Set Word as Default in Office 365

No matter how many times I do this it reverts back to not being default for .doc files on computer restart. 

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How can I change permanently. I am using windows 10 Office 365 

Hello Bruce
I am V. Arya, Independent Advisor, to work with you on this issue. A quick repair should fix this issue.

Press Windows key, hold it and press r to open Run window.
Type appwiz.cpl and press enter
This will open Uninstall or change a program window
Click Office in the list of program
Click Change at top
Select Quick repair
Restart your computer once Quick repair is finished.
Let me know the outcome.

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See if you have an older version of Office installed alongside your full version. Also, if you have some other office suite, such as LibreOffice, on the same machine, the word processor component of that product could be "competing" with Word over file associations. Uninstall programs or versions that you are not using.

If there are no other word processors, or if you intentionally keep several word processors installed, you could just clear the option in Word that checks if Word is the default. You'll find it at File > Options > General: "Tell me if Microsoft Word isn't the default program for viewing and editing documents."

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Stefan Blom
MS 365 Word MVP since 2005
Volunteer Moderator
MS 365, Win 11 Pro
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Note that I do not work for Microsoft
https://mvp.microsoft.com/
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Please specify Word version & OS in your question

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Did not work, appears to be a start menu command as I am able to change until I restart my computer. 

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The problem is that .doc files are opened, or attempted to open with Word Pad. Which just results in time loss to go in make the change and reopen the .doc file. Thanks. 

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Last updated April 21, 2025 Views 1,097 Applies to: