You cannot turn off the new Word 2002 features (278928)

SYMPTOMS

If you want to create a Word document and send it to someone who does not have Microsoft Word 2002, you may want to turn off the new features in Word. However, when you attempt to do this, you cannot turn off those new features.

For more information about the new features in Microsoft Word 2002, click Microsoft Word Help on the Help menu, type new features in the Office Assistant or the Answer Wizard, and then click Search to view the topics returned.

CAUSE

Because Microsoft Word 97 and later versions share a common file format, if you share documents with people who use Microsoft Word 2000 or Word 97, you can save your documents in the Word document format. When you open a Microsoft Word 2002 document in Word 2000, most items in your document will be unchanged. Therefore, there is no option in Word 2002 to turn off new Word features.

MORE INFORMATION

When you work in a Microsoft Word document, you may not want to use certain features that are not available in earlier versions of Word. To prevent using those features, you can set the Disable features introduced after option to the version of Word that you want.

For example, if you want to create a Word document without using features that are not supported in Word 97 for Windows, you can set the Disable features introduced after option to Microsoft Word 97.

When you save a document in Word 97 format, Microsoft Word makes unsupported options unavailable. Turning off these options in Word 2000 or Word 2002 makes it easier for you to create documents that appear correctly when they are opened in Word 97.

If you do not want these options turned off, save your document as a Word document by choosing Word Document (*.doc) in the Save as type box (on the File menu, click Save As).

If you attempt to use a feature that is not supported, Word displays a message similar to the following:

This feature is disabled because it is not compatible with Microsoft Word 97.

You cannot turn off features that are not available in Microsoft Word 2000. You can only turn off features that were introduced after either of the following:

Microsoft Word 97

-or-
Microsoft Word 6.0/95

To turn off features in Microsoft Word, follow these steps:

On the Tools menu, click Options.
On the Save tab, click the Disable features introduced after check box, and then click the version of Word that you want.
Click OK to close the Options dialog box.