DOC (computing)

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In computing, DOC or doc (short for 'document') is a common file extension, traditionally used for documentation in plain-text format, particularly of programs or computer hardware, on a wide range of operating systems. During the 1980s, WordPerfect used DOC as the extension of their proprietary format. Later, in the 1990s, Microsoft appropriated the popular DOC extension for their Microsoft Word wordprocessing formats. In consequence, the original uses for the extension have largely disappeared from the PC world.

Proprietary DOC files often contain more text formatting information (as well as scripts and undo information) than files using other document file formats like Rich Text Format and HyperText Markup Language, but are usually less widely compatible.

On the Palm OS, DOC is shorthand for PalmDoc, a completely unrelated format used to encode text files such as ebooks.