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1.8.6.1 Ensure 'Default File Format' is set to Enabled (Word Document (.docx))

Information

This policy setting determines the default file format for saving files in Word. If you enable this policy setting, you can set the default file format from among the following options: - Word Document (*.docx): This option is the default configuration in Word. - Single Files Web Page (*.mht) - Web Page (*.htm; *.html) - Web Page, Filtered (*.htm, *.html) - Rich Text Format (*.rtf) - Plain Text (*.txt) - Word 6.0/95 (*.doc) - Word 6.0/95 - Chinese (Simplified) (*.doc) - Word 6.0/95 - Chinese (Traditional) (*.doc) - Word 6.0/95 - Japanese (*.doc) - Word 6.0/95 - Korean (*.doc) - Word 97-2002 and 6.0/95 - RTF - Word 5.1 for Macintosh (*.mcw) - Word 5.0 for Macintosh (*.mcw) - Word 2.x for Windows (*.doc) - Works 4.0 for Windows (*.wps) - WordPerfect 5.x for Windows (*.doc) - WordPerfect 5.1 for DOS (*.doc) - Word Macro-Enabled Document (*.docm) - Word Template (*.dotx) - Word Macro-Enabled Template (*.dotm) - Word 97 - 2003 Document (*.doc) - Word 97 - 2003 Template (*.dot) - Word XML Document (*.xml) - Strict Open XML Document (*.docx) - OpenDocument Text (*.odt) Users can choose to save presentations or documents in a different file format than the default. If you disable or do not configure this policy setting, Word saves new files in the Office Open XML format: Word files have a .docx extension. For users who run recent versions of Word, Microsoft offers the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack, which enables them to open and save Office Open XML files. If some users in your organization cannot install the Compatibility Pack, or are running versions of Word older than Microsoft Office 2000 with Service Pack 3, they might not be able to access Office Open XML files. This policy setting is often set in combination with the 'Save As Open XML in Compatibility Mode' policy setting. The recommended state for this setting is: Enabled. (Word Document (.docx)) By default, when users create new document files, Word saves them in the new Word format. Users can change this functionality by clicking the Office button, clicking Word Options, and then selecting a file format from the Default file format list. Disabling this setting allows users to choose from any of the available default file formats. If a new document is created in an earlier format, some users may not be unable to open or use the file, or they may choose a format that is less secure than the Word format.

Solution

To implement the recommended configuration state, set the following Group Policy setting to Enabled. User Configuration\Administrative Templates\Microsoft Word 2016\Word Options\Save\Default File Format Impact: Enabling this setting does not prevent users from choosing a different file format for a new Word file, and therefore, it is unlikely to affect usability for most users.

See Also

https://workbench.cisecurity.org/files/557

Item Details

Category: CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT

References: 800-53|CM-6b.

Plugin: Windows

Control ID: 461aafde5e49ed669c8a0a784b888dba0dfb049287860754602d69f40e85623d