APS Csontos

Q: Which AppStore app will allow import & reading of .docx and .doc files created on a PC?

looking for suggestions for an iPad app that could import Microsofr Word documents (Word 2010) to the iPad for reading primarily. Editing them is not needed

iPad 2, iOS 7.0.4

Posted on Feb 13, 2014 7:32 AM

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Q: Which AppStore app will allow import & reading of .docx and .doc files created on a PC?

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  • by Simon Slavin,

    Simon Slavin Simon Slavin Feb 13, 2014 7:43 AM in response to APS Csontos
    Level 4 (1,400 points)
    Feb 13, 2014 7:43 AM in response to APS Csontos

    Apple's Pages for iOS can read most Microsoft Word documents.

     

    http://www.apple.com/uk/ios/pages/

  • by APS Csontos,

    APS Csontos APS Csontos Feb 13, 2014 8:20 AM in response to Simon Slavin
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 13, 2014 8:20 AM in response to Simon Slavin

    Thanks for the suggestion. However, in looking up the Pages app I am getting the impression that it is a Mac-related app. I do not use a Mac and am specifically seeking an  iPad app which will let me import Word 2010 for PC .doc and .docx files to the iPad. Am I misunderstanding the apparent link to a Mac only for Pages?

    thanks

  • by varjak paw,

    varjak paw varjak paw Feb 13, 2014 8:25 AM in response to APS Csontos
    Level 10 (169,883 points)
    Feb 13, 2014 8:25 AM in response to APS Csontos

    There are a number of apps that are compatible with Office documents. Apple makes iOS versions of their own iWork apps (Pages, Keynote, Numbers) - which are indeed for iOS, though there are also Mac versions -  that are available free if you purchase a new iOS device and that can be purchased separately for older devices. There are also 3rd party combined suites that cost less than the separate Apple apps. Ones often recommended include Documents 2 GoQuickoffice and Office2 HD.

     

    If you can accept needing a network connection whenever you want to use the apps and have an Office 365 subscription, Microsoft has just released their Office Mobile app, though it has significant limitations. Or a server-based solution such as CloudOn might be an option for you.

     

    Regards.

  • by Simon Slavin,

    Simon Slavin Simon Slavin Feb 13, 2014 8:31 AM in response to APS Csontos
    Level 4 (1,400 points)
    Feb 13, 2014 8:31 AM in response to APS Csontos

    You asked your question on a forum dedicated to questions about iPads.  The link I included was for software which runs on iPads.  That's why it's called 'Pages for iOS' and not 'Pages for Mac'.

     

    If you want to run software on a Windows computer I would assume you'd be running Word on the Windows computer.

  • by APS Csontos,

    APS Csontos APS Csontos Feb 13, 2014 9:46 AM in response to Simon Slavin
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 13, 2014 9:46 AM in response to Simon Slavin

    Dear Simon Slavin:

    Sorry you seem annoyed by my question. And, by the way, common courtesy is always wecome, whereas displaying a disdainful condescension for someone who innocently asks a question as a non-Apple-user (other than the iPad) is not essential.. Regret to note you have unfortunately twice failed to understand what I was asking. I do use only Windows computers and create all my Word documents on them. (I abandoned Apple after they betrayed those of us who were still using an Apple II GS -- this will date me for you). What I was asking (and apparently failing to communicate) is: please, if you know of one, suggest an iPad app which would allow me to copy my Windows-computer-created Word documents to the iPad for reading (and to further clarify, transferred privately from computer to IPad and not via the Cloud or other public file transfer methods (Dropbox, i.e.) so that when I am not at home I could read these files on a small device like the iPad. Where, I wonder, if not on a site dedicated to questions about iPads would one ask a question about an iPad app? Even if the question pertains to doing something with files generated by a different OS (Purely rhetorical question, answer not requested). Frankly, other than to read books and use Face Time when other parties insist, I have little use for an iPad2. I have one because there were no competitors when I acquired it. Today, I would not bother with an Apple product in the first place. But since I have paid (too much) for the thing, I was hoping it might be of some slight further use.Instead, if no such app exists, I will simply continue to carry one of my Windows notebooks to do what I want and eventually purchase a Windows-compatible tablet.The above is meant as a courteous explanation for you of my situation, and I sincerely hope you will not be annoyed or spend more of your undoubtedly valuable time on my question. I trust some Good Samaritan on this forum will eventually make a pertinent suggestion -- or not.Apple devotees are an unpredictable group.

    With warmest personal regards,

    APS Csontos

  • by APS Csontos,

    APS Csontos APS Csontos Feb 13, 2014 10:00 AM in response to varjak paw
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 13, 2014 10:00 AM in response to varjak paw

    Dear varjak paw.

    Thank you for your kind suggestions. I have looked at some of the apps in question and was always misled into thinking that they were meant only for Word documents created on a Mac. Also, several of them require some sort of third party service to send the documents to the iPad. This is not acceptable to me, I am using business documnents which I wish to keep on my own devices and not broadcast them elsewhere. I am not prepared to trust my data to the airwaves. I am coming to the conclusion that I had better keep using my Windows computers only, and possibly acquire a Windows compatible tablet in the future -- one that will allow direct file transfers. But I do thank you for taking the time to post an answer.

    Best wishes,

    APS Csontos

  • by varjak paw,

    varjak paw varjak paw Feb 13, 2014 10:57 AM in response to APS Csontos
    Level 10 (169,883 points)
    Feb 13, 2014 10:57 AM in response to APS Csontos

    I have looked at some of the apps in question and was always misled into thinking that they were meant only for Word documents created on a Mac.

     

    That is most definitely not the case, since Word documents are the same format whether created on a Mac or on a Windows system. So any app that can open a .doc or .docx file can open it regardless of the platform on which is was created.

     

    As to transfer, most such apps do indeed allow direct transfer of documents from your computer. Apple's iWork apps certainly do, as do the other apps I mentioned.

     

    But whatever you think will work best for you.

     

    Regards.

  • by varjak paw,

    varjak paw varjak paw Feb 13, 2014 10:58 AM in response to APS Csontos
    Level 10 (169,883 points)
    Feb 13, 2014 10:58 AM in response to APS Csontos

    APS Csontos wrote:

     

    I trust some Good Samaritan on this forum will eventually make a pertinent suggestion -- or not.Apple devotees are an unpredictable group.

     

     

    I find myself a bit offended by that statement. Did I not make such "pertinent suggestions"?

  • by rccharles,

    rccharles rccharles Feb 13, 2014 12:35 PM in response to APS Csontos
    Level 6 (8,486 points)
    Classic Mac OS
    Feb 13, 2014 12:35 PM in response to APS Csontos

    Here is how to go about interpreting what you read in a forum.  Look at the number of points the person has. The more the better.  Wait a bit and see if anyone else contradicts what was said earlier. Since you see the posters have lots of point and they have not contradicted themselve.  You should conclude that they are reliable.

     

     

    Microsoft came out with Word first on the mac platform.  Later, Microsoft  ported Word to to Window/dos.

     

    The file format .doc for Word has worked in all versions of Word since the mid 1990s.  .dox is more recent, in the last six years or so.

     

    When an app claims it supports .doc and .docx, it will support reading / editing the file from where ever it came from.

     

    Microsoft  took a 900 million write off on the surface.  That should give you some hint. 

     

    There are over a million applications for the iPad. 

     

    Robert

  • by APS Csontos,

    APS Csontos APS Csontos Feb 13, 2014 9:53 PM in response to varjak paw
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 13, 2014 9:53 PM in response to varjak paw

    Dear varjak paw,

    Let me assure you that no offense was intended in my reply to your post which was indeed helpful. I was a bit miffed at previous posts which I should simply have ignored. I asked the community for help and what I got was supercilious contumely at first -- unlike your sincere intent to be helpful. I confess to being primed by prior experience to expect to be treated like a red-headed stepchild by what we in the "outgroup" consider unfortunately typical contempt from apple devotees who seem to think that if a person fails to be an apple-snob, he must be a cretin. (Dartmouth and Harvard, who gave me my doctorates -- not, however, in computer science -- are presumably of a different opinion regarding my neurologic status.) So please do not take offense at my comment which was in no way aimed at you. I thanked and again thank you for your helpful post.

    Sincerely,

    APS Csontos

  • by APS Csontos,

    APS Csontos APS Csontos Feb 13, 2014 10:21 PM in response to rccharles
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 13, 2014 10:21 PM in response to rccharles

    Dear RCCharles,

    You have correctly surmised that I am an intentional stranger to the ways of apple products, and my assumption was that mac-produced Word files would be the only ones compatible with another apple device -- especially since they mention macs in their own brief feature descriptions, and even CNET reviews left me with the notion that some of these apps were meant to be used in conjunction with macs only.. What is further confusing is that the descriptions of the "features" of the apps offered in the App Store are often not helpful in pointing out things that might have cleared up my misunderstanding. I could not decide if the app would in fact do what I was hoping to do. I even downloaded a free Textilus app just as an experiment, and I could see no way to get the documents from my PC onto the iPad -- the app itself had no obvious way or place to put it, and of course the iPad itself stores files in their own apps -- like iBooks and the Kindle reader apps.There was mention of sending things through the "cloud" and via "dropbox," which I did not want to do, and even if I did, the app did not show or tell me how and where the Word files would be deposited. It had no menus or help files in it, and proved totally useless to me. I have since deleted the Textilus app. Before purchasing an app I was seeking information about how they might work, but found no "trial versions" to test them. So instead of randomly purchasing some app, I asked this community for guidance. Being written for the iPad, the app authors are generally not including any guidance regarding how or if the app will function with a PC, and none of them made any mention of how to get the files transferred or where they would be stored.

     

    With an apology for my long-winded explanation, and with your obvious knowledge and experience, I would appreciate having you list a few apps that you think would do the job, and I will purchase one of them. If they work, it will solve my issue and obviate the need to think about other types of tablets which I do not really want or need. I certainly claim no expertise regarding the quality and write-off issues of Microsoft or Android devices, a subject I will leave in your capable hands.Despite the death of Jobs, apple has an undeniable head start in this arena, and may even manage to keep it under its current leadership.For my purposes a tablet is almost exclusively a reading device, and if it can display PC-produced Word documents, that is all I need. I can use it to proof-read the books I produce at the times when I am away from my desk. For anything else I have my five PC computers to work with when I am at my desk, and given the awkward virtual keyboard of the iPad, I would only mark, and not edit the Word files.

    In conclusion, I offer my thanks for your post and if you have the time, please jot down a few app titles I can review in the App Store.

    Sincerely,

    APS Csontos

  • by Simon Slavin,

    Simon Slavin Simon Slavin Feb 14, 2014 5:49 AM in response to APS Csontos
    Level 4 (1,400 points)
    Feb 14, 2014 5:49 AM in response to APS Csontos

    First, it seems necessary to state that I read your question, I understood your question, and I answered your question.   If you think that I did not answer your question you have to explain why you think that.  It was not obvious to me why you thought my answer did not answer your question.

     

    Now, to pursue a couple points you brought up.

     

    The file formats for Word are identical on Mac and Windows platforms.  You can create a Word file on one platform, do some work on it, then copy it across to the other platform, open it (not 'import', just 'open') and continue working on it.  So it doesn't matter whether you originally used Word on a Mac or Word on a Windows computer to create the document.

     

    Second, your original question did not say anything about copying or transferring the document, only about being able to read it using an App running on an iPad.  One does not use individual applications to copy documents to an iPad.  One does it by running iTunes on your computer (there are versions for both Mac and Windows), connecting your computer with the iPad using the white wire provided, and using that to synchronise documents between your iPad and your computer.  Alternatively one can email the document to as an attachment to an email message, then read that email message on the iPad.  You will find that you can read many documents sent as attachments without needing any special App at all.

     

    Hope this helps.

  • by rccharles,Solvedanswer

    rccharles rccharles Feb 14, 2014 10:54 AM in response to APS Csontos
    Level 6 (8,486 points)
    Classic Mac OS
    Feb 14, 2014 10:54 AM in response to APS Csontos

    Here is my list.  It's consistant with others.  I post it because you latest post ask me for my list.  I'd recommend DocsToGo because the document integreaty will be perserved at least that is what the authors of the app claim.

     

    I'll list some ways of transfering files below.

     

    These lists are by no means complete.

     

    --------------------------------------------------------------

     

     

    All of the "Office" document editing applications on the iPad have limitations.  Best try them out to see if they meet your needs.

     

    Free apps

     

    iWork by Apple  -- free with newly purchased iPads

     

        http://www.imore.com/how-get-all-iwork-apps-iphoto-and-imovie-free-eligible-ipho ne-or-ipad

     

        iWork for iCloud Beta

        https://www.apple.com/iwork-for-icloud/

     

    Quickoffice

    Quickoffice is an application available for iOS and Android tablets and phones that lets you view, create, and edit Microsoft Office, as well as view and annotate PDF files. Connect Google Drive to Quickoffice for cloud storage so that you can easily access and edit files from your tablet, phone, or computer and know that your files are always up-to-date.  ( Has been taken over by Google.  Don't know what may have been changed. )

    https://support.google.com/quickoffice/answer/2986862?hl=en&ref_topic=2986859

     

    Kingsoft Office

    "Read, edit PowerPoint files, and read Word documents on your iPhone or iPad, Share it by cloud storage."

    http://www.kingsoftstore.com/office-free-ios

     

     

    CloudOn

    Client front end to a Microsoft Office running on a server

     

    "CloudOn brings Microsoft Office® to your iPhone & iPad and links it to your Box, Dropbox, Google Drive and SkyDrive accounts."  Free for a give number of documents.

    https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/cloudon/id474025452?mt=8

     

     

     

    Paid

     

    DocsToGo

    • VIEW/EDIT/CREATE Word & Excel files(Office 2007/2008/2010)

    • VIEW PowerPoint, PDF, iWork, Text, .RTF, and more!

    • Send & receive attached supported documents using the built-in Mail app

    • FREE desktop application with your purchase! Compatible on Win & Mac allows you 2-way file sync with a WIFI connection.

    • Open & Edit files within DocsToGo from any 3rd party app that supports the “Open In” feature

    • Supports iTunes File Sharing via USB cable for manually moving files

    https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/documents-to-go-office-suite/id317117961?mt=8

     

    Thanks to Texas Mac Man for pointing to this link.

    "Quickoffice Connect Mobile Suite and Documents To Go These two apps share an important feature: unlike Numbers, they can open, edit, and save an Excel spreadsheet without stripping out any data or formatting, even though they can’t display or edit all the existing information; spreadsheets can make the round trip from Mac to iPad and back safely, without losing anything."

    http://www.macworld.com/article/1159958/ipadspreadsheet.html

     

     

    Office² HD

    "Office² HD, the most intuitive and straightforward office document editor available on the iPad, makes it easy to open, view, create and edit Word (DOC & DOCX), Excel (XLS & XLSX), and PowerPoint (PPT & PPTX) files right from your iPad!"

    https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/office2-hd/id364361728?mt=8

     

     

    Office 365

    Office Mobile for iPhone requires a qualifying Office 365 subscription

    * Edit - You can make quick edits to Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents.

    * Documents Remain Intact - Formatting and content remain intact when you edit Word, Excel, or PowerPoint documents on your phone.

    * Edit While Offline - Your device doesn’t have to be continuously connected to the network to work on an Office document that is stored online. You can view and edit recently used documents even while you’re offline. Your changes will be saved online when your device reconnects to the network or to Wi-Fi.

    * Create – You can create new Word and Excel documents on your phone.

    https://itunes.apple.com/en/app/office-mobile-for-office-365/id541164041?mt=8

     

    Hazeware

    Run Windows 7 and Microsoft Office off of a cloud computer.

     

     

    --------------------------------------------------------------

     

    Using iTunes to transfer files:

    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4094?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US

     

    How to transfer files from your iPad to your PC with iPad to Computer Transfer

    http://www.iphone-mac.com/how-to-transfer-and-sync-contents-from-ipad-to-pc.html

     

    Using iTunes to transfer files:

    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4094?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US

     

    Files Connect -- The swiss army knife of remote file connect

    https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/files-connect/id404324302?mt=8

     

    iExplorer -- " iExplorer's disk mounting features allow you to use your iPhone, iPod or iPad like a USB flash drive."

    http://www.macroplant.com/iexplorer/

     

    Windows File server

    http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/filebrowser-access-files-on/id364738545?mt=8

     

     

    More ways to transfer files and access Word documents:

    https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4044866?tstart=0

  • by APS Csontos,

    APS Csontos APS Csontos Feb 14, 2014 12:10 PM in response to rccharles
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 14, 2014 12:10 PM in response to rccharles

    Dear RCCharles,

    Greatly appreciate your exhaustive reply to my request. As someone who last saw the interior of an apple store in early 1980, I am clearly unfamiliar with some of the concepts that come naturally to those who use IOS and macs routinely. (Never seen a mac, never seen one working, never intend to.) I assumed that the iPad had some computer-like functions such as places to store documents. I also seem to have offended some posters in using the term "transfer" rather than "synchronise" for the act of getting documents into the iPad. I am now beginning to understand that before any documents can be gotten onto the iPad I will need to get one of the IOS apps you were kind enough to post, and that there is no such thing as a "Documents" library such as we PC people are used to, from which any appropriate program can open and manipulate the document. I am also seeing lots of suggestions to "cloud" or e-mail my documents to the iPad. Those folks probably see me as paranoid when I say that the only way I would ever transfer (pardon: "synchronise") confidential documents to the iPad would be by direct wire transfer. I wonder if the users making the suggestion are unconcerned about putting their lives online and believe that these allegedly secure offsite servers are truly secure. I for one am not buying into that claim. Not to mention the fact that it might require yet another IOS app to decrypt an encrypted e-mail, and given the obvious system differences, there might not even be one. I know for certain that my security suite is exclusive to Windows and therefore not something I could conceivably use with IOS. Even encrypted off-site transfers are not to be trusted as far as I am concerned. I encrypt all my documents to DOD standards, but I am not willing to assume that there are no clever malicious snoops on the net. In fact, I have the WiFi feature of the iPad turned off 98% of the time because I am not comfortable with possible intrusions when hooked to the wireless network and until now the only "documents" I have on the iPad are downloaded e-books. (I also do not ever use a WiFi connection with my PCs.) As far as I know, the iPad has nothing like a firewall or anti-malware functions either, but of course I could be wrong about that too.Reading a Word document on an unconnected iPad is on the cusp of my willingness to trust it, but I hope that by deleting the document before again connecting to the net I can maintain enough security to justify using the iPad as a Word document reader.  I will carefully review the apps you are listing and see if any of them offer document shredding features, such as those I use to do at least 100+ overwrites of files to be shredded.

    In closing I repeat my deep appreciation for your assistance and wish you the very best!

    APS Csontos

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