About file types and readers

Acrobat Reader (.pdf files)

Use Adobe Acrobat reader for viewing and printing Acrobat (PDF) files.

• Download Acrobat® Reader (Windows and Macintosh) from the Adobe website.

Accessible Acrobat Reader

Use the Accessible Adobe Acrobat reader for viewing and printing Acrobat (PDF) files. This version of the Acrobat Reader supports assistive technologies such as screen readers or screen magifiers.

• Download Accessible Acrobat® Reader (Windows and Macintosh) from the Adobe website.

Microsoft Word (.doc files)

Use the Microsoft Word Viewer to view and print Word (DOC) documents if you do not have Microsoft Word on your computer.

• Download a free version of Microsoft® Word Viewer 97/2000 from the Microsoft website.
  (Supported operating systems include Windows 2000, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT).

Microsoft Excel (.xls files)

Use the Microsoft Excel Viewer to view and print Excel (XLS) spreadsheet files if you do not have Microsoft Excel on your computer.

• Download a free version of the Microsoft® Excel 97/2000 Viewer from the Microsoft website.
  (Supported operating systems include Windows 2000, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT).

MS PowerPoint (.pps files)

Use the Microsoft PowerPoint Viewer to view PowerPoint show presentations (.pps) if you do not have PowerPoint on your computer.

• Download a free version of the Microsoft® PowerPoint Viewer from the Microsoft website.
  (Supported operating systems include Windows 95, 98, 2000, Windows NT or Windows ME).

ZIP (.zip files)

Some learning resources on this site are packaged as .zip files. A zip file may contain one or more files compressed to a smaller size. You will need to unzip or extract the file(s) before you able to use the compressed file(s).

For Windows users: 
If you download a .zip file using an Internet browser you may be given the option to extract the files immediately. Otherwise, save the file to a location on your computer. Once you have done this, locate the file and extract the file(s) using one of the following options:

1. In the explorer window, select File and Extract all and follow the steps in the extraction wizard; or
2. Right click on the file name and select "Extract all" and follow the steps in the extraction wizard.

Macintosh users: 
If you download a zip file using your Internet browser the file will usually be unzipped automatically. The uncompressed files will be saved to the same location as the downloaded zip file.

If not, you will need to locate the file in your downloads location. The zip file may have the suffix .zip on the end of the file name. Doubleclicking the file should start the unzipping process. The uncompressed files will appear in the same location as the downloaded zip file. The original zip file can be deleted after extraction.

Supporting documents

Learn more about the Accessibility features available on this website.