The Problem (Q-score 6, ranked #29th of 32 in the Word VBA archive)
The scenario as originally posted in 2008
How do I load MS Word document (.doc and .docx) to memory (variable) without doing this?:
wordApp.Documents.Open
I don’t want to open MS Word, I just want that text inside.
You gave me answer for DOCX, but what about DOC? I want free and high performance solution – not to open 12.000 instances of Word to process all of them. 🙁 Aspose is commercial product, and 900$ is a way too much for what I do.
Why community consensus is tight on this one
Across 32 Word VBA entries in the archive, the accepted answer here holds niche answer (below median) status — meaning voters are unusually aligned on the right fix.
The Verified Solution — niche answer (below median) (+4)
Advisory answer — community consensus with reference links
Note: the verified answer below is a reference / advisory response rather than a copy-ready snippet.
You can use wordconv.exe which is part of the Office Compatibility Pack to convert from doc to docx.
Just call the command like so:
“C:Program FilesMicrosoft OfficeOffice12wordconv.exe” -oice -nme InputFile OutputFile
I’m not sure if you need word installed for it to run but it does work. I use it locally as a windows shell command to convert old office files to 2007 format whenever I want.
When to Use It — vintage (14+ years old, pre-2013)
Ranked #29th in its category — specialized fit
This pattern sits in the 79% tail relative to the top answer. Reach for it when your scenario closely matches the question title; otherwise browse the Word VBA archive for a higher-consensus alternative.
What changed between 2008 and 2026
The answer is 18 years old. The Word VBA object model has been stable across Office 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 365, and 2024/2026 LTSC, so the pattern still compiles. Changes that might affect you: 64-bit API declarations (use PtrSafe), blocked macros in downloaded files (Mark-of-the-Web), and the shift toward Office Scripts for web-first workflows.