Stumped by a .doc alternative? Get the answer and solve the puzzle now!

As a detective, I would start by analyzing the clue “.doc alternative”. The first thing that comes to mind is that the clue is referring to a file format that is comparable to a Microsoft Word document (.doc). So, the potential alternatives could be other file formats used for text documents. The next thing that comes to mind is the popularity of PDF files as a common alternative to Word documents. PDF stands for Portable Document Format, and it’s widely used for its ability to maintain formatting across different devices and operating systems. Additionally, PDF files are often used for official documents, such as resumes or contracts, because they are more secure and harder to edit than Word documents. Based on all these factors, it becomes clear that the answer to the crossword clue is PDF.