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You are here: MacNN Forums > Software - Troubleshooting and Discussion > Applications > How can I set my default to older version of word?

How can I set my default to older version of word?
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smileLP
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Feb 3, 2011, 01:33 PM
 
hi,

i use word X, nothing newer, cuz i don't like how they've "improved" it since word X

i do however, have a newer version on my computer, sitting idle, for perhaps, someday...

all my stuff opens in the older version, which is good

BUT, a friend used my computer and opened a word document and innocently chose the newer word app. when prompted (the word doc was an attachment)

now everything opens up in the newer version of word only!

i can open in the older version if i drag things to the older icon on my doc

BUT, is there a way to reset my computer so the newer version of word is permanently bypassed again?

thanks much to anyone who can help!!
     
P
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Feb 3, 2011, 02:12 PM
 
Get Info for a Word file. Under Open With, select your favourite Word version, then push the button Change all...
The new Mac Pro has up to 30 MB of cache inside the processor itself. That's more than the HD in my first Mac. Somehow I'm still running out of space.
     
smileLP  (op)
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Feb 3, 2011, 03:30 PM
 
hi, thanks much for the info, that SHOULD work

BUT, for some reason it's not

i'm following the exact 3 steps you say, even clicking on the final "are you sure you want to... "

but when i say yes, even after a reboot, it still opens word docs in the newer version of word i don't want

i agree this should have solved it - - but it didn't ; (

any other thoughts?

thanks so much!
     
smileLP  (op)
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Feb 3, 2011, 03:36 PM
 
OK - UPDATE

it seems if i change the word documents one at a time, that particular document will now continue to open in the desired word version

but if i hit the change all button, not only does it not change all the other word docs, but it won't save the change for the particular document i did 'get info' for

so, my choices appear to be change them one at a time, and try not to change anything universal

this, of course, dooms me to spending the next few yrs. of my life changing these word docs. one at a time as i come across them ; (

should i consider tossing the newer version of word they're all opening in (the original problem)?

thoughts?
( Last edited by smileLP; Feb 3, 2011 at 03:42 PM. )
     
smileLP  (op)
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Feb 4, 2011, 06:01 PM
 
ok, here's a little more, perhaps valuable, detail

after i click on "change all"

when i look to re-check what it's changed all to, after i have pressed the change all button, it changes to "microsoft word default 12.0.0" listed in the little window

this, mere seconds after i'd selected a diff. version of word and pressed select all

if i don't choose select all, it will keep the version i've selected (but just for that one document i'm looking at)
     
steve626
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Feb 6, 2011, 03:21 PM
 
I've looked into this because I have Office 2004, 2008 and now 2011 on my Mac. I am now using 2011 and it's actually much better than the earlier versions.

However if you wish to stay with an earlier version and want it to "default," you have discovered what others have found out previously, namely that once the "newer" version is run just once, files default to that version even if you try to "change all." Changing files one at a time seems very laborious, as you pointed out.

Here is the only way I found ensures that you can simply double click on word files and they all open in the (older) version that you prefer:

Set your computer so that your desired version of MS-Word opens automatically when you log in or start up your computer. In other words, that version of Word must be on all the time. Then when you double click on a Word file, if the older version of Word is already open (and is the only version open), the file will open in that version. So at the price of automatically having Word start up upon login (which takes a small amount of memory/cpu resources), you can have the default behavior for all word files that you want. As a quick test, you can simply manually start up you older version of Word and see if all files open in that version when double-clicked. It this test is successful, you can make it automatic by adding an item to your login list (or just stick with manually opening Word first before clicking any files).

By the way, this words with Office 2004-2008-2011, I don't know about earlier versions but I assume it will work for them also in this fashion. Maybe you could try this and report back if it works for your version.
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smileLP  (op)
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Feb 6, 2011, 11:24 PM
 
thanks for a decent workaround; i'll let you know if it comes to that

btw, the reason i use the older word version ("X"/2000) is cuz the "improved versions" don't let me do stuff i like and am used to: can't make macros, can't resize docs so they don't fit whole screen, toolbars are a pain, etc. etc.
     
philm
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Feb 7, 2011, 03:43 PM
 
Originally Posted by steve626 View Post
I've looked into this because I have Office 2004, 2008 and now 2011 on my Mac. I am now using 2011 and it's actually much better than the earlier versions.

However if you wish to stay with an earlier version and want it to "default," you have discovered what others have found out previously, namely that once the "newer" version is run just once, files default to that version even if you try to "change all." Changing files one at a time seems very laborious, as you pointed out.

Here is the only way I found ensures that you can simply double click on word files and they all open in the (older) version that you prefer:

Set your computer so that your desired version of MS-Word opens automatically when you log in or start up your computer. In other words, that version of Word must be on all the time. Then when you double click on a Word file, if the older version of Word is already open (and is the only version open), the file will open in that version. So at the price of automatically having Word start up upon login (which takes a small amount of memory/cpu resources), you can have the default behavior for all word files that you want. As a quick test, you can simply manually start up you older version of Word and see if all files open in that version when double-clicked. It this test is successful, you can make it automatic by adding an item to your login list (or just stick with manually opening Word first before clicking any files).

By the way, this words with Office 2004-2008-2011, I don't know about earlier versions but I assume it will work for them also in this fashion. Maybe you could try this and report back if it works for your version.
This is precisely my experience too, albeit for Excel rather than Word. My fave version of Excel is 2004. 2008 was horrible and 2011 is a bit better. I have a few spreadsheets now which exceed the 65k row limit in Excel 2004 so I need more than one version. Most companies improve their software with subsequent versions. Microsoft just produce 'different' versions.
     
smileLP  (op)
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Feb 7, 2011, 03:51 PM
 
microsoft word had it exactly right in the mid 90's

every subsequent version was more or less a little bigger and a little worse

but of course they have to sell new versions or no profit
     
ibook_steve
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Feb 7, 2011, 04:37 PM
 
Originally Posted by smileLP View Post
thanks for a decent workaround; i'll let you know if it comes to that

btw, the reason i use the older word version ("X"/2000) is cuz the "improved versions" don't let me do stuff i like and am used to: can't make macros, can't resize docs so they don't fit whole screen, toolbars are a pain, etc. etc.
I don't really understand how you "can't resize docs so they don't fit whole screen", but anyway...

Could this issue have something to do with the actual name of the app? For example, I have Office 2008 installed and all the apps have generic names: Microsoft Word, Microsoft Powerpoint, Microsoft Excel. I think MS uses these same exact names for every version of Office. If you changed the names of the apps to "Word X", "Word 2004", "Word 2008" and then did a change all for the correct one, would this fix it? I can't test because I only have 2008 installed.

Steve
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