Open a file

When you open a file in Microsoft Office, you have several options for how the file opens. You can open the original file for editing, open a copy, or open the file as read-only, which prevents you from saving the file unless you save it by using another name.What do you want to do?

Open a file

Open a file as a copy

Open a file as read-only

Open a file

1. Do the following in these Microsoft Office system programs:

   Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or Access

   • Click the Microsoft Office Button , and then click Open.

     Keyboard shortcut To display the Open dialog box, press CTRL+O.

   InfoPath, OneNote, Project, Publisher, or Visio

   • On the File menu, click Open.

     Keyboard shortcut To display the Open dialog box, press CTRL+O.

2. In the Look in list, click the folder, drive, or Internet location that contains the file that you want to open.
3. In the folder list, locate and open the folder that contains the file.

   Note By default, the files that you see in the Open dialog box are only those files that are created by the program that you are using. For example, if you are using Microsoft Office Excel, you do not see files that are created by using Microsoft Office Word unless you click All Files in the Files of type box.

4. Click the file, and then click Open.

Open a file as a copy

When you open a file as a copy, the program creates a duplicate of the file, and you look at the duplicate. Any changes that you make are saved to the copy. The program gives the copy a new name. The default is to add Copy (1) of to the beginning of the file name.

1. Do the following in these Microsoft Office system programs:

   Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or Access

   • Click the Microsoft Office Button , and then click Open.

     Keyboard shortcut To display the Open dialog box, press CTRL+O.

   InfoPath, OneNote, Project, Publisher, or Visio

   • On the File menu, click Open.

     Keyboard shortcut To display the Open dialog box, press CTRL+O.

2. In the Look in list, click the folder, drive, or Internet location that contains the file that you want to open.
3. In the folder list, locate and open the folder that contains the file.
4. Select the file that you want to open a copy of by clicking the arrow next to the Open button, and then clicking Open as Copy.

Note When you open a file as a copy, a new copy of the file is created in the folder that contains the original file.

Open a file as read-only

When you open a file as read-only, you are looking at the original file, but you cannot save changes to it.

1. Do the following in these Microsoft Office system programs:

   Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or Access

   • Click the Microsoft Office Button , and then click Open.

     Keyboard shortcut To display the Open dialog box, press CTRL+O.

   InfoPath, OneNote, Project, Publisher, or Visio

   • On the File menu, click Open.

     Keyboard shortcut To display the Open dialog box, press CTRL+O.

2. In the Look in list, click the folder, drive, or Internet location that contains the file that you want to open.
3. In the folder list, locate and open the folder that contains the file.
4. Select the file that you want to open as read-only by clicking the arrow next to the Open button, and then clicking Open Read-Only.

Notes:

• To create a shortcut to a folder on a network file server or Web server, use My Network Places on the My Places bar in the Open dialog box.
• The Recently used files list on the File menu or the Recent Documents list available when you click the Microsoft Office Button displays a list of the last few files that you opened. Click the file name to open the file.
• The My Recent Documents folder in the Open dialog box lists the previous files and folders that you have opened.

See also:

• Organize quick file access by using the My Places bar