Microsoft Word file or Microsoft Excel file takes a long time to open
Posted by Jason Brundage in Microsoft Office, tags: Microsoft OfficeIssue: Microsoft Word or Microsoft Excel documents and or spreadsheets take a long time to open when you click on a word or excel file.
NOTE: This refers to XP only. The functionality of editing file types manually has been removed in Vista.
However, if you open Word or Excel, they both open normally.
Why is this happening? DDE may be broken for either Word or Excel.
Possible Resolutions:
Remember this is for ONLY when you double-click on a Word or Excel file and it takes a long time to open.
Solution 1.) If you have installed PDF maker, which can get installed when you install scanner software, the Excel add-on can potentially cause Excel to open slowly. This is more common in Office 2007.
- Close Excel and any other window you have open
- Open "My Computer" and browse to C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office12\XLSTART
- When you open Excel, check to see if the time it takes to open the xls/xlsx is shortened.
Solution 2.) This can be fixed by reinstalling Office but there is a faster way to fix this .
- Go to your Control Panel, (click on Start then Click on Control Panel)
- Click on Folder Options, then File Types,
- scroll down to and select (DOC for Word files) or XLS (for Excel files),
- click Advanced and select Open entry,
- click the edit Button.
- deselect "Use DDE"
- append "%1" (include the quote marks) to the end of the application command line,
- Remove /dde if it is at the end of the command line
- Then click on OK three times.
If the issue was being caused by DDE, then when you now open a Word doc file or Excel els; they will now open faster, without a long pause.
Entries (RSS)
Does not appear to work on my system with Office 2007. Folder options will not allow me to un-check “Use DDE” for Open, Edit, etc. actions.
lost the word documents when i tested this…the documents would not open and stated they are not there on the C drive….these documents were in compatibiltiy mode….have to go to open list from word to be able to open these files and then save them in docx or docm mode…….they will not open any other way when changing the append and dde settings
I am not sure which step that you missed, but I would make sure you double check your setings in the posting and read all of the users’ comments about their expereience. This has worked for many people, including myself.
Solution 1 worked for me. Thanks!
Solution 2 worked fine for me. First I omitted the step to add “%1″ (in quotes) at the end of the command and got errors that the file is not available. After correcting this it works like a dream!
Hey, I was looking around for a while searching for Microsoft Word and I happened upon this site and your post regarding ft Word file or Microsoft Excel file takes a long time to open | MyITkb.net, I will definitely this to my Microsoft Word bookmarks!
Solution 2.) Worked Fine for me thanx a lot !
wow..amazing…solution 2 worked great for me…thanxs a bunch.!!!
Solution 2 worked great for me with one exception. I now get a new version of Excel launched each time I double click to open a new file. (Not just a new window, but a new instance. Also, I don’t have the “Windows in taskbar” box checked on the View tab in my Excel options.)
I’m wondering if I inadvertently messed up the command line when making the changes described above. Any thoughts?
Shanachie > “…(Not just a new window, but a new instance…”
That is correct. When you do this, another instance of Excel is launched. If you use the same instance than the workbooks will display in the same instance of Excel, as you said, and therefore not display workbooks in separate windows.
The option that you mention, “Windows in taskbar box” I am not sure which option you are specifically referring to.
I get the error ‘Docs.xlsx’ could not be found. Check the spelling….. and when I click OK, I get the same error message on every name in that file. I’m trying to open the spreadsheet from Windows Explorer. However, when I open it from within Excel, I don’t get the error. I’m running Office 2007. Any thoughts?
Hi there,
Interesting, I`ll quote it on my site later.
Thank you
Robor
This worked great for Word files, but when I picked XLS the advanced buttom was not available only the restore button. I didn’t hit restore because I wasn’t sure what would happen. I don’t want to lose any excel files. If you know of anything else to do, please let me know. Thanks, Lyn
Solution 2 work like a charm, thanks!
It worked perfectly for me! Thanks! You saved me a lot of time and frustration.
I tried Solution 2 and Word files open quickly using the Open File icon in Word but won’t open at all by clicking on a Word file in Windows Explorer. I’m using XP and Office 2003.
Any suggestions? Tks in advance.
Please ignore the previous. I rechecked and found I didn’t delete the “/” before “dde” in the command line. Works fine now – thanks for your help.
#2 worked great for me…Thanks!
Hi
I tried to do this but along the way have messed up! Now I can’t open excel or word documents from a folder. I can only open them when in word or excel.
Any chance someone could help me reverse what I did in order to get it working again?!!
I have re selected use DDE but not sure what I need to put in the DDE message box!
Help!?!
Thanks in advance!
No problem Bec.
Go into your Control panel. (Click on Start, Run, Control.exe and clikc OK)
Then run “Add & Remove Programs”
Scroll down to office and click on change. Do NOT click on remove.
When prompted click on repair and follow the rest of the prompts.
Let us know if there is anything else we can do to help you.
Jason
This is great!
Thanks Jason!
Bec
on version 2, I struggled with this until I found that I needed a single space (space bar one time) at the end of the existing command line, and then the addition you recommended: “%1″
Hi,
I have Vista, and downloaded Creative Element Power Tools (and used File Type Doctor) to get to my file types stuff (Vista doesn’t have this option like XP does). I was able to fix this yesterday doing some alterations (the fix has since “worn off”), but if I follow your guidelines above, it still does not work. Word opens right away (rather than stalling for several seconds) – but the document itself does not open. I’ve tried various alterations of the “%1″ reco (spaces, with a /, with the /n, w/o the / – still nothing) It appears that if DDE is unchecked, the file does not actually open, just Word opens. Any ideas? Thanks!
Seth:
We could spend time back and forth checking your settings the easiest way is for you to do an office repair. You will need Office CD.
Go into your Control panel. (Click on Start, Run, Control.exe and clikc OK)
Then run “Add & Remove Programs”
Scroll down to office and click on change. Do NOT click on remove.
When prompted click on repair and follow the rest of the prompts.
After you are back to square one, you can try the steps above… Also make sure you read other’s comments first.
I have a bad experierence now.
(1) I tried to remove the NOD 32 version 4 (trial 30 days) from my Vista Notebook but since I lost the uninstall password. So NOD 32 gave me a web site to download the ID code first. And then they will release the password to me but i tried numerous of times i can’t download the ID code still. What i can do now?
(2) I just trying up some report in ms word and excel and saved in my docoment. But after i saved it and want to open it again. The PC just said the file is not available or the PC don’t allow me to open may due to virus issue but i already scan on it. It doesn’t said there has virus attack on it. Pls help me out urgently.
Thanks, City 06-02-2009
I am using microsoft office 2000 premium. Till last week I was able to open my saved files in word and excel. But now I could open the saved word file, but could not make any changes at all as ifile hungs up. And when I tries to close the file, it gives the message that the program is not responding. Could any one please help me as I have some critical files to work with.
Hi, I was looking around for a while searching for Microsoft Office Trial and I happened upon this site and your post regarding ft Word file or Microsoft Excel file takes a long time to open | MyITkb.net, I will definitely this to my Microsoft Office Trial bookmarks!
#2 its great for me but when the file name contain space its suck
if the name don’t have space its work well
XLS file exemple: horaire cadet.xls
Thanks for Cicloforza and Chris with their comments i was able to fix the problem.
I used solution 2 as well, and later had an issue with opening Excel files.
I used the Repair option of the Office, and later came back here to read the comments,
and it appeared that i missed a space and didn’t delete the “/” of the /dde.
Thanks guys and to the poster as well of course:)
It has been tested with Office 2007 and xp sp2.
Now it works like a charm.
Bary.
The soultion worket out well after modifying “%1″ instead of DDE.
Doc & XLs files opens in seconds.Thanx a million for the solution.
Thanks a lot. The second option was brilliant. Excel works perfectly now .
Solution 2 completely solved my issues. Thanks for taking the time to post this!
Guys… please help me. I tried solution number 2, and I deleted the “/dde” from the end of the application command. I then added the “%1″ to the end, but now my word document gets an error everytime I open ANY file. It opens up with an error and goes blank.
When I tried deleting the “%1″ and putting it back to the original, it wouldn’t let me.
Please please help me. Thanks,
Matwenty8@hotmail.com
Matt
You rock!!! Worked like a charm.
You could also try changing your default printer. My default printer was a network printer to which I was connected only at the office. When I set it as default then Word always trying to access it before opening a file. This caused a long delay. Chaning the default printer to a PDF creater solved my problem.
WOW…..Solution 2 worked…. It is atleast 10 times faster..
Thanks
Thanks for this post! #2 works well…just remember to delete the “/” before the dde and to leave a space between the “n” and the “%1″
Thanks for this – it worked perfectly.
Thanks! Solution 2 seems to work well!
Using this tip seems to alter the properties of the ‘Paste Special’ option. For instance, when dropping large amounts of data into Excel, rather than seeing ‘Values’, ‘Formats’, etc., I get a different list that has varying numbers of options based on what I’m trying to paste. The ‘Values’ option is incredibly useful for the work I do and I’m wondering if anybody knows of a way to get this menu back the way it was before I modded the Open command?
I did as solution 2 said and the saved Microsoft opened faster but now is just blank….and when I try and go back to change to what was before it does not work. Any help would be appreciated.
Hi. I am trying to reverse what I did in option 2. For some reason, when I try to eliminate the %1 at the end of the code, it puts it right back in after I click OK. For example, right now, in my code for Application used to perform action, it shows: “C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office12\EXCEL.EXE” /e %1 When I delete the %1 from the line and click OK, I can go right back into the options and %1 is right back in there. As of right now, when I try to open an Excel file, I have to click through about 8 error messages before it will open my file.
Please help…
Marc
I did as you said by taking check mark off DDE and then added “%1″ to end and now opens fast but lost document. How do I change back…???
Worked for me after several attempts, it would not save changes.