DOC
The legacy binary document format used by Microsoft Word before DOCX, storing text, styles, tables, images, fields, and other document structures in an OLE compound file.
General information
- Format name
- Microsoft Word Binary File Format
- Extension
.doc- MIME type
application/msword- Category
- document
- Data type
- Binary
- Developer
- Microsoft
File signatures
| Offset | Hexadecimal | ASCII | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | D0 CF 11 E0 A1 B1 1A E1 | — | OLE Compound File signature shared by DOC and several other legacy Microsoft Office formats, so it is not unique to DOC. |
Common uses
Legacy Word documents
Business documents
Letters and reports
Archived office files
Document exchange
Related formats
Technical resources
| Resource | Publisher | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Word (.doc) Binary File Format | Microsoft | Open resource ↗ |
| Media Types Registry | IANA | Open resource ↗ |
Record information
- Verified
- October 4, 2026
- Last updated
- October 4, 2026