DOCX — Complete Guide

Overview

A .docx file is a ZIP archive containing XML files.

Quick Reference

Task	Approach
Read/analyze content	`pandoc` or unpack for raw XML
Create new document	Use `docx-js` - see Creating New Documents below
Edit existing document	Unpack → edit XML → repack - see Editing Existing Documents below

Converting .doc to .docx

Legacy .doc files must be converted before editing:

python scripts/office/soffice.py --headless --convert-to docx document.doc

Reading Content

# Text extraction with tracked changes
pandoc --track-changes=all document.docx -o output.md

# Raw XML access
python scripts/office/unpack.py document.docx unpacked/

Converting to Images

python scripts/office/soffice.py --headless --convert-to pdf document.docx
pdftoppm -jpeg -r 150 document.pdf page

Accepting Tracked Changes

To produce a clean document with all tracked changes accepted (requires LibreOffice):

python scripts/accept_changes.py input.docx output.docx

Creating New Documents

Generate .docx files with JavaScript, then validate. Install: npm install -g docx

Setup

const { Document, Packer, Paragraph, TextRun, Table, TableRow, TableCell, ImageRun,
        Header, Footer, AlignmentType, PageOrientation, LevelFormat, ExternalHyperlink,
        InternalHyperlink, Bookmark, FootnoteReferenceRun, PositionalTab,
        PositionalTabAlignment, PositionalTabRelativeTo, PositionalTabLeader,
        TabStopType, TabStopPosition, Column, SectionType,
        TableOfContents, HeadingLevel, BorderStyle, WidthType, ShadingType,
        VerticalAlign, PageNumber, PageBreak } = require('docx');

const doc = new Document({ sections: [{ children: [/* content */] }] });
Packer.toBuffer(doc).then(buffer => fs.writeFileSync("doc.docx", buffer));

Validation

After creating the file, validate it. If validation fails, unpack, fix the XML, and repack.

python scripts/office/validate.py doc.docx

Page Size

// CRITICAL: docx-js defaults to A4, not US Letter
// Always set page size explicitly for consistent results
sections: [{
  properties: {
    page: {
      size: {
        width: 12240,   // 8.5 inches in DXA
        height: 15840   // 11 inches in DXA
      },
      margin: { top: 1440, right: 1440, bottom: 1440, left: 1440 } // 1 inch margins
    }
  },
  children: [/* content */]
}]

Common page sizes (DXA units, 1440 DXA = 1 inch):

Paper	Width	Height	Content Width (1" margins)
US Letter	12,240	15,840	9,360
A4 (default)	11,906	16,838	9,026

Landscape orientation: docx-js swaps width/height internally, so pass portrait dimensions and let it handle the swap:

size: {
  width: 12240,   // Pass SHORT edge as width
  height: 15840,  // Pass LONG edge as height
  orientation: PageOrientation.LANDSCAPE  // docx-js swaps them in the XML
},
// Content width = 15840 - left margin - right margin (uses the long edge)

Styles (Override Built-in Headings)

Use Arial as the default font (universally supported). Keep titles black for readability.

const doc = new Document({
  styles: {
    default: { document: { run: { font: "Arial", size: 24 } } }, // 12pt default
    paragraphStyles: [
      // IMPORTANT: Use exact IDs to override built-in styles
      { id: "Heading1", name: "Heading 1", basedOn: "Normal", next: "Normal", quickFormat: true,
        run: { size: 32, bold: true, font: "Arial" },
        paragraph: { spacing: { before: 240, after: 240 }, outlineLevel: 0 } }, // outlineLevel required for TOC
      { id: "Heading2", name: "Heading 2", basedOn: "Normal", next: "Normal", quickFormat: true,
        run: { size: 28, bold: true, font: "Arial" },
        paragraph: { spacing: { before: 180, after: 180 }, outlineLevel: 1 } },
    ]
  },
  sections: [{
    children: [
      new Paragraph({ heading: HeadingLevel.HEADING_1, children: [new TextRun("Title")] }),
    ]
  }]
});

Lists (NEVER use unicode bullets)

// ❌ WRONG - never manually insert bullet characters
new Paragraph({ children: [new TextRun("• Item")] })  // BAD
new Paragraph({ children: [new TextRun("\u2022 Item")] })  // BAD

// ✅ CORRECT - use numbering config with LevelFormat.BULLET
const doc = new Document({
  numbering: {
    config: [
      { reference: "bullets",
        levels: [{ level: 0, format: LevelFormat.BULLET, text: "•", alignment: AlignmentType.LEFT,
          style: { paragraph: { indent: { left: 720, hanging: 360 } } } }] },
      { reference: "numbers",
        levels: [{ level: 0, format: LevelFormat.DECIMAL, text: "%1.", alignment: AlignmentType.LEFT,
          style: { paragraph: { indent: { left: 720, hanging: 360 } } } }] },
    ]
  },
  sections: [{
    children: [
      new Paragraph({ numbering: { reference: "bullets", level: 0 },
        children: [new TextRun("Bullet item")] }),
      new Paragraph({ numbering: { reference: "numbers", level: 0 },
        children: [new TextRun("Numbered item")] }),
    ]
  }]
});

// ⚠️ Each reference creates INDEPENDENT numbering
// Same reference = continues (1,2,3 then 4,5,6)
// Different reference = restarts (1,2,3 then 1,2,3)

Tables

CRITICAL: Tables need dual widths - set both columnWidths on the table AND width on each cell. Without both, tables render incorrectly on some platforms.

const border = { style: BorderStyle.SINGLE, size: 1, color: "CCCCCC" };
const borders = { top: border, bottom: border, left: border, right: border };

new Table({
  width: { size: 9360, type: WidthType.DXA }, // Always use DXA (percentages break in Google Docs)
  columnWidths: [4680, 4680], // Must sum to table width (DXA: 1440 = 1 inch)
  rows: [
    new TableRow({
      children: [
        new TableCell({
          borders,
          width: { size: 4680, type: WidthType.DXA }, // Also set on each cell
          shading: { fill: "D5E8F0", type: ShadingType.CLEAR }, // CLEAR not SOLID
          margins: { top: 80, bottom: 80, left: 120, right: 120 },
          children: [new Paragraph({ children: [new TextRun("Cell")] })]
        })
      ]
    })
  ]
})

Width rules:

Always use WidthType.DXA — never WidthType.PERCENTAGE (incompatible with Google Docs)
Table width must equal the sum of columnWidths
Cell width must match corresponding columnWidth
Cell margins are internal padding - they reduce content area, not add to cell width
US Letter with 1" margins: content width = 9360 DXA

Images

// CRITICAL: type parameter is REQUIRED
new Paragraph({
  children: [new ImageRun({
    type: "png", // Required: png, jpg, jpeg, gif, bmp, svg
    data: fs.readFileSync("image.png"),
    transformation: { width: 200, height: 150 },
    altText: { title: "Title", description: "Desc", name: "Name" } // All three required
  })]
})

Page Breaks

// CRITICAL: PageBreak must be inside a Paragraph
new Paragraph({ children: [new PageBreak()] })
// Or:
new Paragraph({ pageBreakBefore: true, children: [new TextRun("New page")] })

Hyperlinks

// External link
new Paragraph({
  children: [new ExternalHyperlink({
    children: [new TextRun({ text: "Click here", style: "Hyperlink" })],
    link: "https://example.com",
  })]
})

// Internal link (bookmark + reference)
// 1. Create bookmark at destination
new Paragraph({ heading: HeadingLevel.HEADING_1, children: [
  new Bookmark({ id: "chapter1", children: [new TextRun("Chapter 1")] }),
]})
// 2. Link to it
new Paragraph({ children: [new InternalHyperlink({
  children: [new TextRun({ text: "See Chapter 1", style: "Hyperlink" })],
  anchor: "chapter1",
})]})

Footnotes

const doc = new Document({
  footnotes: {
    1: { children: [new Paragraph("Source: Annual Report 2024")] },
    2: { children: [new Paragraph("See appendix for methodology")] },
  },
  sections: [{
    children: [new Paragraph({
      children: [
        new TextRun("Revenue grew 15%"),
        new FootnoteReferenceRun(1),
        new TextRun(" using adjusted metrics"),
        new FootnoteReferenceRun(2),
      ],
    })]
  }]
});

Tab Stops

// Right-align text on same line (e.g., date opposite a title)
new Paragraph({
  children: [
    new TextRun("Company Name"),
    new TextRun("\tJanuary 2025"),
  ],
  tabStops: [{ type: TabStopType.RIGHT, position: TabStopPosition.MAX }],
})

// Dot leader (e.g., TOC-style)
new Paragraph({
  children: [
    new TextRun("Introduction"),
    new TextRun({ children: [
      new PositionalTab({
        alignment: PositionalTabAlignment.RIGHT,
        relativeTo: PositionalTabRelativeTo.MARGIN,
        leader: PositionalTabLeader.DOT,
      }),
      "3",
    ]}),
  ],
})

Multi-Column Layouts

// Equal-width columns
sections: [{
  properties: {
    column: {
      count: 2,          // number of columns
      space: 720,        // gap between columns in DXA (720 = 0.5 inch)
      equalWidth: true,
      separate: true,    // vertical line between columns
    },
  },
  children: [/* content flows naturally across columns */]
}]

// Custom-width columns (equalWidth must be false)
sections: [{
  properties: {
    column: {
      equalWidth: false,
      children: [
        new Column({ width: 5400, space: 720 }),
        new Column({ width: 3240 }),
      ],
    },
  },
  children: [/* content */]
}]

Force a column break with a new section using type: SectionType.NEXT_COLUMN.

// CRITICAL: Headings must use HeadingLevel ONLY - no custom styles
new TableOfContents("Table of Contents", { hyperlink: true, headingStyleRange: "1-3" })

Headers/Footers

sections: [{
  properties: { page: { margin: { top: 1440, right: 1440, bottom: 1440, left: 1440 } } },
  headers: {
    default: new Header({ children: [new Paragraph({ children: [new TextRun("Header")] })] })
  },
  footers: {
    default: new Footer({ children: [new Paragraph({
      children: [new TextRun("Page "), new TextRun({ children: [PageNumber.CURRENT] })]
    })] })
  },
  children: [/* content */]
}]

Critical Rules for docx-js

Set page size explicitly — docx-js defaults to A4; use US Letter (12240 x 15840 DXA) for US documents
Landscape: pass portrait dimensions — docx-js swaps width/height internally
Never use \n — use separate Paragraph elements
Never use unicode bullets — use LevelFormat.BULLET with numbering config
PageBreak must be in Paragraph — standalone creates invalid XML
ImageRun requires type — always specify png/jpg/etc
Always set table width with DXA — never use WidthType.PERCENTAGE
Tables need dual widths — columnWidths array AND cell width, both must match
Always add cell margins — use margins: { top: 80, bottom: 80, left: 120, right: 120 } for readable padding
Use ShadingType.CLEAR — never SOLID for table shading
Never use tables as dividers/rules — cells have minimum height and render as empty boxes (including in headers/footers); use border: { bottom: { style: BorderStyle.SINGLE, size: 6, color: "2E75B6", space: 1 } } on a Paragraph instead; for two-column footers, use tab stops not tables
TOC requires HeadingLevel only — no custom styles on heading paragraphs
Override built-in styles — use exact IDs: "Heading1", "Heading2", etc.
Include outlineLevel — required for TOC (0 for H1, 1 for H2, etc.)

Editing Existing Documents

Follow all 3 steps in order.

Step 1: Unpack

python scripts/office/unpack.py document.docx unpacked/

Extracts XML, pretty-prints, merges adjacent runs, and converts smart quotes to XML entities. Use --merge-runs false to skip run merging.

Step 2: Edit XML

Edit files in unpacked/word/.

Use "Claude" as the author for tracked changes and comments, unless the user explicitly requests a different name.

Use the Edit tool directly for string replacement. Do not write Python scripts.

CRITICAL: Use smart quotes for new content:

<w:t>Here&#x2019;s a quote: &#x201C;Hello&#x201D;</w:t>

Entity	Character
`‘`	' (left single)
`’`	' (right single / apostrophe)
`“`	" (left double)
`”`	" (right double)

Adding comments: Use comment.py to handle boilerplate (text must be pre-escaped XML):

python scripts/comment.py unpacked/ 0 "Comment text with &amp; and &#x2019;"
python scripts/comment.py unpacked/ 1 "Reply text" --parent 0  # reply to comment 0
python scripts/comment.py unpacked/ 0 "Text" --author "Custom Author"

Then add markers to document.xml (see Comments in XML Reference).

Step 3: Pack

python scripts/office/pack.py unpacked/ output.docx --original document.docx

Validates with auto-repair, condenses XML, creates DOCX. Use --validate false to skip.

Auto-repair will fix: durableId >= 0x7FFFFFFF; missing xml:space="preserve" on <w:t> with whitespace.

Auto-repair won't fix: Malformed XML, invalid nesting, missing relationships, schema violations.

Common Pitfalls

Replace entire <w:r> elements when adding tracked changes — don't inject tags inside a run
Preserve <w:rPr> formatting — copy original run's formatting block into tracked change runs

XML Reference

Schema Compliance

Element order in <w:pPr>: <w:pStyle>, <w:numPr>, <w:spacing>, <w:ind>, <w:jc>, <w:rPr> last
Whitespace: Add xml:space="preserve" to <w:t> with leading/trailing spaces
RSIDs: Must be 8-digit hex (e.g., 00AB1234)

Tracked Changes

Insertion:

<w:ins w:id="1" w:author="Claude" w:date="2025-01-01T00:00:00Z">
  <w:r><w:t>inserted text</w:t></w:r>
</w:ins>

Deletion:

<w:del w:id="2" w:author="Claude" w:date="2025-01-01T00:00:00Z">
  <w:r><w:delText>deleted text</w:delText></w:r>
</w:del>

Inside <w:del>: Use <w:delText> instead of <w:t>, and <w:delInstrText> instead of <w:instrText>.

Minimal edits:

<!-- Change "30 days" to "60 days" -->
<w:r><w:t>The term is </w:t></w:r>
<w:del w:id="1" w:author="Claude" w:date="..."><w:r><w:delText>30</w:delText></w:r></w:del>
<w:ins w:id="2" w:author="Claude" w:date="..."><w:r><w:t>60</w:t></w:r></w:ins>
<w:r><w:t> days.</w:t></w:r>

Deleting entire paragraphs/list items — when removing ALL content from a paragraph, also mark the paragraph mark as deleted so it merges with the next paragraph. Add <w:del/> inside <w:pPr><w:rPr>. Without it, accepting changes leaves an empty paragraph/list item:

<w:p>
  <w:pPr>
    <w:numPr>...</w:numPr>  <!-- list numbering if present -->
    <w:rPr>
      <w:del w:id="1" w:author="Claude" w:date="2025-01-01T00:00:00Z"/>
    </w:rPr>
  </w:pPr>
  <w:del w:id="2" w:author="Claude" w:date="2025-01-01T00:00:00Z">
    <w:r><w:delText>Entire paragraph content being deleted...</w:delText></w:r>
  </w:del>
</w:p>

Rejecting another author's insertion:

<w:ins w:author="Jane" w:id="5">
  <w:del w:author="Claude" w:id="10">
    <w:r><w:delText>their inserted text</w:delText></w:r>
  </w:del>
</w:ins>

Restoring another author's deletion:

<w:del w:author="Jane" w:id="5"><w:r><w:delText>deleted text</w:delText></w:r></w:del>
<w:ins w:author="Claude" w:id="10"><w:r><w:t>deleted text</w:t></w:r></w:ins>

Comments

CRITICAL: <w:commentRangeStart> and <w:commentRangeEnd> are siblings of <w:r>, never inside <w:r>.

<!-- Single comment -->
<w:commentRangeStart w:id="0"/>
<w:r><w:t> text </w:t></w:r>
<w:commentRangeEnd w:id="0"/>
<w:r><w:rPr><w:rStyle w:val="CommentReference"/></w:rPr><w:commentReference w:id="0"/></w:r>

<!-- Comment 0 with reply 1 nested inside -->
<w:commentRangeStart w:id="0"/>
  <w:commentRangeStart w:id="1"/>
  <w:r><w:t>text</w:t></w:r>
  <w:commentRangeEnd w:id="1"/>
<w:commentRangeEnd w:id="0"/>
<w:r><w:rPr><w:rStyle w:val="CommentReference"/></w:rPr><w:commentReference w:id="0"/></w:r>
<w:r><w:rPr><w:rStyle w:val="CommentReference"/></w:rPr><w:commentReference w:id="1"/></w:r>

Images

Add image file to word/media/
Add relationship to word/_rels/document.xml.rels
Add content type to [Content_Types].xml
Reference with <w:drawing> / <wp:inline> in document.xml (EMUs: 914400 = 1 inch)

Dependencies

pandoc: Text extraction
docx: npm install -g docx (new documents)
LibreOffice: PDF/image conversion via scripts/office/soffice.py
Poppler: pdftoppm for images

Provide feedback

Saved searches

Use saved searches to filter your results more quickly

DOCX — Complete Guide

Overview

Quick Reference

Converting .doc to .docx

Reading Content

Converting to Images

Accepting Tracked Changes

Creating New Documents

Setup

Validation

Page Size

Styles (Override Built-in Headings)

Lists (NEVER use unicode bullets)

Tables

Images

Page Breaks

Hyperlinks

Footnotes

Tab Stops

Multi-Column Layouts

Table of Contents

Headers/Footers

Critical Rules for docx-js

Editing Existing Documents

Step 1: Unpack

Step 2: Edit XML

Step 3: Pack

Common Pitfalls

XML Reference

Schema Compliance

Tracked Changes

Comments

Images

Dependencies

FilesExpand file tree

docx.md

Latest commit

History

docx.md

File metadata and controls

DOCX — Complete Guide

Overview

Quick Reference

Converting .doc to .docx

Reading Content

Converting to Images

Accepting Tracked Changes

Creating New Documents

Setup

Validation

Page Size

Styles (Override Built-in Headings)

Lists (NEVER use unicode bullets)

Tables

Images

Page Breaks

Hyperlinks

Footnotes

Tab Stops

Multi-Column Layouts

Table of Contents

Headers/Footers

Critical Rules for docx-js

Editing Existing Documents

Step 1: Unpack

Step 2: Edit XML

Step 3: Pack

Common Pitfalls

XML Reference

Schema Compliance

Tracked Changes

Comments

Images

Dependencies