Microsoft 365 Office opens blank document only in browser mode. It didn't at first. How do I fix it? (Office for Windows)

Hi EESummey I'm Anna and I'd be happy to help you out with your question. Does this happen with every Microsoft office app? Since you said it didn't do this at first, then have you tried to repair the Office application or uninstall and then reinstall it? Repair an Office application and uninstallation (For Windows PC) https://support.microsoft.com/office/7821d4b6-7c1d-4205-aa0e-a6b40c5bb88b You can only uninstall Office for Mac https://support.microsoft.com/office/1199-5b58-43af-8a3d-b73dc1a8cae3 Best Regards, Anna Give back to the community. Help the next person with this problem by indicating whether this answer solved your problem. Click Yes or No at the bottom.

Q: Does this happen with every Microsoft office app?

A: Yes

Q: Since you said it didn't do this at first, then have you tried to repair the Office application

A: Yes

Q: or uninstall and then reinstall it?

A: NO.

I did a repair in Settings on the app but it did not fix it.

This all started after an update which removed all the icons from the office start up menu.

I spent a lot of time changing all the office apps quick access bar. I would hate to lose these changes.

Sorry, you had to experience that, since repair had no effect, you need to uninstall and then reinstall the office. But before that, was this an office update or windows? You could look into the option of doing a system restore: https://support.microsoft.com/windows/31ce2444-7de3-818c-d626-e3b5a3024da5 Also, you could restore and repair system files In the search box on the taskbar, type command prompt, then select Run as administrator from the list of options. In the window that appears, type this command including spaces as shown: DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth Press Enter. When the command operation has run successfully, you'll see a confirmation message from Command Prompt that says, “The restore operation completed successfully” or “The operation completed successfully”. Note: If you don't see a confirmation message, retype the command and try again. Next, type this command, including the space as shown: sfc /scannow Press Enter. Wait until the sfc scan verification reaches 100% completion, and then close Command Prompt.

Q: was this an office update or windows?

A: windows, everything opens in browser and forces files to OneDrive.

You could look into the option of doing a system restore.

You could restore and repair system files. (much of which sounds like compete PC overhaul to fix a simple selection app)

It is incredible to me that Microsoft can sell such buggy software that it breaks and thinks I should spend days uninstalling, reinstalling, and reconfiguring. I only bought MS365 so that I could put the same software on all my computers. Maybe I should have installed LibreOffice instead. I have had it on my MacBook for years and never had an issue with it and it has an app opener just like Office.

Really disappointed.

I am a user like you and I understand the pain, I figured you have a Business Office 365. By default, when you click on Word, Excel, or PowerPoint files from SharePoint or OneDrive, they open up in the browser. That is the default experience for these file types Please follow the steps on how to default Office files to open in the native app You would need to change some settings behind the scenes. Instructions are a bit different for SharePoint and OneDrive. Please see the video below on how to do this. https://youtu.be/hVpX4wQdIhc

My Windows 11, one drive looks completely different.

https://youtu.be/hVpX4wQdIhc

I can open anything from the document folder, on board or one drive with on board MS365 application. My issue is from the Office app from which you can open blank documents. All Office apps except Outlook opens the browser version and automatically safes a blank document to One Drive.

This is the Office launching app.

Sorry, the video was no help. I will suggest you try the Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant Tool The Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant Tool works by running tests to figure out what's wrong and offers the best solution for the identified problem. It can currently fix Office, Microsoft 365, or Outlook problems. If the Support and Recovery Assistant can't fix a problem for you, it will suggest the next steps and help you get in touch with Microsoft support or you can contact them directly from the link below https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/contactus To download the Support and Recovery Assistant follow these steps: Click the button below to download the Support and Recovery Assistant. https://aka.ms/SaRA-FirstScreen Read the Microsoft Services Agreement, and then select I agree. Choose the app you are having problems with and click Next. Choose the problem you're having from the list and click Next. Follow the directions the Support and Recovery Assistant provides.