Read-only mode in Word 2016 (Mac) locks out any edits until Duplicated and saved?

Anonymous

Why do all docs opened in read-only mode (like every attachment from Outlook) lock down the file for no editing until it is saved? The new error bar comes up and says Read Only: To Save a copy of this file, tap Duplicate. Then tapping the Duplicate button brings up a save dialog box. I definitely don’t want to save the dozens of attachments I access on a daily basis, but sometimes you want to tweak some spacing to print a resume or any other number of things.

I get that Outlook saves into the temp folder, and I've ensured there are read/write permissions on that folder. Is there a setting I'm missing to fix this? I can't tell if it's a bug or feature. Forcing a save first would be a new and rather invasive design choice.

Anyone else getting this behavior and find a fix?

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Anonymous

I found a workaround to this issue.

I have a Mac with El Capitan (not relevant) and Office 2016. When I open a Word attachment from Outlook, it prompts to Duplicate which requires that I save it first in a non-temporary folder area before I can edit it.

My workaround is

open the email in Outlook.
You will see the attachment with a Word icon. Next to it is the PREVIEW button which uses the Mac's built-in Preview application. Click on the preview button to open it in the preview application.
In the preview window in the upper right corner click on the OPEN IN WORD icon. It opens it in Word in edit mode without requiring a save.

I did not find the problem or resolution to be related to illegal characters.It's a deliberate sandboxing issue which makes sense from a security and UI point of view. It is a pain but, was put in place deliberately for a reason. I only started to investigate it after one of my Mac users complained about the extra steps. The biggest pain for the person was saving to a non-temporary folder area. If it defaulted to DOWNLOADS or MY DOCUMENTS, then this would have been more palatable.

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44 additional answers

Anonymous

2017-08-07T21:46:18+00:00

Why do all docs opened in read-only mode (like every attachment from Outlook) lock down the file for no editing until it is saved? The new error bar comes up and says Read Only: To Save a copy of this file, tap Duplicate. Then tapping the Duplicate button brings up a save dialog box. I definitely don’t want to save the dozens of attachments I access on a daily basis, but sometimes you want to tweak some spacing to print a resume or any other number of things.

I get that Outlook saves into the temp folder, and I've ensured there are read/write permissions on that folder. Is there a setting I'm missing to fix this? I can't tell if it's a bug or feature. Forcing a save first would be a new and rather invasive design choice.

Anyone else getting this behavior and find a fix?

I don't find the solution any easier than the problem. I still have to go through the same number of steps.

What a nuisance!

MS - fix this!
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Jim G 134.1K Reputation points MVP

2017-05-21T16:35:38+00:00

You can't eliminate Read Only when opening attached documents while they are attached. This would violate Apple's Sandboxing requirements.

App Sandboxing - Apple Developer

About App Sandbox - Apple Developer
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Anonymous

2017-05-20T19:55:15+00:00

How can I eliminate the "read only" feature from documents I create on office 365 word for mac.

My preference is to eliminate this feature on all documents future and past.

Very important to eliminate feature on existing documents as I intend for recipients of documents attached to email messages to be able to change the content.

Thanks,

******@vows4you.com
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Anonymous

2016-12-28T16:25:42+00:00

I don't know if anyone has found this workaround yet...

When I open a file in Word or Excel and it file opens as Read-only, I close the file, chose the file in the Finder, and hit Command-i (Get info) to open the file's info window. Then, I go to the bottom under "Sharing and Permissions", where it already says I have permission to both read and write, and click the lock at the bottom right hand corner. The "Finder wants to make changes" window pops up and wants me to type in my password. I just hit cancel then open the file again and it's fully editable and save-able. Hope that helps.
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