Convert DOT to DOC — Free Online Converter
Convert Word Document Template (.dot) to Microsoft Word Document (.doc) online for free. Fast, secure document conversion with no watermarks or regist...
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How to Convert
Upload your .dot file by dragging it into the upload area or clicking to browse.
Choose your output settings. The default settings work great for most files.
Click Convert and download your .doc file when it's ready.
About DOT to DOC Conversion
DOT is the legacy Microsoft Word template format used in Word 97 through Word 2003. DOT files contain boilerplate text, styles, formatting, macros, and page settings that serve as the basis for creating new documents. When a user creates a new document from a DOT template in older versions of Word, the template content is copied into a fresh DOC file. DOC is the standard Word binary document format for the same era.
Converting DOT to DOC effectively transforms a template into a regular document. This is useful when you need to edit the template content directly as a standalone document rather than using it to spawn new files, or when you need to share the template's content with someone as an ordinary Word document.
Why Convert DOT to DOC?
DOT files behave differently than DOC files when opened in Word — double-clicking a DOT file typically creates a new document based on the template rather than opening the template itself for editing. Converting to DOC removes this template behavior and produces a standard document that opens normally for direct editing.
Many modern applications and document management systems do not recognize the DOT extension. Email systems may strip DOT attachments, and SharePoint libraries may not index them. Converting to DOC ensures the content is accessible in any Word-compatible environment without special handling for the template format.
Common Use Cases
- Convert legacy Word templates into editable documents for content review and modification
- Share template content as a standard DOC file with recipients who need to read but not reuse the template
- Migrate DOT templates from legacy systems into document management platforms that only accept DOC
- Extract boilerplate text from DOT templates for reuse in other document formats
- Archive legacy DOT templates as DOC documents for long-term preservation in standard format
How It Works
LibreOffice opens the DOT file using its Word binary import filter, which parses the OLE2 compound document structure including the template-specific properties, style definitions, macro storage, and document content. The file is resaved as a standard DOC binary document with the template flag cleared. All content — text, styles, formatting, images, headers, footers — transfers directly since both formats share the same OLE2 binary structure. The only change is the file type designation from template to document.
Quality & Performance
The conversion is effectively lossless for document content because DOT and DOC share the same internal binary format. Text, formatting, styles, images, tables, headers, footers, and page layout are all preserved identically. Custom styles defined in the template carry over to the DOC as document-level styles. The template's auto-text entries and macro assignments are the only elements that may not transfer in the same way, since they are template-specific behaviors.
Device Compatibility
| Device | DOT | DOC |
|---|---|---|
| Windows PC | Partial | Partial |
| macOS | Partial | Partial |
| iPhone/iPad | Partial | Partial |
| Android | Partial | Partial |
| Linux | Partial | Partial |
| Web Browser | No | No |
Tips for Best Results
- 1Converting to DOCX instead of DOC is recommended for modern environments and smaller file sizes
- 2Review styles in the converted DOC to ensure template-defined styles transferred correctly
- 3Keep the original DOT if you still need it as a functioning template for creating new documents
- 4DOT files from Word 97-2003 may contain macros — the DOC output may include them unless you convert to a macro-free format
- 5Check page setup settings (margins, orientation, paper size) which are template properties that should transfer to the DOC
DOT-to-DOC conversion transforms a Word template into a standard document, removing template-specific behaviors while preserving all content and formatting for direct editing and sharing.