---
name: docx
description: Create, read, edit, and manipulate Word documents (.docx) with formatting, tables, images, headers, footers, tracked changes, and comments.
license: Proprietary. LICENSE.txt has complete terms
---

# DOCX creation, editing, and analysis

## 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:

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

### Reading Content

```bash
# 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

```bash
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):

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

---

## Creating New Documents

Use `python-docx` to create .docx files (auto-installed, no extra setup needed).

### Basic Document

```python
from docx import Document
from docx.shared import Pt, Inches, Cm, RGBColor
from docx.enum.text import WD_ALIGN_PARAGRAPH

doc = Document()

# Set default font
style = doc.styles['Normal']
font = style.font
font.name = 'Arial'
font.size = Pt(11)

# Add content
doc.add_heading('Document Title', level=0)
doc.add_paragraph('This is a paragraph of text.')
doc.add_heading('Section 1', level=1)
doc.add_paragraph('Section content here.')

doc.save('output.docx')
```

### Paragraphs & Text Formatting

```python
from docx.shared import Pt, RGBColor

# Bold, italic, underline
p = doc.add_paragraph()
run = p.add_run('Bold text')
run.bold = True
run = p.add_run(' and ')
run = p.add_run('italic text')
run.italic = True

# Font color and size
run = p.add_run('Colored text')
run.font.color.rgb = RGBColor(0xFF, 0x00, 0x00)  # Red
run.font.size = Pt(14)

# Alignment
p.alignment = WD_ALIGN_PARAGRAPH.CENTER
```

### Lists

```python
# Bullet list
doc.add_paragraph('First item', style='List Bullet')
doc.add_paragraph('Second item', style='List Bullet')

# Numbered list
doc.add_paragraph('Step one', style='List Number')
doc.add_paragraph('Step two', style='List Number')
```

### Tables

```python
from docx.shared import Inches, Pt, RGBColor
from docx.oxml.ns import qn

table = doc.add_table(rows=3, cols=3, style='Table Grid')

# Header row
header = table.rows[0]
for i, text in enumerate(['Name', 'Role', 'Email']):
    cell = header.cells[i]
    cell.text = text
    # Bold header
    for paragraph in cell.paragraphs:
        for run in paragraph.runs:
            run.bold = True

# Data rows
data = [['Alice', 'Engineer', 'alice@example.com'],
        ['Bob', 'Designer', 'bob@example.com']]
for i, row_data in enumerate(data):
    for j, text in enumerate(row_data):
        table.rows[i+1].cells[j].text = text

# Set column widths
for row in table.rows:
    row.cells[0].width = Inches(2)
    row.cells[1].width = Inches(2)
    row.cells[2].width = Inches(3)
```

### Images

```python
doc.add_picture('image.png', width=Inches(4))

# Centered image
paragraph = doc.paragraphs[-1]
paragraph.alignment = WD_ALIGN_PARAGRAPH.CENTER
```

### Headers & Footers

```python
from docx.shared import Pt

section = doc.sections[0]

# Header
header = section.header
header_para = header.paragraphs[0]
header_para.text = 'Company Name'
header_para.alignment = WD_ALIGN_PARAGRAPH.RIGHT

# Footer with page numbers
footer = section.footer
footer_para = footer.paragraphs[0]
footer_para.alignment = WD_ALIGN_PARAGRAPH.CENTER
# Add page number field
run = footer_para.add_run()
fldChar = OxmlElement('w:fldChar')
fldChar.set(qn('w:fldCharType'), 'begin')
run._r.append(fldChar)
run2 = footer_para.add_run()
instrText = OxmlElement('w:instrText')
instrText.text = ' PAGE '
run2._r.append(instrText)
run3 = footer_para.add_run()
fldChar2 = OxmlElement('w:fldChar')
fldChar2.set(qn('w:fldCharType'), 'end')
run3._r.append(fldChar2)
```

### Page Setup

```python
from docx.shared import Inches, Cm
from docx.enum.section import WD_ORIENT

section = doc.sections[0]

# US Letter size
section.page_width = Inches(8.5)
section.page_height = Inches(11)

# Margins
section.top_margin = Inches(1)
section.bottom_margin = Inches(1)
section.left_margin = Inches(1)
section.right_margin = Inches(1)

# Landscape
section.orientation = WD_ORIENT.LANDSCAPE
section.page_width, section.page_height = section.page_height, section.page_width
```

### Advanced: Creating with docx-js (requires Node.js)

For advanced features like Table of Contents with auto-generation, complex numbering, or features not supported by python-docx, use docx-js:

```bash
npm install -g docx  # One-time setup
```

```javascript
const { Document, Packer, Paragraph, TextRun, HeadingLevel, TableOfContents } = require('docx');

const doc = new Document({
  sections: [{
    properties: {
      page: {
        size: { width: 12240, height: 15840 },  // US Letter in DXA
        margin: { top: 1440, right: 1440, bottom: 1440, left: 1440 }
      }
    },
    children: [
      new TableOfContents("Table of Contents", { hyperlink: true, headingStyleRange: "1-3" }),
      new Paragraph({ heading: HeadingLevel.HEADING_1, children: [new TextRun("Title")] }),
    ]
  }]
});
```

### Validation
After creating the file, validate it. If validation fails, unpack, fix the XML, and repack.
```bash
python scripts/office/validate.py doc.docx
```

---

## Editing Existing Documents

**Follow all 3 steps in order.**

### Step 1: Unpack
```bash
python scripts/office/unpack.py document.docx unpacked/
```
Extracts XML, pretty-prints, merges adjacent runs, and converts smart quotes to XML entities (`“` etc.) so they survive editing. Use `--merge-runs false` to skip run merging.

### Step 2: Edit XML

Edit files in `unpacked/word/`. See XML Reference below for patterns.

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

**Use the Edit tool directly for string replacement. Do not write Python scripts.** Scripts introduce unnecessary complexity. The Edit tool shows exactly what is being replaced.

**CRITICAL: Use smart quotes for new content.** When adding text with apostrophes or quotes, use XML entities to produce smart quotes:
```xml
<!-- Use these entities for professional typography -->
<w:t>Here&#x2019;s a quote: &#x201C;Hello&#x201D;</w:t>
```
| Entity | Character |
|--------|-----------|
| `&#x2018;` | ‘ (left single) |
| `&#x2019;` | ’ (right single / apostrophe) |
| `&#x201C;` | “ (left double) |
| `&#x201D;` | ” (right double) |

**Adding comments:** Use `comment.py` to handle boilerplate across multiple XML files (text must be pre-escaped XML):
```bash
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"  # custom author name
```
Then add markers to document.xml (see Comments in XML Reference).

### Step 3: Pack
```bash
python scripts/office/pack.py unpacked/ output.docx --original document.docx
```
Validates with auto-repair, condenses XML, and creates DOCX. Use `--validate false` to skip.

**Auto-repair will fix:**
- `durableId` >= 0x7FFFFFFF (regenerates valid ID)
- Missing `xml:space="preserve"` on `<w:t>` with whitespace

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

### Common Pitfalls

- **Replace entire `<w:r>` elements**: When adding tracked changes, replace the whole `<w:r>...</w:r>` block with `<w:del>...<w:ins>...` as siblings. Don't inject tracked change tags inside a run.
- **Preserve `<w:rPr>` formatting**: Copy the original run's `<w:rPr>` block into your tracked change runs to maintain bold, font size, etc.

---

## 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:**
```xml
<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:**
```xml
<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** - only mark what changes:
```xml
<!-- 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>`:
```xml
<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>
```
Without the `<w:del/>` in `<w:pPr><w:rPr>`, accepting changes leaves an empty paragraph/list item.

**Rejecting another author's insertion** - nest deletion inside their insertion:
```xml
<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** - add insertion after (don't modify their deletion):
```xml
<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

After running `comment.py` (see Step 2), add markers to document.xml. For replies, use `--parent` flag and nest markers inside the parent's.

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

```xml
<!-- Comment markers are direct children of w:p, never inside w:r -->
<w:commentRangeStart w:id="0"/>
<w:del w:id="1" w:author="Claude" w:date="2025-01-01T00:00:00Z">
  <w:r><w:delText>deleted</w:delText></w:r>
</w:del>
<w:r><w:t> more 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

1. Add image file to `word/media/`
2. Add relationship to `word/_rels/document.xml.rels`:
```xml
<Relationship Id="rId5" Type=".../image" Target="media/image1.png"/>
```
3. Add content type to `[Content_Types].xml`:
```xml
<Default Extension="png" ContentType="image/png"/>
```
4. Reference in document.xml:
```xml
<w:drawing>
  <wp:inline>
    <wp:extent cx="914400" cy="914400"/>  <!-- EMUs: 914400 = 1 inch -->
    <a:graphic>
      <a:graphicData uri=".../picture">
        <pic:pic>
          <pic:blipFill><a:blip r:embed="rId5"/></pic:blipFill>
        </pic:pic>
      </a:graphicData>
    </a:graphic>
  </wp:inline>
</w:drawing>
```

---

## Dependencies

**Auto-installed (via metadata.dependencies):**
- **python-docx**: Creating and editing documents (default)
- **lxml**: XML processing
- **defusedxml**: Secure XML parsing

**Manual install (for advanced features):**
- **docx (npm)**: `npm install -g docx` — advanced document creation with TOC support
- **pandoc**: Text extraction — `brew install pandoc` (macOS) / `apt install pandoc` (Linux)
- **LibreOffice**: PDF conversion, accepting tracked changes — `brew install --cask libreoffice` (macOS) / `apt install libreoffice` (Linux)
- **Poppler**: `pdftoppm` for images — `brew install poppler` (macOS) / `apt install poppler-utils` (Linux)