Xceed Words for .NET 6.0 introduces native Word-to-HTML export, smarter document splitting, enhanced chart customization, improved document composition, and important PDF conversion fixes for modern .NET document automation.
Xceed Words for .NET 6.0 is one of the most significant updates to the library to date.
Rather than releasing a modest incremental update, Xceed moved directly from version 5.2 to 6.0. The decision reflects the scope of the improvements introduced in this release, led by a completely new capability for exporting Word documents to HTML.
If your applications generate, process, or publish Microsoft Word documents, Words for .NET 6.0 delivers a more capable toolkit for modern document automation.
Export Word Documents to HTML
The standout feature in Words for .NET 6.0 is native Word-to-HTML export.
A new ConvertToHtml method on DocX allows developers to convert Word documents into clean, standards-compliant HTML with a single call. The resulting HTML can be written directly to a file or stream.
HTML Export Highlights
Developers can choose inline CSS, embedded stylesheets, or external CSS files. Images can be embedded as Base64 data URIs, exported as files, or omitted entirely. Fonts can be referenced, embedded, or written as external files.
The exporter supports multiple document standards from HTML5 to XHTML 1.1, making it suitable for websites, documentation systems, content management platforms, and publishing workflows.
Accessibility is also built into the export process. Developers can generate semantic HTML5, preserve image alternative text, and optionally include ARIA roles.
Better HTML Fidelity
Converting Word documents to HTML becomes challenging when documents include advanced formatting. Words for .NET 6.0 preserves many elements that often cause problems in custom conversion projects.
- Multi-level lists
- Embedded fonts
- Picture bullets
- Headers and footers
- Footnotes
- Tracked changes
- Tables
The exporter also produces deterministic output, allowing identical documents to generate byte-for-byte identical HTML across multiple runs. This makes generated files easier to compare, version, and store in source control.
For white-label applications, HTML class names and IDs can be prefixed so generated markup follows an application's own naming conventions.
More Flexible Document Splitting
Words for .NET 6.0 expands document splitting with a new overload that accepts a SplitOptions object, giving developers much finer control over how documents are divided.
- Headings: Split at selected heading levels.
- Section breaks: Split documents by section structure.
- Bookmarks: Match bookmarks using regular expressions.
- Content controls: Filter by content control type.
- Page breaks: Split after a specified number of breaks.
- Column breaks: Divide content based on column layout markers.
Existing heading-based and section-based document splitting continues to work exactly as before, making the new functionality fully additive.
Bigger, More Controllable Charts
Chart generation also receives a significant update. Like previous versions, chart creation is based entirely on Office Open XML, requiring no Microsoft Office installation, Office Interop, or server-side licensing dependencies.
Chart Enhancements
Developers can configure data labels, leader lines, per-point customization, individual label visibility, major and minor gridlines, direct point colors, mixed chart types, straight-line rendering, and logarithmic value axes.
Behind the scenes, the chart engine now writes OOXML elements in their canonical schema order. The practical result is that generated charts no longer trigger Microsoft Word's document repair prompt when opening complex documents.
More Productive Document Creation
Beyond the headline features, Words for .NET 6.0 introduces several improvements that simplify everyday document generation.
- Ready-made list styles: Use up to twenty predefined list styles through the existing list APIs.
- Multi-column layouts: Create true multi-column page layouts directly from code.
- Automatic image detection: PNG, JPEG, and GIF formats are detected automatically when adding images from streams.
- Cross-document content reuse: Insert paragraphs from another document while preserving hyperlinks, images, charts, and comments.
- Improved table of contents support: Merge multiple documents while preserving a structured table of contents.
PDF Conversion Improvements
Words for .NET 6.0 also includes several fixes that improve PDF conversion reliability.
- Improved tab alignment.
- Better handling of vertically merged table cells spanning multiple pages.
- Fixes for missing table content.
- Reduced out-of-memory conditions caused by image-heavy document headers.
Together, these improvements increase reliability when generating PDFs from complex Word documents.
Why Version 6.0?
Moving directly from version 5.2 to 6.0 was a deliberate decision.
Native Word-to-HTML export alone introduces an entirely new capability for developers building publishing systems, documentation platforms, and document-driven applications. Combined with expanded document splitting, richer chart customization, improved document composition, and PDF conversion fixes, this release represents a substantial evolution of the library.
Upgrade to Xceed Words for .NET 6.0
Whether you're publishing Word documents to the web, generating business reports, assembling documents from multiple sources, or building complex document automation workflows, Xceed Words for .NET 6.0 provides new capabilities that simplify development while improving the quality of the final output.
Start building better document automation workflows with Xceed Words for .NET 6.0.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the biggest new feature in Xceed Words for .NET 6.0?
The biggest new feature is native Word-to-HTML export through the new ConvertToHtml API.
Can documents now be split using more than headings?
Yes. Documents can be split using headings, section breaks, bookmarks, content controls, page breaks, and column breaks.
Does chart generation require Microsoft Office?
No. Chart generation uses Office Open XML and does not require Microsoft Office or Office Interop.