Many of the Department’s web pages contain documents to download in a variety of formats. Sometimes there will also be a web page version of the document.
The Department tries to ensure as many users as possible can open downloads. If you are unable to open a document, the advice below on file types, saving files, and downloading free software may help you
The following are the most common forms of documents available on the Department's websites, with links to websites where free software can be downloaded.
PDF documents can be opened on PC and Macintosh machines.
To open a document in Adobe PDF format, you may first need to download a free copy of Adobe Acrobat reader.
To convert PDF files to text, you can use a free online tool from Adobe.
These documents can be opened by many but not all programs.
If you are unable to open a document, you may not have the appropriate software.
If you are a PC user, you can download a viewer from the Microsoft site for free. The viewers should enable you to read Microsoft Office documents on your computer, even if you do not have the program installed.
Macintosh users who do not have Microsoft Office programs installed can either download a different version of the document, if available, or order a hard copy to be posted.
Internet browsers save documents in a variety of ways, which can often be confusing. If you want to guarantee saving a document, you can do the following:
Right click on the document link (a pop-up menu will appear)
Scroll down the menu and click on 'Save Target As'
You will then be prompted to choose a folder where you want to save the file.
Once the file is saved, go to the folder you selected and double click on the file name to open it.
Hold down the mouse button until the menu appears and then follow the instructions as for the PC user above.
