Program Opens without the Desired Document

by Allen Wyatt
(last updated February 8, 2014)

Ed notes that on occasion he'll select a Word document from the recent documents list in Windows. Word then loads, but the document itself won't open. Ed wonders why this occurs.

If this happened with each document, no matter which one you clicked on, then the problem would likely be with how Word is registered with Windows. (In other words, what Windows thinks should happen when you double-click a document.) Since it occurs only on some documents, then the problem more than likely lies elsewhere.

The likely culprit is that if the document has been renamed, deleted, or moved to a different folder, the link in recent documents list maintained by Windows will no longer point to the document. If you double-click the link, then Windows tries to open the document at the old, pre-move location. Since it can't find it there, it leaves Word open, but does not load the unfound document.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (6832) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Saving in Document Format from a Macro

Saving a document in a different format is easy if you are manually using the Save As command. Saving a document in an ...

Discover More

Linking Word Documents

Want to add one document to another document? You can do it by adding links, described in this tip.

Discover More

Using a Macro to Select a Modified Table Body

One of the big challenges when processing your data using macros is to make sure that you select all the data (and just ...

Discover More

Comprehensive VBA Guide Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) is the language used for writing macros in all Office programs. This complete guide shows both professionals and novices how to master VBA in order to customize the entire Office suite for their needs. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2010 today!

More WordTips (menu)

Excellent XML Resource Available

Where to get more information on XML.

Discover More

Using the Function Key Display Toolbar

Need to know what various function keys do? One easy way to find out is to use the Function Key Display toolbar, ...

Discover More

Concise Directory of Available Symbols

Need to know what the different codes are that you can use with the Alt key, along with the characters resulting from ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 8 + 2?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)

This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the menu interface (Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, or Word 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.

Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.

Links and Sharing
OUR COMPANY
OUR PRODUCTS
OUR AUTHORS
OUR SITES
 

Copyright © 2019 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.