Cannot open downloaded Word documents after Windows 10

Anonymous
2015-08-04T16:57:57+00:00

Hello,

I cannot open downloaded Word documents (powerpoint included) that I download onto my computer from email or my online class. This happened after I downloaded Windows 10. My spyware is turned off and it does not change anything. Any tips if there is something else turned on I can't figure out to open them? I tried going through word and in a "repair" view but it still wouldn't open.  

Thanks!

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For home | Windows

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  1. Stefan Blom 352.1K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2015-08-04T18:09:04+00:00

    There is a known issue with Protected view after upgrading to Windows 10, according to the Office team. A bug fix will be released.

    What you can do, in the meantime, is download the file, right-click its icon, choose Properties from the context menu, and Unblock the file. Note that you should only Unblock files that you know are safe to open.

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  2. Stefan Blom 352.1K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2015-08-19T11:36:31+00:00

    If you mean that double-clicking *.docx files doesn't work, do the following: In File Explorer, click to select a file in the *.docx format. Then right-click the file; on the context menu, click Open With, click Choose Another App and locate winword.exe. Choose the option to set Word as the default.

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  3. Anonymous
    2015-08-20T08:45:42+00:00

    I am being blocked from opening Office files generally since upgrading to Windows 10. Files I could open a week ago, I no longer can, even if I unblock them, if that is an option in Properties, other ones I can. There doesn't seem to be any pattern. I can't open anything that is an attachment to an email. Tried saving to desktop - no luck.

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  4. Doug Robbins - MVP - Office Apps and Services 323.6K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2015-08-10T07:45:11+00:00

    Microsoft have posted a workaround at:

    https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3086786

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  5. Anonymous
    2015-08-19T08:25:12+00:00

    Tried all of the above. It appears I can open word 97-2000 documents but not the new Word .docx ones. I was able to unblock some files but now that option isn't coming up in Properties.

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