Windows Explorer will automatically open and be ready for use. The simplest way to open Windows Explorer is to click the Start button and type Explorer in the search box. To make the switch from Internet Explorer back to Microsoft Word, just follow the simple steps outlined below. No matter what kind of PC you own, it is the operating system that controls how all files, including your Microsoft Word documents, open, and which programs they use to run. After all, there is not much you can do in terms of document formatting editing and proofreading from within the confines of the IE window.Ĭontrolling how your Microsoft Word documents open is a relatively straightforward process, but in order to make the change you will need to make the adjustment at an operating system level. That is why it is so disconcerting when you open a Microsoft Word document, only to see it open in an Internet Explorer window instead. Whether you are typing a memo to the boss, drafting a complaint letter to your electricity supplier or working on a technical document, you need to control the way your Microsoft Word windows open.
If you have Microsoft Word, or the full Microsoft Office suite, loaded on your computer, you expect all your Word documents to open in a new document window.