Format Atlas

Guides

Checking versions, display and hidden data before document handoff

Separate editable originals and viewing copies, inspect revision history and dependencies, then test display and re-editing in the recipient's application.

Which format should you choose?

Choose by the role each file plays in your workflow.

  • Agree on the version and retained history
  • Inspect the sharing copy
  • Reopen and edit at the destination

Agree on the version and retained history

Record version, recipient application, fonts, page setup and editing purpose. Agree whether to retain tracked changes and comments or deliver an approved final draft. Check external images, links and embedded-object dependencies; keep the original.

Inspect the sharing copy

Review author details, comments, revisions and hidden text in a sharing copy. Check supported inspection results and limitations, including Document Inspector; do not indiscriminately remove needed information. Removal may not be reversible, so work on a copy rather than the original.

Reopen and edit at the destination

Check tables, images, pagination, heading numbering, footnotes and links in the target application. Edit, save and reopen a test copy and compare display and retained information. Validate any accompanying PDF separately; similar appearance does not imply identical editing structure or accessibility.

Formats to consider

DOCX

Good for: Delivering editable drafts to compatible applications

Less suitable for: Guaranteeing history, formatting and re-editability merely because a file opens

PDF

Good for: Delivering a separately checked viewing or print copy

Less suitable for: Treating PDF as an editing original or proof of safe anonymization

Before you export

  • Keep originals, sharing copies, export settings and review records separate. An Inspector pass is not a guarantee that all private data was removed.
  • Check confidentiality and sharing scope. Do not automatically execute suspicious external references or embedded content, or approve or remove draft history without agreement.

Related comparisons

PDF vs DOCXPDF is suited to distributing a reviewed page layout; DOCX is suited to creating and revising a document. Choose by what the recipient needs to do.ODT vs DOCXODT is an editable word-processing format in the OpenDocument family. DOCX is an editable document format based on Office Open XML. Choose for your software, collaborators, and organizational requirements.

Guides

Choose a document editing formatUse DOCX or ODT for formatted collaboration according to the recipient's tools, Markdown for versioned technical text, and TXT for plain characters.Choose a document delivery formatFor document delivery, decide whether the recipient needs a fixed presentation or an editable source.

References and specifications