Changing file associations for Office 2013

What is it that you want? Which "Open" command do you mean? The right click "open"?  That uses the Windows Default File Associations. Or do you want 2003 to be the default?

The simplest way to set the associations to run an Office Repair on the version you want to be default.

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel-help/repair-or-remove-office-2010-HA010357402.aspx?CTT=1

 

http://www.online-tech-tips.com/ms-office-tips/fix-microsoft-word-has-stopped-working/comment-page-1/#comment-83759

 

http://office.microsoft.com/en-ca/office-2003-resource-kit/repairing-office-2003-installations-HA001140241.aspx  Repairing Office 2003 Installations 

 

 

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg998767.aspx#BKMK_OfficeRepair Office 365 (2013) - Repair is same as earlier versions

 

If repair doesn't work, you can try these "manual" methods to set 365 to be the default

·      Open Windows Explorer and navigate to the file.

·      Right click the file (i.e. doc) and select Properties.

·      Now click on the general tab and select open with change.

·      Change ''Microsoft Office 2010 Component'' to "Microsoft Office Client Virtualization Handler".

 

If that doesn't work, try:

This page has instructions, with pictures, on how to use builtin windows tools to fix file associations:

http://www.worldstart.com/how-to-set-defaults-successfully/print/

 

If that doesn't work, try:

There is a freeware tool called  Default Programs Editor. It brings many of the default settings into one place: http://defaultprogramseditor.com/

 

Thanks, Rohn. I thought I'd made it clear that I want to ensure that the Open command will invoke the Office 2013 version of the program for all Office files. By 'Open' command, I mean the one that is recorded in the registry as Shell > Open > Command for a particular filetype.

Many of the pages you refer to don't apply. This is Office 2013, not 2010. It's not Office 365, and the screenshots on the Online TechTips page don't appear to be from Windows 7. I don't have Office Professional Plus, just Office Professional, but I don't know what the difference is.

The problem with Set Click to Run (CTR) to be Default File Association is that I can't locate anything called Microsoft Office Client Virtualization Handler, as I thought I'd explained. There is no way of specifying, say, Word 2013 as the default program using the Open with dialogue in Explorer.

Having said all that, I did find a repair option in Programs and Features. I ran it, and it has helped to a certain extent:



However, it seems to have fouled up some other things. If I open a .doc file by double-clicking on it in Explorer, this is what I see:

... not at all what I'm used to, and the 'backstage' is unrecognizable:

I'm beginning to think I was better off before repairing. Do you have any explanation?

Thanks for the confirmation that you wanted to set the default.

Actually, most of them DO apply. In this area, 2010 and 2013 are functionally the same. 365 (2013) is somewhat different because it runs in a "click to run" virtual computer, but otherwise the 2013 programs themselves are essentially functionally the same as 2010 (with minor tweaks).

The difference between Office Pro and Pro Plus is simply where you can buy it (and who, Pro Plus is a limited distribution package) and the programs in it. Each program in the 2 bundles is functionally identical. 

Time for a minor aside: Pardon me, MS has re-introduced some functional differences in Excel 2013 only in the Pro Plus bundle. There are a few addins that are only provided with the Pro Plus bundle. Three of the new tools are available on the desktop with Office 365 ProPlus or Office Professional Plus 2013.  These include Spreadsheet Inquire, Spreadsheet Compare and Database Compare.  There is one more, it was present in Excel 2010, I just can't recall the addin name at this moment.

Back to the main point ... <grin>

Since you have 2013, not 365, you will NOT have the virtualization handler. Sorry, I made the wrong guess about which one you had.

The 2nd and 3rd screen captures are of Word 2007 (you can definitively identify it by the "orb" in the upper left corner of the application window) with the black color scheme selected, apparently running on windows in one of the Windows High Contrast display modes. 

Is it possible your computer is old enough to have come with a factory installed free trial of Office 2007 that you forgot about. Some people have noted that the September 2013 Windows updates were re-activating old trials of 2010, maybe the same thing happened to you.

Go back into Programs and features. Look for any indication of Office 2007, and uninstall it if you find it. Boot the computer 2 times, then do an Office repair of Office 2013, again.

I agree with Rohn007 that it appears you've got a High Contrast theme in Word 2013. My experience with file associations on a system with multiple versions installed (I've got 2003, 2007, 2010, and 2013) is that your best best is to use the command line to reregister a specific version.

 

When you have just one version of Word, you can use Start | Run (or WinKey+R) winword /r. With multiple versions, you need the entire file path, quoted, with the /r switch. For Word 2013 on Windows 7, this would, by default, be

 

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\OFFICE15\WINWORD.EXE" /r

... your best best is to use the command line to reregister a specific version ...

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\OFFICE15\WINWORD.EXE" /r

Thanks, Suzanne. In my OP I wrote There's no executable for the Office 15 programs. This isn't true, because a Windows search on my 64-bit system eventually unearthed these two:

C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office 15\Data\Updates\Apply\PackageFiles\root\office15\WINWORD.EXE (v.15.0.4517.1505)
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office 15\root\office15\WINWORD.EXE (v.15.0.4535.1000)

So the active program is the second of these. The first is the version that was updated to the second, retained as a safety measure, I suppose, in case the update failed.

I tried re-registering it and the weird display has gone away, so this seems to have done the trick.

I assume that neither you nor Rohn has this same version (Office 2013 Pro CTR), so you might want to note where to find the executable.

Between you, you've solved my problem. Thanks a lot. I've laid out below the procedures I followed after seeing your replies.

To correct the file associations for Office 2013 where previous versions of Office installed on the same computer have interfered, these procedures seem to work:

For a particular file type:

1. In Windows Explorer, right-click on a file of the type involved, for example filename.doc, and select Open with and Choose default program.
2. Use the Browse button to navigate to the executable file for the program concerned. In this case, the executable for Word is found at
   C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office 15\root\office15\WINWORD.EXE
3. Ensure that Always use the selected program to open this kind of file is selected, then click OK.

For all file types that Office 2013 programs can open:

1. Open Programs and Features in Control Panel.
2. Right-click on Microsoft Office {edition} 2013 - {LCID} and select Change.
3. Use the Quick repair option first. If this doesn't restore all the file associations, use the Online repair.
4. Because the repair may involve changes to the registry, it's a good idea to reboot the computer afterwards to make sure that those changes stick.

To see the file associations registered after the repair,

1. Type default into the start search box and select Default programs from the results.
2. Select Associate a file type or a protocol with a program and check that all the filetypes concerned are now associated with the proper Office 2013 program.

Test by double-clicking on a file in Windows Explorer to see if Office 2013 opens the file normally. If things are still not quite right, re-register the program executable. For Word, for example,

1. Copy this line:
   "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office 15\root\office15\WINWORD.EXE" /r 
2. Type cmd into the start search box and press Ctrl-Shift-Enter. Give permission when asked.
3. Right-click inside the window that opens and select Paste.
4. Press Enter
5. Because this will involve changes to the registry, it's a good idea to reboot the computer afterwards to make sure that those changes stick.

These procedures may be necessary in cases where an update to an older version of Office re-registers that version. Most users will be able to avoid this kind of problem by uninstalling all previous versions of Office unless they have a particular reason for keeping them.

jFiredog, glad to see you got things working and thanks for the final summary. 

I do have a couple of points of confusion.
Those screen captures are definitely for Word 2007, aka Word 12. The re-register (the "/r") you ran pointed defaults away from V12, but it is still there. Do take a look on your system to find, and uninstall Office 2007, if you don't need it.

In one place you say you have a CTR/365 installation office. If that is the case, you generally would not find the WinWord.exe that you did.  That would require a separate installation of the local install version.  It is possible to "associate" a local install of Office with Office 365.

If you don't mind, could go into File menu > Account command. On the right side of the "backstage panel", under the Office logo. Do you see any mention of Click to Run?

Those screen captures are definitely for Word 2007, aka Word 12. The re-register (the "/r") you ran pointed defaults away from V12, but it is still there. Do take a look on your system to find, and uninstall Office 2007, if you don't need it.

Oh, agreed. I was focusing on the black-and-whiteness rather than the Office Button, but it is a dead giveaway.

Thanks, Noel. I do in fact have the MSI version (Office 2013 vs. 365). I'll make a note of this.

Oh, agreed. I was focusing on the black-and-whiteness rather than the Office Button, but it is a dead giveaway.

Suzanne, that point wasn't disputing your identification of the version (I knew I was right <Grin>) . I was focused on the point that it appears that jFiredog still has a copy of Office 2007 installed that apparently is not being using.  If it is not being used, IMO it might as well be uninstalled to free up space and to prevent a repeat of this type of situation.

I am still hoping that jFiredog will confirm that he is using one of the high contrast Windows desktop settings. That would be one explanation the low detail detail in the screen captures of the Black Office color scheme.  An alternate explanation would be a setting in the screen capture tool, but I doubt it.