How to open a .DOT file online
Three steps, a few seconds, no Office licence.
Choose your .DOT file
Drag your .DOT file onto the box, or click Choose file.
Supported
Your .DOT file is checked and laid out as a clean page right.
Read, search, save
Jump between headings, find any word, print it, or save the text as HTML or TXT.
What is a .DOT file?
Everything worth knowing about Microsoft Word 97-2003 Document Template files.
A DOT file is a Microsoft Word 97-2003 document template that holds preset styles, boilerplate text, page layout, and optionally VBA macros. Double-clicking one creates a new document from it rather than opening the template for editing. Open it in Microsoft Word or the free LibreOffice Writer; to edit the template itself, right-click and choose Open. The main safety concern is embedded VBA macros.
Programs that open .DOT files
| Full name | Microsoft Word 97-2003 Document Template |
|---|---|
| Developer | Microsoft |
| First released | 1997 (Word 97); template concept dates back to early Word, OLE-based .dot from Word 97-2003 |
| Category | Documents |
| MIME type | application/msword |
| Signature | D0 CF 11 E0 A1 B1 1A E1 (OLE2 / Compound File Binary signature) |
Related viewers
Free, no sign-up.
Is my .DOT file uploaded anywhere?
No. Your .DOT file is read and converted for you. The first time, a small open-source conversion component is downloaded and then cached.
Why does my older .DOT file look plain?
Some older word-processor files keep their formatting in a complex binary layout. The viewer shows all the text and tables reliably; richer formatting for those files is coming with server-side conversion.
Are macros in a .DOT file safe here?
Yes. The viewer never runs macros. It only reads the document text, styles and images, and tells you when a file contains macros.
Can I edit my .DOT file?
This is a viewer. You can copy the text or save it as HTML/TXT and edit it elsewhere. An online editor is on our roadmap.
It says my .DOT file is something else. Why?
We check the file's signature, not just its name. If a file was renamed, the viewer tells you what it really is and which tool opens it.
Was this tool helpful?
Your rating helps us decide which tools to improve next.