HexaConverter
docxodt

Convert Word (DOCX) to OpenDocument Text

Free online converter for Word (DOCX) files. ISO-standard open document format. Nothing to install, no watermark, and every file is deleted automatically.

Drag and drop your files

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Upload a Word (DOCX) file to convert it to OpenDocument Text. Up to 3 files at once, 100 MB each.

Free · up to 3 files · 100 MB each · files deleted automatically after 1 hour.

About DOCX and ODT

Word (DOCX) .docx

Word's modern format: a ZIP archive of XML parts describing text, styles and layout. It has been the default since Office 2007.

Good for

  • Built for editing — text flows and restyles freely
  • Tracked changes, comments and styles
  • Opens in Word, Google Docs, LibreOffice and Pages

Trade-offs

  • Layout shifts between applications and font sets
  • Not a reliable final-delivery format — use PDF for that
  • Complex documents can lose fidelity between editors

application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document

OpenDocument Text .odt

The OpenDocument text format — an ISO-standardised, vendor-neutral alternative to DOCX, and the native format of LibreOffice.

Good for

  • An open standard, not tied to one vendor
  • Native to LibreOffice and OpenOffice
  • Preferred or mandated by many public bodies

Trade-offs

  • Word opens it but does not always round-trip it cleanly
  • Less common in commercial workflows

application/vnd.oasis.opendocument.text

DOCX and ODT side by side

Word (DOCX) compared with OpenDocument Text
DOCXODT
CompressionZipped XMLZipped XML
AnimationNoNo
Typically used forDocuments still being written or reviewedLibreOffice documents, public-sector exchange

What changes when you convert DOCX to ODT

Rendered by LibreOffice

The conversion runs through headless LibreOffice — the same engine behind the desktop suite, not a lookalike parser. It handles ordinary documents faithfully. Where it can drift is on the elaborate: a document leaning on fonts the server does not have will have them substituted, and the substitute rarely occupies exactly the same width, so line and page breaks can move. Heavily designed layouts are worth checking against the original.

Two suites, two ideas of the same document

DOCX and ODT are the native formats of different office suites, and they do not model documents identically. The text, structure and ordinary formatting come across cleanly. The margins are where care is needed: macros do not transfer, tracked changes and comments can be flattened, and features with no counterpart on the other side are approximated. Read the result before sending it on.

Comments and tracked changes

Editorial metadata is the first thing to go in a format conversion: comments, tracked changes and revision history rarely have an equivalent in ODT and are generally dropped or flattened into the text. Treat the output as a clean copy of the current state of the document. If the review history matters, keep the DOCX alongside it.

Other ways to get OpenDocument Text

DOCX to ODT questions