Word Docs/Excel Opening as Read Only after MS Update

Anonymous
2013-08-15T18:27:44+00:00

Team after this weeks update from Microsoft all my Word and Excel documents that I create save fine, but when I open them they open in Read only mode.  I have to keep performing a save as with a new file name to get by the issue.    I also get an error that I had not received  before when opening some older Word and Excel documents.  The error reads "There was a problem sending the command to the program".  I click on OK and the error goes away and the document opens, but again in Read only mode.  HELP....

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For home | Windows

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Anonymous
2013-08-16T07:00:20+00:00

Hi,

As I understand when you save and open the document, the documents open in read only mode and you also receive an error message while opening the documents. Let me assist you with the issue.

Follow the steps mentioned and check if it helps:

Step 1: Check if Office applications are running in compatibility mode:

·         Browse to the location mentioned below:

For Win7 32 bit:

C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office15

C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office 15\ClentX86 \Root\Office15

For Win7 64 bit:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office15

C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office 15\ClientX64\Root\Office15

·         Right click on WINWORD.EXE< Properties< Compatibility

·         Uncheck the box Run this Program in Compatibility Mode, ensure you also click on the option change settings for all users tab at the bottom of the same screen

·         Click on Apply and Ok.

·         Open Word and check if it works.

Note: If Word works fine then follow the above steps for Excel applications (EXCEL.EXE)

Step 2: Check the option to save the Word or Excel files in read only mode is check:

·         Open Word document.

·         Click on File< Save As< Browse to the location where you want to save the file.

·         Click on arrow mark pointing downwards next to Tools and click on General Options.

·         Ensure the option Read-only recommended is unchecked and click Ok.

·         Now try to save the document, re-pen the saved document and check.

Step 3: Repair Office 2013 installation:

If the above steps do not fix the issue then repair Office 2013 installation and check. Refer the link mentioned to repair Office 2013 installation:

http://office.microsoft.com/en-in/project-help/repair-or-remove-office-HA010357402.aspx

I hope the above suggestion helps. Let us know if you need further assistance.

Thank you.

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  1. Anonymous
    2015-05-28T13:06:52+00:00

    Thanks JMACCS SVCS but your suggestion does not apply in our case.   Our field laptops and office machines are all loaded with Office 2007 which has generally been widely compatible with whatever version of Office our customers use (we use Excel 07 heavily).  We've never had the issue on machines running XP and only occasionally with Win 7, but is a problem with every Office 07 (Excel & Word) attachment opened on our Win 8.1 machines regardless as to whether using IE11 or Chrome  (I mention the browsers just to rule them out as the culprit).  It surprises me that no one with MS has responded.  It appears that we will have to abandon Win 8.1 and go back to 7 (We find 8/8.1 is extremely unfriendly to our business needs requiring heavy use of, and online collaboration with, spreadsheets and database programs from many providers.)  The problem is driving us crazy and seems to only begin after 8.1 is loaded and then allowing MS automatic updates to run.  Thanks again.

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  2. Anonymous
    2015-05-28T12:00:52+00:00

    This did not work for me as there was no Browse after Open, and if I did save as, there was no organize after Browse,   Steps for me to fix were

    1 Open Word

    2 Go to File>>Options>>General>>Startup options

    3 Unclick "Open e-mail attachments ad other uneditable files in reading view

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  3. Anonymous
    2015-05-15T19:00:18+00:00

    Hello,

    I found that after searching the internet and many wasted hours the solution for me on word 2013 was to do the following:

    Here are the steps.

    1. Open MS Word
    2. Go to File >> Open >> Browse>>> Organize>>> Layout>> Disable Details & Preview pane

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  4. Anonymous
    2015-04-28T23:51:01+00:00

    Gripman I finally fixed this problem by removing a trial version of Office 7 which came with my laptop.  I never used that trial version, but it was the culprit that kept causing many Word, Excel, PowerPoint etc documents to default to compatibility mode or read only etc. every time the Microsoft monthly updates came out.  The key is to completely de-install that trial version of Office 7 first, and then perform the "fix-it" process on your Office 2013 application, or de-install and then re-install Office 2013.  Good Luck!!

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