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MS Word documents don't open
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Author:  Grouch [ Thu Aug 27, 2020 9:03 am ]
Post subject:  MS Word documents don't open

Microsoft Word documents don’t open when double-clicked. If I double-click a Word document, it WILL launch Word, so the file association is correct, but it opens with no current document. I have to open the file using the File menu. This sounds like a Registry setting that got lost. Does anybody have a quick fix?

Author:  AlanWade [ Thu Aug 27, 2020 2:05 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: MS Word documents don't open

Try this, open the registry editor and navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Word\Data, the 16 is the version so your number will depend on your version. Highlight Data and delete it, it will be recreated when you restart Word. That behaviour is associated with a corrupt key.

Alan

Author:  Grouch [ Thu Aug 27, 2020 3:39 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: MS Word documents don't open

Alan,
Thanks for the reply. I deleted it, and it was re-created, but… it didn't fix the problem. Double-click and "Open with MS Word" context menu both give the same result. The only way to open a file is as I described before.
Any other idea?

Author:  DesertDwarf [ Thu Aug 27, 2020 3:54 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: MS Word documents don't open

Microsoft Office's Repair feature is pretty thorough. If you haven't used Repair yet, you can start the Repair process by going to Programs and Features (old Control Panel) or Apps (Windows 10's Settings screen), selecting the Office or Microsoft Office program and either click Repair. Note, in my case with Office, I have to click Advanced options and that brings up a new set of options that includes Repair.

Author:  Grouch [ Thu Aug 27, 2020 3:59 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: MS Word documents don't open

Thanks, I tried that before I made the initial post. It didn't work.

Author:  DesertDwarf [ Thu Aug 27, 2020 7:01 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: MS Word documents don't open

There used to be a repair file associations feature in Word, but I can't find it in Word 365.

However, in Word, click the Help ribbon heading, then click the Help button on the Help ribbon (oy!), then type "file associations" in the search for Help.

That led me to a help article named "Double-clicking an Office file fails to open it in the correct Office program." (That's a link to the web version of the same help article.) The article has a Download button that will diagnose and offer fixes for problems.

If I were you, I'd try that.

Note that I know the name of the Help article isn't an exact match for your problem, but I suspect the tool you download will fix a wide variety of issues, possibly even yours.

Author:  Grouch [ Thu Aug 27, 2020 7:31 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: MS Word documents don't open

DesertDwarf,
The file associations are working just fine. It knows what app created the document. It launches MS Word, but I have to use the File menu to open the document that I double-clicked in the first place. That puts me back to where your link suggested when all else fails.

Author:  DesertDwarf [ Thu Aug 27, 2020 9:02 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: MS Word documents don't open

If I may, your file associations are partly working and partly broken. One part of the file association identifies what type of file is involved (Word document). Another part defines the verbs (actions) to take when various things happen. (Double-click, executing "open" and other stuff like that).

Did you try the diagnostic tool?

Author:  Grouch [ Thu Aug 27, 2020 9:21 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: MS Word documents don't open

Yes. I downloaded the Diagnostic CAB file. It didn't help either. I tried using the original Office installation disk to repair the install. If all else fails, I'll uninstall MS Office and go with one of the free Office apps.

Author:  nexter [ Fri Aug 28, 2020 7:48 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: MS Word documents don't open

Grouch wrote:
Yes. I downloaded the Diagnostic CAB file. It didn't help either. I tried using the original Office installation disk to repair the install. If all else fails, I'll uninstall MS Office and go with one of the free Office apps.

Going the free apps way is definitely recommended in all respects, especially also as they are far more secure than MS Office. Apache FreeOffice is a bit more compatible with MS Word in the metadata, while LibreOffice, esp. on account of far more frequent updates, is probably more secure. I use Apache OpenOffice both under Windows and under Linux (Fedora and Debian, and occasionally Mint) - my principal OS for two years - and am very happy with it, the compatibility is great especially as I frequently have to exchange documents with stout Windows users (e.g., publishers, authors, etc.), and PDF is a doddle too.

I'm not sure if you can try both at the same time under Windows - I do know under Linux it's one or the other because of libraries and various bindings.

Of course, you could always try uninstalling MS Office completely and see if a clean re-install fixes it.

Author:  Grouch [ Fri Aug 28, 2020 9:28 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: MS Word documents don't open

Nexter,
Thanks for the reply. My wife is using Softmaker Free Office 2018 on her laptop so I was thinking of going with that as an option. Any thoughts on the quality of that product?

Author:  nexter [ Fri Aug 28, 2020 9:53 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: MS Word documents don't open

Grouch wrote:
Nexter,
Thanks for the reply. My wife is using Softmaker Free Office 2018 on her laptop so I was thinking of going with that as an option. Any thoughts on the quality of that product?

You're welcome, Grouch. :)

Well, I tried Softmaker and I'm afraid I wasn't impressed. Also, a real annoyance - and potential security risk - is that you have to register - every bloomin' year at that! - and all that and that it transmits data back to the developers. If maximum MS Office/Word esp. compatibility is a concern, I'd recommend Apache any day, and for even more security Libre.

Both Apache and Libre are based on an office suite that was called StarOffice and that started on SunOS/Solaris (And was fairly quickly bought up by Sun back in the day. It was an excellent suite in its time and was ported to several other platforms very quickly, and distributed for free by Sun and eventually released as open source initially to Apache IIRC, and Libre eventually split from that. (The source was of course acquired by Oracle when it took over Sun around 2006 IIRC.)

Author:  Grouch [ Sat Aug 29, 2020 2:56 am ]
Post subject:  Re: MS Word documents don't open

Nexter,
Thanks, I'll probably go with the Apache.

Author:  nexter [ Sat Aug 29, 2020 4:38 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: MS Word documents don't open

Grouch wrote:
Nexter,
Thanks, I'll probably go with the Apache.

No harm trying that and Libre - you might prefer one over the other, though differences are fairly small. That said, Apache does 'feel' more similar to MS Office so tends to make for an easier switch. :)

Oh, and the other apps in the suite are equally excellent BTW.

Author:  oOSGearOo [ Sat Aug 29, 2020 5:08 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: MS Word documents don't open

Grouch wrote:
Nexter,
Thanks, I'll probably go with the Apache.

You should look at OnlyOffice as well I use them on linux but theirs windows versions also.

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