Added DOC file support to MarkItDown #1316
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- Add DocConverter for legacy Microsoft Word DOC files - Uses pure Python approach with olefile (existing dependency) - Handles .doc files and application/msword mimetype - Adds doc optional dependency group in pyproject.toml - Updates converter registration in main MarkItDown class - Adds test vector for DOC file conversion - No external system dependencies required
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@microsoft-github-policy-service agree |
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really need it |
BetterAndBetterII
suggested changes
Jul 14, 2025
This commit replaces the old implementation with a robust, two-step conversion process that significantly improves reliability and accuracy:
1. The `_doc_converter` now first converts the input `.doc` file to a `.docx` file using OS-dependent tools:
- **Windows**: Microsoft Word's COM interface via `pywin32`.
- **Linux/macOS**: LibreOffice/Soffice command-line interface.
2. The `_docx_converter` is then used to convert the `.docx` file into markdown
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Summary
Adds support for legacy Microsoft Word DOC files (.doc) to MarkItDown.
Implementation Details
I could not find an out-of-the-box library to do
doctomdconversion, so I went with a 2-step approach, converting thedoctodocxthen converting thedocxusing the converter module tomd. The minor issue here is the dependencies, all libraries require some sort of dependency (usually Libreoffice), I implemented an OS-specific approach that checks if the user is on Linux, it uses the Libreoffice cli tool, but, on Windows it would use MS Word's COM interface, this is to eliminate the need to install external dependencies as much as possible.Testing
(Testing passed on Linux & Windows)
Fixes #23, #1220