Import Utilities

Supported File Formats (TMS)

Content is machine translated from English by Phrase Language AI.

The list below provides an overview of the file formats that users can import to create new jobs within existing projects:

Custom file types based on .XML, .TXT, .HTML or .JSON that are defined by filename and extension can be automatically detected and imported. Once defined, the definition can be used to import that file type in batches when creating a job.

Deprecation of Legacy MS Based File Formats

As of October 31, 2025, Phrase TMS will no longer support importing or processing older Microsoft Office based formats. This change is part of an ongoing effort to improve platform stability, performance, and support for modern workflows.

The following legacy file formats will no longer be accepted during file upload:

  • MS Word based: .doc, .dot

  • MS Excel based: .xls, .xlt

  • MS PowerPoint based: .ppt, .pot

  • .rtf (convert to .docx)

Existing jobs with these file formats will not be impacted, but updated or continuous jobs may fail if the source remains in legacy formats.

To avoid disruptions, legacy file formats should be converted to their modern equivalents before uploading content to Phrase TMS.

Recommended solutions

  1. Use Microsoft Word, Excel, or PowerPoint to convert legacy files. This helps preserve formatting, metadata, and embedded content more reliably than other tools.

    Open the legacy file in the corresponding MS application and save it as the latest available format. When converting legacy files in MS Word, ensure the option to maintain compatibility with previous versions of Word is checked.

    Legacy format

    Contains a macro?

    Modern format

    .doc

    No

    .docx

    .doc

    Yes

    .docm

    .dot

    No

    .dotx

    .dot

    Yes

    .dotm

    .xls

    No

    .xlsx

    .xls

    Yes

    .xlsm

    .xlt

    No

    .xltx

    .xlt

    Yes

    .xltm

    .ppt

    No

    .pptx

    .ppt

    Yes

    .pptm

    .pot

    No

    .potx

    .pot

    Yes

    .potm

    .rtf

    No

    .docx

  2. LibreOffice may also be used for conversion, but results can vary depending on the content. It is recommended to double-check the converted file before uploading.

    Potential issues include:

    • Slight formatting changes (e.g. line breaks, spacing)

    • More tags appearing in Phrase TMS due to compatibility markup

    • Missing metadata

    • In rare cases, loss of hyperlinks or embedded images and tables

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