Importing a word document to a page (doc, docx) gives error "Invalid file type. Only word documents
Asked by Dimitris Preketes:

Hello!

This is rather self-explanatory, but basically, on confluence when I try to import a Word document to a page I get the error "Invalid file type. Only word documents are supported.". I was trying to upload a .docx. Saving as .doc still doesn't get me past this error.

I'm wondering what I might be doing wrong?

![err1.PNG](https://community.atlassian.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/3401i3DD85BF968BADD01/image-size/large?v=v2&px=999 "err1.PNG")


Answers:
author: Dimitris Preketes
body: It looks like I found my answer.

The original docx I had really wouldn't import. However, I was converting to .doc using libreoffice, and apparently they do things a little different. Using Microsoft Office to convert to doc worked for me.

Now I have to solve the problem of the actual import being depressingly lacking, but that's another issue.

Thanks!

comments: author: Nic Brough -Adaptavist-
body: Ahh, I was halfway there. The doc was in the wrong format, but not caused by Confluence bugs or Word doing odd things!


author: Suporte T?cnico
body: It happens to me, unable to upload a doc file. In my case, **the doc file was generated by exporting from Atlassian in another server**. No creation with MS Office or Libre Office, or whatsoever. !! Sorry ... Still looking for an alternative to Confluence ... What am I expected to do??

comments: author: Nic Brough -Adaptavist-
body: I would look to fix whatever you've done wrong in the install, or forget it and just move to your inferior alternative.


author: Suporte T?cnico
body: Well, in my case, the "install" that is refusing to import a .doc file is Confluence web. Not a server i had installed myself.


author: Nic Brough -Adaptavist-
body: OK, so you'll need to talk to your admins about what they have done to break it.


author: Jeff Matulevich
body: Has this been or will this be addressed?  

[@Nic Brough -Adaptavist-](/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/781454)

comments: author: Jaime Drysdale
body: Hey Jeff, this has been an issue since before 2015... so don't hold your breath.

I gave up in it a while ago... I now copy and paste the content of the word document into a new confluence document. You then need to re-imbed the images but it doesn't take long once you get a rhythm doing.

Hang in there bud.


author: Jeff Matulevich
body: I just sent my word docs to a co worker with a MAC. Poof went right in an no issues.

So if you have access to a MAC it will work correctly with \*.docx

Thanks [@Jaime Drysdale](/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/1385007)


author: Jaime Drysdale
body: I do have a MAC...

Awesome, and thanks for the tip.

Jaime


author: Nic Brough -Adaptavist-
body: It usually means the file is in a Word based format that Confluence does not understand. You tried "saving it as a .doc", but was that .doc format one of the older ones?

comments: author: Dimitris Preketes
body: Hi Nic,

Yes, it was the 97-2003 format. I also tried the XML doc format.


author: Nic Brough -Adaptavist-
body: Does it work with other documents? Something simple saved as a word 2003 format maybe?


author: Dimitris Preketes
body: Nic,

Thank you for your help. I ended up finding the solution on my own.

I appreciate you taking the time to help me out!


author: Roei Soudai
body: Hi, what is the solution? I\`m facing the same issue...


author: Nic Brough -Adaptavist-
body: It's in the answer above - the file was in an incompatible format, and correcting that allows import.


author: John Davenport
body: I'm using word 1016 and converting the file to .doc, and confluence will not accept it. I do not understand what I'm doing wrong.


author: Richard Tauscher
body: I checked various entries and confluence-tickets, but no suggested answers were working out.

I'm trying to import a file that I created from the start, so no conversion or anything else affects it. The file was created on Office365 on Windows10. I tried the default \*.docx, the 97-2003 \*.doc, the OpenXML \*.docx, I even tried opening the file on LibreOffice and OpenOffice and saving it as any other Word-format.

I also tried using Firefox, Chrome and Edge on the most recent versions.

The result was always the same error as described by Dimitris.


author: Johnny Hopper
body: I am having the same problem as described by Richard


author: Ting _Chiou Ting Teh_
body: [@Richard Tauscher](/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/3364128) [@Johnny Hopper](/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/2940486)

If you're on Windows, this could be the reason:

\* [CONFCLOUD-58350 - Import Word Documents not working on Windows](https://jira.atlassian.com/browse/CONFCLOUD-58350)


author: Jaime Drysdale
body: Well that's a useless link, it contains NO helpful information!.


author: samuel_arsenault-brassard
body: [@Ting _Chiou Ting Teh_](/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/541365)You're telling me this bug has been present since at least 2017 and it's still unresolved??? You basically have a button that does not work and copy/pasting word documents contents into Confluence does not work either...


author: Suporte T?cnico
body: My conclusion ... export and import in Confluence are buggy, and Atlassian don't mind to fix it. Live with that, or find another wiki solution.


Tags: import