Common PC and Mac file formats and their common applications.
Download my résumé as a Word compressed zip file and Adobe Acrobat. Need computer help? Book now to resolve most computer issues. Tech support jobs.
If you need technical support for issues after reading this FAQ, please visit my Tech Support page, where I offer fee based support.
M1 processor support. Apple's newly released processor in 2020 lacks Boot Camp Support, but Parallels, mentioned below offers Windows virtualization on the processor.
If you came to this page as a direct link from elsewhere, check my Migrating from 9 to X FAQ for additional software title search engines for the Mac, if the kind of software you need isn't found here. Additional software titles ones will be added to this page as time permits. If you would like to suggest a title be included, please e-mail me. Three separate link pages on my site of interest include my Macgamepages FAQ, My web browser FAQ, and my Printers FAQ.
RAGE Macintosh Explorer which combines the best of Microsoft Windows and Mac file management including tree based directory file management. Many of the formats below can be converted online through the website: Zamzar including Microsoft Publisher.
The following outline links to a series of tables that include Mac software equivalent titles to Windows compatible titles that work without emulation or virtualization:
- Office formats
- E-mail and addressbooks
- Vector (line diagram and drawings), GPS (satellite tracking), and Raster (pixel based imagery)
- Video and Audio <>
Office formats
Microsoft Access
Filemaker Pro Migrator with Filemaker or Filemaker with JDBC
Apache Drill
ODBC Manager - offers links to ODBC database engines from Mac OS X |
Office ( Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint -great link for Office 2019 Mac full license)
SoftMaker Office1
Panergy Software DocXConveter (original developer no longer exists), Neo Office
Microsoft Office Mac (official website), iWork, Think Free Office, Open Office, Libre Office, Neo Office, Google Docs, Zoho.com My user tip on Apple Support Communities on Office Alternatives
OnlyOffice
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Word and Powerpoint only
iWork version '06 and earlier |
Word and Excel Only
Mariner Software's Calc and Write, Appleworks (only limited support in Appleworks) |
limited Word and Excel
Appleworks |
Word only
Bean, Nisus Express, Mellel, TextEdit (comes with all versions of Mac OS X, and is mostly RTF only) |
Wordperfect
Abiword, Neooffice, MaclinkPlus (No longer published, may be in some used software shops) |
Powerpoint only (in read only mode) PPT Tools guide lists several free solutions for Powerpoint viewing |
Additional Word, Excel PC Word Processor and Spreadsheet conversion software
Dataviz MaclinkPlus (no longer published, may be in some used software shops) |
1) Softmaker Office is the first Office Clone to accurately represent my résumé as laid out over official Microsoft Word without any adjustments. And it is compatible with Mojave and later. This is a personal recommendation from the author of the website, given many people will be made obsolete by Microsoft's dropping of licensing of Office 2019, October 10, 2023
Vector, GPS, and Raster
AutoCad
Archicad
Sketchup, QCad
Engineered Software's PowerCADD, TurboCad, Ashlar Vellum Microspotdwgviewer - software to read DWG files on a Mac.
The website http://www.architosh.com/ is a great resource for CAD programs and users of CAD on the Macintosh platform where you can check for reviews and user opinions about the various products.
My user tip on AutoCAD alternatives on Apple Support Communities |
Visio
Concept Draw's Visio 0 converter which converts all your Visio files to the crossplatform Concept Draw software.
Lucidchart - online Visio alternative
MacHow listing - a review of several alternatives in one spot.
OmniGraffile, Crossover Mac has Visio module for editing Visio right on the Mac
LibreOffice (read only)
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Global Positioning System (GPS)
RoadNav, RouteBuddy, MacGPS Pro, GPSY, Macmap usergroup on Yahoo (no affiliation with Macmaps, and was discovered long after I created the Macmaps domain) |
Photo and Painting
Graphic Converter, Microfrontier's ColorIt, Seashore, iPhoto (included with every Mac), MacGimp, and of course plenty of Adobe titles from Photoshop, to Illustrator to InDesign to Photoshop Elements, Paintbrush, PhotoLine |
Microsoft Publisher
LibreOffice v4.10 or later |
Video and Audio
Movie Editing
iMovie (included with every Mac), Final Cut Express, Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premier |
Audio MPEG-3, AIFF, WAVE, Apple Lossless, AAC support
iTunes (included with every Mac), Audacity with LAME supports free direct recording of MPEG-3 from audio input |
MIDI support
Apple Garageband (included with every Mac) |
Mixing and notation software
Passport Music (formerly GVOX) Encore, Sibelius, Apple Soundtrack, Apple Logic Pro, Apple Logic Express, Steinberg's Cubase. |
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