Why Word Desktop Documents Look Different in Word Web

1.1 Different Rendering Engines

Word Desktop uses the full Microsoft Office rendering engine, optimized for print-accurate layout and advanced
formatting.
Word Web uses a browser-based, HTML-like rendering engine.
Many Desktop layout instructions cannot be replicated exactly in the Web engine.

Impact

1.2 Limited Support for Advanced Formatting

Word for the Web supports only a subset of Word’s features.
Unsupported or partially supported items get:

This leads to layout changes, broken design, or formatting collapse

1.3 Font Availability Differences

If your document uses fonts that aren’t supported in the web version:

1.4 Image & Shape Anchoring Differences

Word Desktop supports:

Word Web simplifies this model, causing:

1.5 Features Using Advanced XML or Add-ins

Documents using:

…render differently or may be removed in Word Web.

1.6 Compatibility Mode Issues

Documents originally created in:

…may show distortions in Word Web even if Word Desktop displays them correctly.

1.7 Tracking Features

Documents having:

…may show different or incomplete due to limited support for these functions while tracked changes and comparisons can be
visible normally.

Word Desktop and Word Web (Online) are built on different rendering engines, with different capabilities. As a result, documents formatted in Desktop may appear different, “messed up,” or simplified when opened in Word Web.