Document Formats (Guide)

Compare common document and ebook formats and quickly choose the best option for sharing, editing, publishing or long-term storage.

Quick Choice

Choose a format quickly

Universal sharing PDF

Microsoft Word editing DOCX

Open office document ODT

Plain text TXT

Web document HTML

Modern ebook EPUB

PDF processing note: Merge and Split PDF copy existing PDF pages without image re-encoding. PDF to Image and Strong PDF compression render pages, so resolution and image quality settings matter for those operations.

Format Guide

Compare the main formats

PDF

.pdf

Universal

Fixed-layout document format designed to preserve appearance across devices and operating systems.

Layout: Fixed
Editing: Limited
Images: Yes
Compatibility: Excellent

Best for Sharing, printing, forms and final documents

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DOCX

.docx

Editable

Modern XML-based Microsoft Word document format designed for rich editable content.

Layout: Flow / paged
Editing: Excellent
Images: Yes
Compatibility: Excellent

Best for Editable reports, letters and office documents

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DOC

.doc

Legacy

Older binary Microsoft Word format used primarily by Word 97–2003 documents.

Type: Binary
Editing: Yes
Modern use: Legacy
Compatibility: Good

Best for Older Microsoft Word documents

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ODT

.odt

Open

OpenDocument word-processing format commonly used by LibreOffice and other open office suites.

Editing: Excellent
Open standard: Yes
Images: Yes
Compatibility: Good

Best for Open-source office workflows

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RTF

.rtf

Simple

Rich Text Format stores basic formatting while remaining simpler than full office document formats.

Formatting: Basic / Rich
Editing: Yes
Complex layout: Limited
Compatibility: Very good

Best for Simple formatted documents and interoperability

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TXT

.txt

Plain

Plain-text format containing characters only, without document layout or rich formatting.

Formatting: None
File size: Very small
Editing: Universal
Compatibility: Excellent

Best for Notes, source text and maximum compatibility

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HTML

.html • .htm

Web

Markup format used to structure web pages and browser-based documents.

Layout: Responsive
Web use: Native
Multimedia: Yes
Compatibility: Excellent

Best for Web pages and browser-based documents

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EPUB

.epub

Ebook

Modern ebook format designed primarily for content that can adapt to different screen sizes.

Layout: Reflowable / Fixed
Images: Yes
Accessibility: Strong
Ebook use: Excellent

Best for Ebooks, digital publications and e-readers

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MOBI

.mobi

Legacy

Older ebook format historically associated with early Kindle publishing workflows.

Type: Ebook
Modern publishing: Legacy
Amazon KDP: Not accepted
Compatibility: Older readers

Best for Existing legacy ebook collections

Amazon KDP stopped accepting MOBI uploads for new or updated ebooks.

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AZW3

.azw3

Kindle

Kindle-focused ebook format with richer layout capabilities than the older MOBI format.

Type: Ebook
Ecosystem: Kindle
Reflowable: Yes
Interchange: Limited

Best for Existing Kindle ebook libraries

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DJVU

.djvu • .djv

Scans

Document format optimized for highly compressed scanned pages, books and technical archives.

Main use: Scans
Compression: High
Browser support: Limited
Modern use: Niche

Best for Scanned books and document archives

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PDF tools available now. Editable Word and OpenDocument files (DOC, DOCX, ODT) are not supported by these tools yet.