useful Things” section. Today we will look at the issue of limited functionality mode in word 2016 and how to remove it.

I think that many of you, having decided to switch from older editions to a more advanced version 2016 of our wonderful assistant - the Word text editor, were faced with the following inscription: “Reduced functionality mode”. What's the news? We did not download the updated program so that its capabilities would be “cut down” for some reason. Few people will like this. And what exactly does such an announcement mean? Let's figure it out.

What is reduced functionality mode

In simple terms, Restricted Functionality Mode (ROF) is the incompatibility of files made in earlier versions of Word with the expanded functionality of software modifications from 2016.

You will see such an inscription only if you decide to work with a document that was created in version 2010 or earlier.

At the same time, the new features of modern Word 16 will be disabled. This algorithm was introduced so that the structure of the old document is preserved and it remains possible to edit it. When working with Word files from version 2013, there is no conflict of permissible actions, since the two latest modifications of this software are interchangeable.

What to do about this incompatibility?

First, you need to check which version of the editor your document is compatible with. To do this, let's perform a simple operation. Click on the “File” tab, select the “Document Inspector” section, then the “search for problems” and “check compatibility” commands. Your case will be marked with a check mark in the drop-down list.

If this is version 2010, then you will not be able to use many Office applications and post videos. In the case of option -2007, you will also lose new approaches to page numbering, shapes, inscriptions, various WordArt and text effects, and other controls. I'm not even talking about earlier versions. Do you need it? Moreover, converting your file document to the 2016 format is not difficult.

How to remove limited functionality mode

There are two ways to solve this problem. The first is to convert the old file to the 2016 format (DOCX.) Then you will be able to enjoy all the advanced features of the latest release of the program. To do this, you just need to select the “convert” command in the “File” tab and its “information” section.

As you can see, everything is simple. Now you can use the latest functionality to the fullest. But!.. If among your recipients to whom you want to send the updated file there are users of older versions of Word, then they may have problems editing and even opening this document.

To be on the safe side and not get into a similar situation, it is better to simply make a copy of the file in Word 2016. This is the second way to implement all the wide capabilities of the latest version of the software in old-style documents. The algorithm of actions will be as follows: “File” - “save as” - indicate the name of the folder and its address - assign a new name to the document - select “Word document” in the “File type” list. At the same time, do not forget to uncheck the box about compatibility with previous versions.

Thus, we receive carte blanche to format a document made in 2010 and earlier using all the advanced technologies of today. Mission accomplished. In addition, we have retained the previous version of the document - for all occasions.

I think the issue of limited functionality mode and how to remove it is now off the agenda. And so that there are absolutely no “misunderstandings” left, you can watch a short video. It is not for nothing that they say that it is better to see once than to read. 🙂

Goodbye friends. Still have questions about Word 2016? And I have many more cheat sheets prepared for you. Check it out!

Your guide to Word copywriter GALANT.

With the release of Word 2007, Microsoft introduced a new format for text documents. This format has been expanded and has become a new standard for Word text editors. Now Word 2007, 2010, 2013 and 2016 save all text documents in DOCX format by default.

But, older versions of the Word text editor remain in use, in particular Word 2003, which is still very popular. These older versions of Word continue to save documents in DOC format, which creates some compatibility issues when opening these documents in newer versions of Word.

For example, if you open an old document in DOC format in Word 2010, a Word 2010 user will not be able to use all the functions of this editor. This is exactly the problem that is signaled by the “Reduced functionality mode” message that appears in the title bar of the program window.

In this article we will talk about how you can solve this problem and remove the reduced functionality mode in Word 2007, 2010, 2013 and 2016.

Method number 1. Converting the document.

If you want to remove the limited functionality mode in Word, then the easiest way to do this is to use the “Convert” function. To do this, open the “File” menu, which is located in the upper left corner of the program, select the “Information” menu item and click on the “Convert” button.

A pop-up window will then appear warning you that the document has been converted. In order to remove the limited functionality mode, you need to confirm the conversion by clicking on the “Ok” button.

As a result, your text document will be converted to the new format, and its extension will change from DOC to DOCX. After this procedure, the reduced functionality mode message will no longer appear.

Method No. 2. Saving the document in DOCX format.

The second way to remove the limited functionality mode in Word is to simply save the file in DOCX format. To do this, open the “File” menu and select the “Save As” menu item.

After this, a window will appear to save the document. Here you need to open the “File Type” drop-down menu and select “Word Document *.docx” from the list that appears. After which the document must be saved in the selected format.

As a result, you will get another file with the same name, but in DOCX format. The Word editor will automatically switch to working with the new file and the reduced functionality mode message will disappear.

In addition, there is another way to remove the limited functionality mode. You can simply copy the contents of the DOC file, paste it into a new empty DOCX file, and continue editing the text in the new file.

Many users, when working with documents in the Word text editor, are faced with a message that the open document is running in Word's limited functionality mode. The Microsoft Word text editor is part of the popular office suite Microsoft Office, different versions of which are used on a large number of computers.

The following message appears at the top of the open document window: “Document name [Reduced Functionality Mode] - Word.” The message implies that the Word file opened in Microsoft Word has some restrictions on access to all the functionality that is available in this version of the program.

In some cases, with simple editing, the limited functionality mode (compatibility mode) will have virtually no effect on the work on the document. In other situations, full compatibility is required to apply the necessary editing program options available in the current version of Microsoft Word.

How to remove reduced functionality mode in Word? If the need arises, this problem can be easily solved.

There are two methods to disable the limited functionality mode in Word:

  • converting a document to the format of the current new version of Word installed on the computer
  • changing the file extension to a modern format

Reduced functionality mode appears in the application window when you open a file created in a previous version of Word. Versions of Word 2016 and Word 2013 are compatible with each other.

In this article, you will receive instructions on how to disable the reduced functionality mode in Word, in different versions of the program: Microsoft Word 2016, Microsoft Word 2013, Microsoft Word 2010, Microsoft Word 2007.

Reasons for opening Word documents in reduced functionality mode

What does limited functionality mean, why does Word run limited functionality? The fact is that in each new edition of the word processor, the program manufacturer, Microsoft Corporation, adds new editing functionality and changes the use and interaction of some application components. In the new version of the program, new fonts, formats, elements appear, support for new effects, etc. is applied.

As a result, after opening a Word document created in earlier versions of the application, there is a risk of formatting errors and incorrect display of the original document.

In order to eliminate possible problems, a Word document created in an old version of MS Word is opened in a new version of the application in a less functional, stripped-down mode, in which the state of the file for the previous edition of the program is emulated. The open document corresponds to the parameters of the previous version of Word; new editing functions that are not supported in the old version of the application are disabled.

Compatibility mode eliminates possible errors that occur when using different versions of Word when working on a document.

Disabling Word's reduced functionality mode by changing the file extension

When using files created in outdated versions of a text editor, the limited functionality mode in Word can be removed by changing the file extension.

In Microsoft Word programs, starting with Word 2007, files are saved with the “.DOCX” extension. In earlier versions of the application, files were saved with the extension ".DOC". After changing the extension, the Word 97-2003 document will be converted to a ".docx" file with minor changes in structure.

There are two ways to change the Word file extension: manually or from the Microsoft Word program window. In the first case, the original file will change its extension. In the second case, a copy of the document will be created in the new format (“docx”), and the old version of the file (“doc”) will be saved on the computer.

To change the file extension manually, you must first perform some actions (enable the display of file extensions) for different versions of the Windows operating system.

Then follow these steps:

  1. Right-click on the Word file.
  2. Select "Rename" from the context menu.
  3. Change the file extension after the period from "doc" to "docx".
  4. In the warning window, agree to change the file extension.

You can change the Word file extension directly from the program window:

  1. Open a Word document.
  2. Go to the File menu, select Save As (in Word 2007, select Word Document).
  3. After selecting the save location, in the “Save Document” window, in the “File Type” field, select “Word Document” from the available options.
  • If necessary, check the box next to “Maintain compatibility with previous versions of Word” to preserve the document layout.
  1. Agree to change the document.

A Word document created in the old format will receive all the editing capabilities available in the new format.

How to remove reduced functionality mode in Word 2016

To turn off reduced functionality mode in Word 2016, follow these steps:

  1. In an open Word document window, go to the "File" menu.
  2. In the “Details” section, in the “Reduced functionality mode” setting, click on the “Convert” button.

  1. In the warning window, click on the “OK” button.

  1. Close the document and click the “Save” button in the warning window.

After this, a Word file will appear on your computer in the latest file format without limited functionality mode, and all the technical capabilities of the latest version of the program installed on this computer will become available in the document.

How to remove reduced functionality mode in Word 2013

To disable the reduced functionality mode in Word 2013, follow these steps:

  1. Click on the "File" menu.
  2. In the “Details” section, click on the “Convert” button.

  1. In the window that opens warning you that the document will be converted to the latest format, click on the “OK” button.
  2. After closing the Word document, agree to make changes to the file.

How to remove limited compatibility mode in Word 2010

You can remove the reduced functionality mode in Word 2010 in the following ways:

  1. From the File menu, go to Details.
  2. Click on the "Convert" button.

  1. Next, click on the “OK” button in the warning window about converting the file format.
  2. Agree to save changes to the MS Word file.

How to remove limited compatibility mode in Word 2007

If you need to remove the reduced functionality mode from Word 2007, follow these steps:

  1. Click on the "Microsoft Office" button.
  2. From the context menu, first select "Save As" and then "Word Document."

  1. In the window that opens, click on the “OK” button to save the document in a new file format.
  2. Agree to the changes made when closing the Microsoft Word 2007 document.

Conclusion

If a Word document is opened in an application in limited functionality mode (compatibility mode), the user can disable this mode by converting the Word file to a file format of the latest version of the program. After this, the Word document will support the latest technical capabilities for editing the file.

The inscription “Reduced functionality mode” at the top of the Word document indicates that the text was created in an earlier version of the editor (1997-2003), that is, it has the extension .doc, not docx. Therefore, Word emulates the previous (old) distribution and cannot provide the user with its new editing functions.

There are two ways to disable Reduced Functionality Mode. Let's figure out how to use them.

Note. Detailed information (access and functionality restrictions, version, etc.) about the open text document can be viewed in the File → Details section.

Method No. 1: change the document extension

Saving a Word project with a different extension (in particular, docx) allows you to save the original document without changes.

1. Open a project with functional restrictions.

2. Click on the “File” section in the menu and select the “Save as...” option.

3. In the system window, in the “Name...” line, to remove the old “.doc” format, specify a new name, and in the “Type...” drop-down menu, set “Word Document”.

5. In the panel that opens, review the information about project conversion, and then click the “OK” button.

Advice! To prevent this message from appearing on the display again, check the box next to “Don’t ask this question again.”

Upon completion of the procedure, an identical text document with the extension .docx will appear in the directory.

Note. The size of the .docx project is smaller than a similar (about 1.5 times) project in the .doc format.

Method number 2: document conversion

1. Open the file. Go to the section: File → Details.

2. In the right panel, click the “Convert” block to remove the restriction. And then in the additional request - “OK”.

After completing this operation, the limited functionality status at the top of the file window will disappear.

How to insert project.doc into .docx?

Inserting a text document.doc into a new sample project is carried out using the standard copy function:

  • select the text in the .doc file: press “CTRL+A”;
  • right-click on it;
  • select “Copy” from the menu;
  • go to project.docx and place the cursor at the insertion location (where the copied text should be);
  • press “CTRL+V” (“Paste” function).

You can also use the editor's integrated option:

  • go to the “Insert” section;
  • click the arrow in the “Object” add-on and click “Text from file...”;
  • In a new window, click on the .doc file and click the “Insert” command.

Enjoy your work in the Word text editor!

When opening old documents, the latest version of the office editor may notify the user that some functions are unavailable when working with it. In what cases does it appear? reduced functionality modeWord2016, how to remove the error and restore functionality?

Purpose

This is not a bug, as some users believe, this function is intended to prevent controversial situations that could arise due to differences between programs. Essentially, it imitates the work of earlier versions of the editor, for example, 2007 or 2013, the set of capabilities depends on the program in which the document was created. In reduced functionality mode, you can perform all basic actions: view, edit, and print a document. The main differences are changes in the interface, as well as restrictions on actions with objects.

It's easy to exit this mode, but before you do, be aware that a document created in Word 2016 may not display correctly in earlier versions. Therefore, when another user will work with the file or you need to transfer the document to another PC, it is better to leave it in its original format.

Transition to full functionality

This requires rewriting the document. You must select “Save As” from the menu, and then specify the required file name and address. It is better to include in the file name the version of the program with which it was created so as not to get confused. Please note that the format must remain docx; if you save the file in doc, it will not be compatible with the latest version of the editor and functionality limitations will remain. This method allows you to create two copies of the document; this is the most common option because it allows you to avoid losing the original data.

If the user is sure that he does not need the source file, then document transformations can be used. To do this, go to the “Details” tab in the menu and click on the “Convert” icon. Next, a warning will appear that after conversion the original document will be lost. It also happens that this procedure disrupts the formatting of the document, since the original version is overwritten, and you will have to restore the appearance manually.

You can completely deactivate the reduced functionality mode using the registry, but this is recommended only for advanced users.