Hardware and software setup

What is reduced functionality mode in Office. What does this inscription mean

For users of older versions of Word, when opening documents, an inscription about reduced functionality mode appears. The question arises, what does this limited functionality mode in Word mean, how to remove it. After all, this reduces the ability to edit texts, does not give access to new extensions, in general, creates inconvenience in work. Calling a programmer for such a simple job as changing the format is not required in this case; after studying our recommendations, you will completely cope with the task without spending a lot of time on it.

What does limited functionality mean?

Text word editor, which is part of the Microsoft Office package, is constantly updated by developers: opportunities increase, the interface changes. This is reflected in the extension: Word 2003 has doc, and 2007/2010 has docx. Users sometimes, getting used to one program, are reluctant to change it to a new one. But if you have to send or transfer files to another computer with updated programs installed there, problems arise. This is what happened with Word. Files made and saved in the 2003 format are opened in others as read-only, without the possibility of editing the data. Users are informed that reduced functionality mode is enabled. Those created in 2007 did not open at first for those who had the usual Word 2003, or some add-ons did not work. The developers have made a utility that allows you to open documents created in Word 2007 through 2003. And yet, the limited functionality mode sometimes does not allow to fully work:

  • No access to create new documents.
  • Clear text can be viewed but not edited.
  • You can not use advanced features such as export to PDF, new templates.

Word 2010 reduced functionality mode, how to remove - read below. In fact, turning off the mode is a simple procedure that does not require a lot of time and any special knowledge. Read our instructions, and you can safely work with your texts.

Removing restrictions

You prepared the text at home on an old, but familiar to you, Word 2003. You brought a file on a flash drive or other media to work, to friends, and Word 2007/2010 was installed there. You need to make changes or additions before printing, but this is not available. So, you are faced with a choice: apologize and offer to do everything later when you get home, or convert the document to take advantage of all the features provided by the developers.

If you chose the second option, then you need to know how to make it work. Two methods are possible here: with saving the original file or without saving.

  1. You decide to convert a 2003 document to the new format, but keep the original. You just need to resave with a different extension. To do this, go to "File" - "Save As". In the "File type" line, select "Word Document", enter a different name. An additional window will open, where there will be a warning that the new version will not open in Office Click OK, you can first check the “Do not ask this question again” box so that this message does not appear next time. The system save both versions with different extensions.
  2. If you do not need to save the original version, then we do this: in the "File" tab, go to "Details", there we click on "Convert". You will receive a docx file, all new features will work without problems.

Note: in the Word 2007 interface, instead of "File" in the upper left corner, there is an "Office" button.

In Word 2013, the problem is solved in a similar way, the principle of operation has not changed.

If you have old version Word, limited functionality mode, how to disable it? Removing it does not require special skills. You do not have to contact specialists, pay for their services. Each user can easily cope with it, following our recommendations.

With release new version Word 2007, all users of the program received a new document format with the docx extension. This extension is used by default in such versions text editor like Word 2007, 2010, 2013, and 2016. However, in Word program 2003 uses the doc extension, which is still common today. At the same time, if you open a doc extension document in the 2007 edition or higher, the message "Reduced functionality mode" will appear. The user will be presented with a text that cannot be changed. To correct this situation, you should use the following methods.

The first way to disable reduced functionality mode

If the text opened in reduced functionality mode and the following message appeared in the document header, perform the following steps.

  • Click "File", select "Details" and "Convert" (if you have Word 2007).

  • A small window will appear warning you about the conversion of the document. We press "Ok".

If you have Word 2010 and above, follow these steps:

  • Click "File", "Details", "Prepare for Sharing".

  • Click on "Scan for Issues" and select "Check Compatibility".

  • Select the version of the program and click "OK".

The second way to remove reduced functionality mode

To remove reduced functionality mode in Microsoft Word, it is worth resaving the document in the desired format.

  • Click "File", "Save as ...".

  • We name the file and in the line "File type" select "Document 97-2003".

  • After resaving, open the desired document.

If a document is opened in a newer version of Word than the one in which it was created, the window title usually displays Compatibility Mode (Reduced Functionality Mode). Compatibility mode temporarily disables new and improved Word functions so that users previous versions could edit the document. Compatibility mode also preserves the layout of the document.

Converting a document to a newer format allows you to use the features of a later version, but can be problematic for those who use earlier versions of Word to edit the document. If you convert the document, these users may not be able to work with parts of the document created in the newer version of Word.

Converting a Document to Word 2010 Format

You can continue working on the document in compatibility mode or convert it to the Word 2010 file format. Command Transform in Word clears the compatibility options, after which the layout of the document looks as if it was created in Word application 2010.

After you convert your document, new and improved features in Word 2010 will become available.

    Open a tab File.

    Do one of the following:

    • To convert the document without saving a copy, select Intelligence and then the command Transform.

      To create a copy of the document in Word 2010 format, select the command Save as and specify the location and folder to save the copy. In field File name enter a name for the new document, and in the list File type select item Word Document.

If you have been using a computer for a long time, then you probably have at least a little experience with the Office editor package. The program is in great demand, so today they decide not only for business, but also for study. And since the software is popular and useful, you need to know how to solve possible problems that arise.

One of the most common is the limitation of functionality. It may be that when you open a file in doc format, you will see on top panel v square brackets"Degraded Mode" message. You'll want to know right away how to remove it.

What does Restricted Mode mean in Office 2010?

First of all, you need to understand what it is and why this message appears. The main reason for the appearance of the inscription is an attempt to open Word file which was made in over early version programs. Most often this applies to documents created in Office 2003. The files of this editor are created in an outdated format (for Word it is doc), while Office 2010 works with a new format (docx and others).

Hence the discrepancy and this message. You need to get rid of him. This must be done, because in this mode the functionality of the program is significantly limited. For example, Word does not print. Or you will not be able to use some of the features available in more modern versions of the software, whether it's editing formulas or new types of design. It may also happen that some of the text or graphic content simply will not be displayed.

Solving the restricted mode problem

To fix the problem, just open the Word file and re-save in a suitable form. For this:

  • open a document;
  • select "Save As" from the menu;
  • in the new menu, select the save path and select in the "File Type" tab desired format;
  • save the document.

You're done, you won't see the Office 2010 reduced functionality mode message again.

There is another way - to convert the file. To do this, open the document, go to the "File" menu and select "Details". Here, click on the "Convert" button and confirm the action by clicking "OK". Then save the file as well, but now you don't have to choose an extension. The conversion function itself will create the desired docx format. If there are many formulas and other similar elements in the file, then this method is preferable.

If this does not suit you, then there is an even easier way to disable Office 2010 reduced functionality mode. You just need to copy the contents of the doc file into a separate empty document with the appropriate extension. This option is good if there are no formulas or other specific elements in the file, but only text content.

We got acquainted with the limited functionality mode in Word. Now you know what it is and how to deal with it. These methods will help you work with documents of different formats without any problems with access.

After installing, activating, and using Office products for a long time, users experience the occurrence of "Reduced Functionality Mode" 2010 (2016) in the Word application. This article will describe the causes and solutions for this problem.

The main reason for this notification is the outdated *.doc format, which does not support some of the changes and formatting available in newer versions. The transition to a new format occurred with the release of Office 2007 - which brought a large number of innovations and editing tools.

On the example of Office 2016 - icons different versions differ. *.doc - blue letter W on a white background with a blue border, *.docx - white W on a blue background.

How to remove reduced functionality mode in Word

Method number 1. transformation

Let's look at the example of Word 2016, how to disable reduced functionality mode. Click on the File tab and in the Details line, the Convert item will be available, which will help you reformat the document in a modern format.

When you click on this button, a document change warning window will appear.

Method number 2. Saving to *.docx


Also when using various versions Word (2007, 2010, 2013-16), some elements and functions of applications may not work correctly, for this there is a special article from Microsoft - link.
In general, this notice should not interfere with the correct operation of the application and the document. Until now, many users and government agencies use the old old versions of Office, and that is why the question of how to remove the reduced functionality mode of Word will be relevant for a long time to come.

Have a great day!

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