4 Common File Formats To Use In Your Document Creations This 2021! 

Juliet D'cruz

Updated on:

 

The outbreak of the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the whole world has forcibly transitioned all learning and working modalities to online setup. This has resulted in students and workers must learn the basics of document creations and engage themselves with different file formats. Looking at the brighter side, the digital world has paved the way for continuous schooling and working despite having a pandemic in the outside world.

Not all students and workers can grasp concepts with file formats right away. Some struggled in choosing what kind of file formats to submit to their boss, colleagues, or classmates. Good thing, there are readily available tutorials out there that may tell you which format to use when creating documents–which is good knowledge, to begin with. However, if you are still struggling, here is a quick guide for you!

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  • Use excel if you are dealing with numbers!

Before going into the basic ideas of excel format, remember this: before submitting your excel spreadsheet, make sure to convert it first into a Portable Document Format or PDF. It is because PDFs will assure you that your excel will not mess up when the receiver views it. You can use any of the available online file converters to convert Excel to PDF. One of the best converters that you can use is PDFBear. If you wonder what a PDF file is, do not worry because we will explain it to you later on.

For the first stop, Microsoft Excel is initially made by its creators to help its users represent data in columns and rows. This powerful program helps people in the academe, and business world. One feature that a beginner like you should know is that it is a spreadsheet program that contains a “cell” — a cell is where you will input your data. This is the perfect alternative for tables created in Word documents. Aside from it being easy to organize, it will also allow the users to easily group data with the same concepts–making it easier to locate information in one sitting.

  • Use Word file format if you are dealing with vast texts!

Word documents are probably the most common and most used document format since the COVID-19 has emerged. It is a basic Word processor that can also embed other forms of media like pictures, tables, hyperlinks, tables, equations, and videos–of course, depending on the purpose of the document itself. Most of the time, Word formats are used when you want to type-in many texts. To give you an idea, imagine that you are writing a letter on paper, this format is like an electronic way of it.

Mostly, you can use it for formal submissions like reports, researches, publications, stories, and so much more! Though the main focus of this format is for texts, you can add almost any multimedia to it. Same as what we previously said, better to convert this to PDF format before submitting or sending it to others.

  • Use PDF format when the document is intended to be shared!

Since we have been talking about PDFs, let us discuss with you the main attributes of this format. First, PDFs are the most secure file format that you can use. It is rarely corrupted, invaded, and edited unwantedly. If you use PDF when sharing files with others, you can be assured that it will be viewed by the receiver the same way you have viewed it on your end. 

Second, PDFs can maintain active hyperlinks. For instance, you can click a hyperlink from a PDF file, and it will automatically bring the user to the browser. Lastly, it is compatible with any processor and device. Some other formats like Word and PDF are not compatible when viewed with other devices, like cell phones which most of the time, causes the document to change and mess-up the original format. This cannot happen on PDFs. It is also compatible with any processor like Mac, Linux, and Windows. That is why do not ever forget to convert your file to PDF every time you want to share it with others.

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  • Use Powerpoint format if you are preparing for presentations!

Powerpoint format, or PPT, is best when you need to prepare for an important presentation. PPT has slide decks with a variety of themes that you can choose from to make your presentation creative and pleasing to the eye. They also offer a way for you to personalize the background and theme of your presentation by using different pictures for the background. You can also choose among their playful layouts and format suggestions.

Same with the above formats, you can also imbed any type of media in this format like pictures, tables, videos, hyperlinks, and so much more! However, PowerPoint is also not secured when it comes to format and layouts–as usual, convert this to PDF to avoid unwanted changes.

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In a Nutshell

Admit it or not, some people are not that techy to keep pace with the increasing demand for online learning and working setup. Those who are struggling do not even know how to distinguish file formats and when it is appropriate to use one. If you are one of those people, we hope that through this guide, we can give you the basic ideas behind the most common and most used file formats nowadays. 

Just keep in mind that if you are dealing with numbers, better to use an Excel format. If you are dealing with text, use a Word format. If you are preparing a presentation, use a PowerPoint format. And never forget to convert these files to PDF if you need to share them with others who are using different devices or processors. Make sure that when choosing a file format to use, it should be compatible and suited for your goal in creating such a document. And when it comes to converting one file into another format, the best web-based software that you can use is PDFBear! 

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