Microsoft is bringing support for the Open Document Format ODF 1.3 to Office

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Currently in beta testing in the Microsoft Office Beta channel, Office customers will soon be able to use the Open Document Format ODF 1.3 in Microsoft Office.

Microsoft Office saves documents in Microsoft's own proprietary formats such as XLSX, DOCX or PPTX. Office supports other document formats, including the previously used XLS, DOC and PPT formats, but also ODF 1.2. The Open Document
Format is a truly open format that is the default format in Office suites such as LibreOffice.

Microsoft Office supports ODF version 1.2 only in current versions. Office customers may load and save ODF 1.2 documents using Microsoft's Office suite. The next Office release adds support for ODF 1.3, and thus the option to save and load documents in the format.

The release notes list the change on Microsoft's Docs website:
 

Office apps now support OpenDocument Format (ODF) 1.3: ODF 1.3 brought many improvements to the OpenDocument format and these are now supported in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint (file extensions .odt, .ods, and .odp).

The next version of Microsoft Office supports the file formats ODT in Microsoft Word, ODS in Microsoft Excel, and ODP in Microsoft PowerPoint.

The new format is not the default saving format in Microsoft Office. Office programs still use Microsoft's format as the default.

You need to do the following to save a document in the new format: select File > Save As, and select the OpenDocument format in the "Save as type" field in the save as window.

ODF 1.3 updates the international standard version 1.2. The Document Foundation highlights core features of the format on its blog:
 

The most important new features of ODF 1.3 are digital signatures for documents and OpenPGP-based encryption of XML documents, with improvements in areas such as change tracking and document security, additional details in the description of elements in first pages, text, numbers and charts, and other timely improvements.

Closing Words

Microsoft adding support for Open Document Format version 1.3 to Office improves compatibility with the format. That is good news for Office customers who need support for the format in Office, either when loading documents or saving them in the open format to ensure that the document displays correctly in LibreOffice and other Office suites that support the format.

Now You: what is your preferred format when it comes to Office?
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