Have you ever seen .dot when you try to change the file format of a saved document in Word? We seem to seldom use DOT files in daily life, and it is strange that we do not have this format in our list when creating a new file. So, what exactly is a DOT file? For people who are curious about this unique file format, this post gives a brief introduction to DOT files from what is a DOT file to how to convert it to PDF.
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What Is a DOT File?
A DOT file is a Microsoft Word template file whose file extension is .dot. A Microsoft Word template file is a kind of page layout file that is saved in a binary format. Developed by Microsoft Word, DOT files are generated to store pre-formatted settings of Microsoft Word files such as font sizes, margins, page sizes, and other page settings.
The DOT format worked for Microsoft Word 2003 and earlier versions but now is replaced by the DOTX file format since the release of Microsoft Word 2007. For usage, DOT files are commonly used to create multiple files with identical or similar page settings for company correspondence, for example, letters.
Advantages of DOT Files
Although DOT files are not very common compared with other popular document files, they have two advantages:
1.Easy for reuse
It is convenient to use a DOT file to generate files in the same document style.
2.Time-saving
To apply the same page layout to a number of files, a DOT file can be set to execute each time when users open it. This method saves the time spent on file creation.
How to Open a DOT File?
It is easy to open a DOT file in Word. As long as you are a Word user, whether on Windows or macOS, you can just double-click the DOT file to open it. For others, some word processors support the DOT format as well. Google Docs is an online word processing program that can read DOT files.
How to Convert a DOT File to PDF?
Considering the popularity of PDF, it may be more favorable to share a PDF file than a DOT file with friends or coworkers. To convert a DOT file to PDF, you can try a free online PDF converter developed by SwifDoo PDF. This PDF converter allows users to convert DOT, DOTX, PPT, JPG, and other formats to PDFs, and in reverse.
Step 1: Open the web page of SwifDoo PDF’s online PDF converter;
Step 2: Choose Word to PDF from the left column;
Step 3: Click Choose file to upload;
Step 4: Download the converted file.
