Job convert-legacy-office-files-batch · revised 11 October 2026
Convert a batch of old .doc and .xls files to current formats and check them
Every old Word and Excel file in one folder is converted to a current format in a parallel folder structure, with a log of what converted, what did not and a sampled check against the original.
You might be seeing
- Opening an old file shows "Compatibility Mode" in the title bar
- Nobody knows how many old files there are or which ones still matter
No passwords, keys, card details or admin invites needed to start.
What usually happened
Files saved in older Office formats open in compatibility mode, and an old Excel file cannot hold more than 65,536 rows on a sheet. Converting one file is easy. Converting hundreds without a record of which converted, which failed and which lost features such as macros is not, and a converted file can differ from the original in ways nobody checks.
Who it’s for: An office manager or administrator with a shared drive of old .doc and .xls business files that new software opens in compatibility mode, flags, or cannot open.
Usually starts when: A software change or a clean-up means old-format files must be converted, or people keep meeting compatibility warnings on the ones they need.
The result: Every file in the agreed inventory is either converted to the agreed current format, in a parallel folder structure that mirrors the original, or listed with the reason it was not. You receive a log, and a sample of converted files has been compared with its originals.
Check whether this job fits
Answer these without sending any file. Nothing is submitted unless you choose to contact us.
Checks you can run yourself
Count your old files
In your file manager, search the shared folder for *.doc and *.xls and note the counts and total size. Do not open or convert anything yet.
Look for: A rough count, total size and folder depth. A small number may be quicker to convert yourself.
What you get
- The converted files in a parallel folder structure, with originals untouched
- A conversion log: each file, its result, and the reason for any file not converted
- A fidelity report for the sample, naming the tool, application and versions used, listing every difference found, plus the features that cannot carry over
Included
- Up to 300 .doc and .xls files in one folder tree, converted to .docx and .xlsx, or to .docm and .xlsm where macros exist and you agree
- Make an inventory first: counts by type, sizes, files with macros, password-protected and unreadable files
- Name in the written scope the conversion tool and the application used to open and measure the sample, with their versions
- Convert copies into a parallel folder structure; never overwrite or delete an original
- Check a sample: page counts for Word files, measured in the same application, version and settings for the original and the converted file, and for Excel files the sheet count, formula count and agreed key totals
Not included
- Editing content, repairing broken formulas or fixing layout
- Rewriting or converting what macros do
- Opening password-protected files without a route you are entitled to give us
- Files that hold personal data, such as staff, customer or member details
- Other formats such as old presentations, databases or image files, unless added to the quote
- Deleting originals, or advice on whether records may be destroyed under a retention rule
How we know it’s done
Agreed with you before work starts. Each check produces evidence you keep.
The number of files in the agreed inventory equals the number of converted files plus the number of files on the exceptions list, and every exception has a stated reason.
Evidence: The conversion log with counts and the exceptions list.
Every converted file in the agreed sample opens, in the application named in the written scope, without a repair or recovery prompt and, where that application shows one, without a compatibility-mode label.
Evidence: The sample list with the application, its version and the result for each file.
For each sampled Word file the page count of the converted file equals the original's when both are measured in the same application, version and settings, and for each sampled Excel file the sheet count, formula count and agreed key totals equal the original's, with every difference listed.
Evidence: The fidelity report comparing original and converted files, naming the application, version and settings used for each measurement.
The checksum of every original file is the same before and after the job.
Evidence: The checksum list taken before and after.
Sign-off. You open some converted files beside their originals, read the exceptions list and sign off in writing. Payment follows sign-off.
If it fails. If the agreed checks do not pass, you do not pay for this fixed scope. If many files turn out to be protected or corrupt, or macros are essential, we explain why, hand back what we have and agree whether to re-quote or stop. No surprise work.
When it fits, and when we stop
It fits when
- You are allowed to copy the files and share them with a contractor, and they hold no personal data, for example no staff letters, customer sheets or member lists
- You keep the originals in place until you have accepted the conversion
- A named person can decide the exceptions and sign off
We stop and tell you if
- A large share of the files are password-protected or corrupt
- Macros are essential and nobody can say what they should do
- You are not sure you are permitted to copy the files
- The files turn out to hold personal data
What could go wrong
The converted files live in a parallel folder structure, separate from the originals. The originals are never changed or deleted by us, so you can discard the conversion and carry on as before.
Scroll the table sideways to read it all.
| Risk | How we handle it |
|---|---|
| A feature is lost in conversion, such as macros or a newer function behaving differently. | Files with macros are set aside for your decision, and the sample check compares sheet counts, formula counts and key totals, with differences listed. |
| An original is changed or overwritten. | We convert copies. The checksums of the originals before and after must match. |
| A conversion silently drops a file. | The inventory count must equal converted files plus listed exceptions. |
| Old files on a shared drive hold personal data nobody expected, such as staff letters or customer sheets. | The first enquiry holds no files and you confirm in writing that none are included. If personal data appears we stop, do not process it and agree with you how the files are returned or deleted. |
A reviewer who did not run the conversion opens a sample of originals and converted files side by side in the named application and checks the log. You decide the exceptions and sign off.
How we deliver
We arrange the work and independent review, then show you the result against the agreed checks. You keep authority over your systems.
- Agree the target formats, the conversion tool, the application used to check the sample, the treatment of macro files and the sampling method in writing
- Build the inventory and set aside protected, corrupt and macro files for your decision
- Convert copies into a parallel folder structure and log each result
- Compare the agreed sample with the originals, measuring each pair in the same application and settings, and list every difference
- Verify that every original is unchanged, then have an independent reviewer repeat the sample on different files
- Hand over the files, log and report; you decide the exceptions and sign off
This is a one-off job, not a subscription. We confirm eligibility, the total price, a start window and a delivery date before you accept. Work starts only after the agreed files, the secure handling route and the acceptance checks are written down. An enquiry creates no charge or booking. We give no legal, medical, financial or tax advice.
Need to keep it working?
If old files keep turning up, converting them as they arrive can be agreed separately.
Ongoing work is separately scoped and quoted: no monitoring, response-time guarantee or automatic subscription is included in this job.
Explore an ongoing engineering lane, or mention the responsibility you need in your enquiry.
What you can check
This is a new service. We have not delivered this job for a client yet.
Other ways to get this done
- Word and Excel can convert a file you open: in Excel, File, Info, Convert replaces the original with a current-format copy, so use Save As if you want to keep the old file. For a handful of files this may be all you need. support.microsoft.com
- If you only need to read a few old files, leaving them as they are may be fine.
Questions
Will you delete the old files?
No. We never delete or overwrite originals. Whether you keep them is your decision.
What happens to files with macros?
We set them aside and ask you. They can be saved in a macro-enabled format (.docm for Word, .xlsm for Excel), but we do not rewrite what the macros do.
Do you guarantee the converted files look identical?
No. We compare a sample and report every difference we find. Some features cannot carry over, and the report lists them.
Which software do you use to convert and to check the files?
The conversion tool and the application used to open and measure the sample are named, with their versions, in the written scope before work starts. Page counts differ between applications and print settings, so each original and its converted file are always measured in the same one.
Send an enquiry
Send us
- A count of the files by type, the folder depth and the total size, from a folder listing or your own estimate
- Whether any files contain macros or are password-protected, and which software opens them now
- No files in the first enquiry
Later, once you agree
- The files through the secure handover route we agree in writing, with your confirmation that they hold no personal data and that you may share them
- Your decision on the target format and on files with macros
- A named person to review the exceptions list and the fidelity report
You keep ownership of every file we work on and of what we return. No upload portal exists yet, and the first enquiry never includes documents: send a description, counts and an invented or redacted sample only. Work can start only after we have agreed with you, in writing, a secure way to hand the files over, who may see them, how long we keep them and how we delete them. If we cannot offer a way you are comfortable with, we decline and nothing is charged. Files may be handled by automated software, including services run by other companies, and we tell you which in writing before any file moves. We work on copies, never on your only original, and we do not send, publish or contact anyone for you.
Email fallback: open your mail app
If website submission is unavailable, review and send the fallback email yourself. An email fallback is not a website receipt. Or write to hello@syntheticindustry.ai with “convert-legacy-office-files-batch” as the subject.