Word opening files as Document1, Document2

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  1. Posts : 234
    Windows 10
    Thread Starter
       #11

    storageman said:
    OK if everything is set correctly in windows, then it has to be a WORD problem ie: setting. Now I'm not a word expert, but I know that if you open a NEW document, the file name is "Documentx" as a file name. I wonder if there is a setting that tells word to open an existing document as a NEW document ? Just a guess on my part.
    I can't find such a setting.

    But Word 2016 Template Opens Twice - Microsoft Community shows that someone had a similar problem last year.

    I tried that tip (shown in the above link/thread) to revert my version of Word or Office, after stopping updates. Problem still exists.

    I really don't directly open documents all that much. And of course I can open them by using "open" from the context menu. But just the existence of this problem is really irritating!
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  2. Posts : 16,781
    Windows 10 Home x64 Version 22H2 Build 19045.4170
       #12

    Any other possible ideas?
    Idea 1.1 - Have you tried opening those problem files on a different computer so you can find out if it is a Word fault rather than a file fault?
    Idea 1.2 - If you create & save new Word documents, do they behave themselves or is every file faulty? If so, this points to a Word fault rather than individual file faults. {This para has been corrected & I now understand that every created file is indeed faulty}

    Idea 2 - Opening a new document based on the selected document can be forced deliberately by adding the /F switch to the file association for .docx but the checks you have already done should have shown that switch if it had been set [you'd have seen something like ...WinWord.exe /F %1]. You haven't any add-ins that might be causing this? If you decide to search your Registry for
    Code:
    winword /f
    I suggest you use NirSoft RegScanner

    Idea 3 - Because the symptoms are similar to Word treating documents as templates, I looked at these two entries in my Registry. Do you have the same values?

    HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.docx
    Content Type
    application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document

    HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.dotx
    Content Type
    application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.template

    Idea 4 - @storagemen suggested checking Settings, Apps, Default apps, Choose default applications by file type. I think you will find that they are associated with Word but what would be significant would be whether or not the two file type entries are correctly identified in the list as Document, Template. Here are my entries.
    Word opening files as Document1, Document2-settings-apps-default-apps-choose-default-applications-file-type.png

    Idea 5 - I think the whole thing is either a Word fault or a fault in the interplay between Word & File explorer i.e. with Windows. This makes me suspect that an Office/Windows update might be the cause but I can see that you have tried reverting your Word updates already so that only leaves a Windows update. Do you have a recent system image you could revert to?


    Note 1 - I should have said before, in response to your comment "if I pick "open" from the context menu, they do open correctly. It's only when I double-click the file that a "document1" (etc.) copy of the file is opened", that this is how templates behave. You probably knew this already but I cannot see it mentioned so I thought I would mention it.

    Note 2 - I have looked through Word 2016 Options but cannot see any setting intended to produce this bizarre behaviour or that even looks likely to be involved. [My Word 2016 option screenshots were made in Jan 2017]

    Note 3 - The fact that the fault is producing two new documents instead of just one is probably the result of the same unknown cause. I can see that you get the same results when using the context menu so there is no logical reason to suspect a faulty mouse making multiple clicks.

    Note 4 - The main Word Registry entries are at
    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office
    but there are many entries scattered all over the place.

    Denis
    Last edited by Try3; 08 Dec 2018 at 11:53.
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 234
    Windows 10
    Thread Starter
       #13

    Try3 (Post 12 above) THANK YOU for so many robust suggestions. I am not with my computer (a work one) right now but at worst will attempt your suggestions on Monday.

    Regarding your ideas 1.x though, I did mention, buried in all the thread verbiage, that even files I create and save myself on that computer exhibit this behavior.

    The other suggestions though I will look into and report back.

    Thanks.
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 16,781
    Windows 10 Home x64 Version 22H2 Build 19045.4170
       #14

    asus2016 said:
    Try3 Regarding your ideas 1.x though, I did mention, buried in all the thread verbiage, that even files I create and save myself on that computer exhibit this behaviour.
    OK, I missed that bit. I have also noticed that I wrote my 1.2 the wrong way round and have now corrected it.

    Denis
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 234
    Windows 10
    Thread Starter
       #15

    Try3 said:
    Idea 4 - @storagemen suggested checking Settings, Apps, Default apps, Choose default applications by file type. I think you will find that they are associated with Word but what would be significant would be whether or not the two file type entries are correctly identified in the list as Document, Template. Here are my entries.
    Word opening files as Document1, Document2-settings-apps-default-apps-choose-default-applications-file-type.png

    Denis
    This was the ticket. The .docx extension was associated with a word document template file type.

    I used Nirsoft's File Types Manager software to correct this and now everything works fine.

    That is, I open the document itself (not two copies or one copy), for reading or editing, if I:

    • Double-click on the file which I usually do
    • Right-click on the file and pick "open with > Word"
    • Right-click on the file and pick "open"


    Prior to your help and my fixing it, only the third option above worked.

    Big thanks.
      My Computer


 

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