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How do I set the default program to Word 2010 instead of 2007?

The OS is Win7 ... Office Pro 2007 and Office Home 2010 are installed.  Clicking on a docx file runs Word 2007.  How do I get it to run Word 2010?

The steps I've tried are: Control Panel -> Default Programs -> Associate a file type with a program -> .docx (list box) -> Change Program (button).  Only Word 2007 and WordPad are listed.

I've selected Browse (button) -> C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office14 ... most files are hidden.

I've selected Browse (button) -> C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office14 ... WinWord.exe is listed.  I presume this is Word 2010 as the Office 14 subdir was created yesterday.    When I double click on a docx, Word 2007 runs.

Any suggestions?

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Answer

Assuming you've installed the 32-bit version of Office (recommended), the file in Program Files (x86) is the one you want.

  1. In Windows Explorer, click on the address bar and use Ctrl+C to copy the entire file path.
  2. Press Windows Key + R to open the Run box.
  3. In the Run box, use Ctrl+V to paste the path.
  4. Add WINWORD.EXE.
  5. Add double quotation marks around the entire path.
  6. Type a space after the path and type /r. You'll end up with something like this:
    "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office14\WINWORD.EXE" /r
  7. Press Enter.
  8. You'll get a message box asking you to wait while Windows configures Office 2010. There may be a progress bar.
  9. Once Windows has finished reregistering Word (that is, creating the Registry entries to associate Word 2010 with the .docx and other file extensions), you should be able to open a document in Word 2010 by double-clicking.
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You need to make an update to the registry to prevent each version from reregistering itself and changing the defaults. I have detailed instructions at http://jay-freedman.info/norereg.html. Before you use the procedure, register Word 2010 once more.
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Last updated February 16, 2023 Views 1,911 Applies to: