Word (.docx) documents with unreadable formatting in Pages

[macstatic]

I sometimes receive Word (.docx) documents from someone else, that I open in Pages (8.1/MacOS 10.14 Mojave) but they always come out wrong, as seen here:

After a lot of fiddling, resizing and such (actually I'm not sure how I did it!) I end up with something readable:

I spend ages doing this each time, so my question is: is there an easy way to fix this?
And why does it happen in the first place?

I suppose it's been written on a PC using Word, and well, enough said.....

 

[NewGarbageSoldier]

Maybe try this instead: https://www.libreoffice.org/
I love it.

 

[macstatic]

Thank you! It solved the problem and (as far as I know) it displayed things correctly
I've used LibreOffice/OpenOffice in the past, but never really liked its cluttered and Windows-like user-interface, so I removed it once I started using Apple's Pages. Much cleaner looking and enjoyable to use.

But obviously it's a clear winner for compatibility issues like this, so I'm going to keep it and also made it the default app for opening .DOCX files.
Oh, I also found some nice new (or at least that I hadn't noticed before) user-interface options that made it a lot more attractive to use by going to the View-User Interface menu:

 

[bogdanw]

Another free alternative ONLYOFFICE https://www.onlyoffice.com/download-desktop.aspx
The interface

 

[ipaqrat]

Years (decades 🙄) ago, in tech support roles, I used to carry OpenOffice on CD, then on thumb drives, to users' desktops specifically to repair MS Office files that were otherwise too corrupt to open. I still keep LibreOffice around for repairs. I want to like Pages and Numbers, and I still use them, just to keep some proficiency. When I can't afford time for shenanigans, I instinctively reach for MS Office.

 

[macstatic]

Yes, obviously those of us who don't have/want/need MS Office need to install one of these free MS-compatible apps to avoid the kind of issues I mentioned in my first post.
Out of curiosity I downloaded and installed OnlyOffice as well, in addition to LibreOffice, but can't off-hand tell what the big differences are. After reading OnlyOffice vs. LibreOffice: what to choose when you decide to ditch Microsoft it appears OnlyOffice is the most Microsoft-compatible of the two. The summary of that article is as follows:

ONLYOFFICE for OOXML, LibreOffice for ODF
ONLYOFFICE was made for working with docx, xlsx and pptx, and has maximum MS Office compatibility (of all existing office suites). It means that all the objects present in ONLYOFFICE are created strictly according to MS Office format specs. So, if you look at a doc as a set of objects, ONLYOFFICE’s object models corresponds to OOXML specifications, while Libre’s object model corresponds to ODF’s ones.

ONLYOFFICE also works with ODF. Since its native formats are incompatible with them, ONLYOFFICE automatically converts ODF to OOXML when opening such files, later you can save them as ODF (but having in mind that it would mean double conversion). Unfortunately, some losses in initial formatting may occur during the process. But we are constantly improving the conversion quality.

LibreOffice is great at ODF, and also opens docx, xlsx and pptx. But with issues. Lots of. And that’s only natural regarding formats’ history.

So, ONLYOFFICE or LibreOffice? It’s up to you.

I want to mention that the article was found on OnlyOffice's website, so it might be somewhat biased, then again not...
(red highlighting abive is done by me).

Personally I don't use word-processing software that much these days, but when I do I like getting the job done without too much fuss and confusion. Apple's Pages might not be as fully featured as MS Office or its equivalents, but personally I get the job done a lot quicker and more enjoyable when i can work in a less cluttered and overly confusing environment. Yet, I see that I need to have something that is MS Office compatible for those .DOCX/.DOC files given to me by others: so should I go for OnlyOffice? Opinions please

 

[ipaqrat]

First thing I do with new apps is put them on computers set aside in an isolated vlan, and run them with LilSnitch or WireShark monitoring. That will reveal their network proclivities. Then selectively allow communications and see what the apps send/recieve. Look up all the domains’ owners, geolocate the IPs.

I look for affiliations with cloud hosts, particularly in jurisdictions under foreign jurisdictions that dont have mutual assistance treaties with the US.

Only after that passes muster do I test any further for actual usability and functionality. Frankly, lots of superficially useful apps get up to some astounding shenanigans, exfil a ton of data, and take orders from foreign C&C servers. Not always malicious, per se, but daaaang.

Ultimately, you gotta use sumthin’ / unless you roll your own, or check OSS code line by line. Safer to assume every provider is a malicious scumbag until you are satisfied with the risks and attack surface.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

OP, using different programs with some import capabilities are going to probably NEVER have perfect importing or exporting capabilities. Fancier formatting is probably never going to perfectly translate.

And note: challenging imports for you can then lead to challenging exports FROM you. For example, if you receive a file and open it in Pages or Libre to edit, then share it back to the original person, their open back in Original Word may also result in challenges for them. Get a team of people doing this with various "cousin" software and it can lead to all kinds of issues.

If any of these documents are mission critical, you may want to embrace what the sender is using. If that's Word from a PC, get yourself a PC with Word so you can keep the file intact. Intel Macs offered a very easy way for 100% file compatibility. Silicon Macs can't do that (no, ARM Windows is not full Windows). So one option with Silicon Macs is "old fashioned bootcamp" in the form of a companion PC for PC file work. That's what I did myself so that I have no such issues with client files shared with me... and I create no problems for them in client files I send back to them.

I much prefer Pages myself but the vast majority of people in the world do not use it. Windows Word is king. If files are very simple- very simply formatted- import from Word and then export to Word is usually no issue. But as documents are made fancy, letting different kinds of Word Processors edit them is almost certainly going to cause formatting issues for all involved.

 

[macstatic]

OP, using different programs with some import capabilities are going to probably NEVER have perfect importing or exporting capabilities. Fancier formatting is probably never going to perfectly translate.

And note: challenging imports for you can then lead to challenging exports FROM you. For example, if you receive a file and open it in Pages or Libre to edit, then share it back to the original person, their open back in Original Word may also result in challenges for them. Get a team of people doing this with various "cousin" software and it can lead to all kinds of issues.

Too true! This is why I never create (or edit) a word-processor type file and send someone else, but stick to PDF.
So always do an "Export to PDF" if I create something in Pages which I want to email someone with a PC (or even another Mac user as I don't trust there not being issues like version compatibility or even that the receiver has Pages installed).

Unless I'm mistaken, PDF is a "universal" format which looks the same on any computer or platform. I even like to keep PDF files for my own use as it makes things less complicated (fewer apps, version incompatibility etc.).

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

PDF is universal but generally a Read-only format. The problem is collaborating with others so they all can update/edit a document: one needs a write-able format. Pages format only works if all hands have access to Macs... and all of them are within a generation or so of each other (because any one too far ahead/behind will find that others after them can't open the file or they are too far behind to open it themselves).

Word is a good format but see the issue you raised earlier. As non-Word apps import and then export Word, compatibilities sometimes "mess up" some of the document. If it's a very simple document, no problem. But as complexity of pages goes up, opportunity for issues rise.

IMO: the very best option is to collaborate with PC people in MS Office apps if that's what they are using... and yes, now that Silicon is running Mac, that means owning a PC too. Else, keep the documents very simple and know that if someone sends you a complicated one that you can open mostly intact probably won't export back to them intact... unless you do that editing on the same app on the same platform they used.

 

[ipaqrat]

IMO: the very best option is to collaborate with PC people in MS Office apps if that's what they are using... and yes, now that Silicon is running Mac, that means owning a PC too.

You find that MS Office Mac doesn't run well, or at all, on Apple M Silicon? What kinds of formatting and feature fails have you observed. Any observations would be super helpful for my lab testing.

Since late 2021, I've kept MS Office up-to-date universal in a lab. It runs 64-bit ARM native code on Apple M silicon. Cross-platformFile (docx/pptx/xlsx/.one) file format fidelity has been bulletproof, to the extent I have tested. There is a setting in each apps' get-info box to prefer Rosetta compatibility mode, but I have not had any issues running ARM all the time.