How to compress a Word file

Microsoft Office Word (Windows/Mac)

If you are looking for a solution on how to compress a Word file, one of the most effective procedures you can implement is to compress the images contained within the document - going to act directly from Microsoft Office, - and save the latter in DOCX format, which as known is lighter than the DOC of Word 97-2003. I know, it may seem like a difficult thing to say so, but instead I assure you it's child's play.

All you have to do is open the file to be compressed in Word and select any of the images contained in it. Then go to the tab Size that appears at the top right and click on the button Compress images located at the top left.

In the window that opens, put the check mark next to the item To all images in the document and click the button first OK and then Apply to start the process of compressing the photos contained in the document.

When the operation is completed, save the file in DOCX format by clicking on the button Fillet located at the top left and selecting the item Save with name from the menu that appears. In the window that opens, set the option Word document in the drop-down menu Save eat, type the name you want to assign to the document in the appropriate field, select the folder in which to keep the file and click on the button Save but I will complete the operation.

Now check the size of the document before and after the changes. To do this, just right-click on the file, choose Property (its Windows) oppure Get information (on Mac) from the context menu and check what is reported next to the item dimensions: in the window that appears.

If everything went well, the DOCX with the compressed images should be lighter than the original file. But don't expect miracles, please. If the original document does not contain many photos and is already in DOCX format, the weight loss will be quite modest.

NXPowerLite (Windows/Mac)

If you don't need to compress a single Word file but a large number of documents at the same time you can rely on NXPowerLite. This is a software available for both Windows and Mac, very easy to use and thanks to which you can compress Word and Excel documents as well as PowerPoint presentations, PDFs and JPG images up to 95% of their size. 'origin. It is paid but is available in a free trial version (the one I used to write this step) which allows you to reduce the weight of up to 20 files.

To use it on your Windows PC, connect to the program's website and click on the button Download Now which is in the center of the page, in order to start the software download on your computer.

Then open, by double clicking on it, the executable file obtained (eg. NXPowerLiteSetupxx_x.exe) e cheap with NEXT in the window that appears on the desktop. Then select the box relating to acceptance of the terms of use of the service and press again on NEXT. Then choose the option Typicalclick your Install and Ends. At the end of the procedure, recall the program by clicking on its link that has been added to Start menu.

If, on the other hand, what you are using is a Mac, to download the program on your Apple branded computer connected to this other web page and press the Download Now.

Once the download is complete, extract the package to any location on your computer .dmg obtained, open the file pkg content inside and press on Continue for four wants. Then press on Accept and Install, type the password for your user account on macOS, click on Install software and to conclude press on Close. Then call up the program by clicking on the relative icon that has been added to Launchpad.

Now that, regardless of the operating system, you see the NXPowerLite window on the screen, click on the item Add files (on Windows) or on Thêm tập tin (on Mac) at the top and select the Word documents to compress. Alternatively, drag the files you want to act on directly into the program window.

At this point, indicate the type of optimization you want to apply to the files from the drop-down menu Optimization profile: (its Windows) oppure Optimize profile: (on Mac) at the bottom and click the button Optimize (on Windows) or on Optimize (on Mac), in order to start the compression procedure. Once the process is complete, you will also be notified of how much the file weight could be reduced.

By default, the compressed documents generated by the program are saved in the same location as the original ones. If you don't like this and want to change this setting, select the item Select folder ... (your Windows) oppure cheats Choose fonder… (on Mac) from the drop-down menu Create copy in: (its Windows) oppure Create copy in: (on Mac) and choose the output folder from the additional window that appears.

I point out that you can also make sure that the compressed files replace the original ones. To do this, choose one of the following options attached to the drop-down menu at the bottom left: Backup and replace original (your Windows) or Back up and replace original (on Mac), to create a backup copy of the source file and replace it with the compressed file; or Replace original (your Windows) or Replace original (on Mac), to make the replacement only.

FILEminimizer Office (Windows)

If you are looking for a valid alternative to the above program I suggest you put it to the test FILEminimizer Office. This is a commercial software for Windows operating systems that allows you to compress Word, PowerPoint and Excel files quickly and easily by operating on multiple elements in series. The program is paid but is available in a free trial version (the one I used to write this step) which allows you to test all its functions for a period of 30 days.

To use FILEminimizer Suite on your computer, connect to the program's website and click on the button Free Trial, in order to download.

When the download is complete open, by double clicking on it, the executable file you just downloaded (eg. FILEminimizerSuite-Setup.exe) and, in the window that appears on the screen, first click on Yes and NEXT. Then accept the conditions of use of the program by placing the check mark next to the item I accept the terms of the license agreement click her cousin NEXT five consecutive times and then on Install and end to complete the installation process and start the program.

Nella finestra che si apre, click on your button Continue Test to access the main screen of the application and drag the documents to be compressed into it. Alternatively, press the button Open File and select them "manually".

Then move the bar Compression settings to the desired quality level and click the button Optimize files to start compressing files. Once the procedure is completed you will also be shown how much free space it was possible to earn.

By default the compressed version of the selected files will be saved in the same location as the source documents. If you want to change this behavior, select the option before starting the compression proxy in the following folder: in the program window and presses the button [...] which stands on the right to indicate the output folder.

FileOptimizer (Windows)

Another tool you have on your side to be able to compress a Word file is FileOptimizer. This is a free and open source software specific for Windows OS that provides its users with various plugins and compression tools useful for reducing the size of various types of files (including Office documents and therefore Word files ) without, however, burdening the quality.

You ask me what to do to be able to use it? I'll point it out to you right away. First, connected to the SourceForge web page that hosts the software and first presses on the folder at the top of the list (i.e. the one relating to the most recent version of the program, eg. 13.30.2393) and then on the link FileOptimizerSetup.exe. This will immediately start the software download.

At the end of the download, open, by double clicking on it, the executable file just obtained (eg. FileOptimizer64.exe), click your Si and then on the button Install in the window that appears on the desktop. Then click on end to finish the setup. Afterwards, log in to Start menu and start the program from there, by clicking on the relative link.

Now that you see the FileOptimizer window on your desktop, drag the Word files you want to reduce in size into it. Alternatively, click on the menu Fillet and select Add files… (to add single files) or Add folder… (to add an entire folder containing the files to be compressed).

Then select the item Optimize which is at the top and choose the option Optimize all files from the menu that opens. Doing so will immediately start the compression procedure. In the end, the original files will be automatically replaced by the program with the compressed ones (consequently, if you don't want to lose the original files, I strongly suggest you make a backup copy). At the column Optmized size you will also be told the new document size.

If you are not satisfied with the final result, you can try to change the compression settings by clicking on the menu  Optimize and on the voice Options .... Through the window that will open on the desktop you can adjust all the various parameters available as you see fit. To save any changes made then click on the button OK.

Wordcompress (online)

To conclude, as they say, I want to point out a useful tool for compressing Word files (as well as other Office documents, PDFs and images), which you can use directly via the Web, without having to download absolutely anything on the your computer. I'm talking about Wecompress, a free service, running from any browser and operating system, very easy to use and also fairly fast.

To use it for your purpose, visit the main page of the service and click on the button [+] placed in the center to select the DOC or DOCX file present on your computer on which you want to go to act. Alternatively, drag the Word files you want to compress directly into the browser window.

Wait a few moments for your documents to be processed by the service and when the procedure is completed you will be able to know the comparison between the initial file size and the one reached later.

To then download the compressed files returned by the service click on the button Download. If you haven't changed the default browser settings, the document will be saved in the folder Download Of computer.

How to compress a Word file