By default, MS Word documents are saved with which file extension?

File extensions are crucial for identifying the type of a file and the software used to open it. By default, Microsoft Word documents are saved with the .docx file extension. This format was introduced with Microsoft Office 2007 and is based on XML, offering improved file integrity, smaller file sizes, and better compatibility compared to the older .doc format.

• .xls is the default file extension for Microsoft Excel spreadsheets.
• .ppt is the default file extension for Microsoft PowerPoint presentations (or .pptx for newer versions).
• .pdf (Portable Document Format) is a universal file format designed to present documents, including text formatting and images, in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems. While Word can export to PDF, it is not its native saving format.