# Word 2007 won't open file from Windows Explorer



## cdellisola (Aug 12, 2009)

Word 2007 won't open either .doc or .docx from Windows Explorer or from an email. It starts Word but just opens a blank document. My only work around is to open through Word itself, which is a pain. Also, I can't select text in the word docs with my mouse, only with keyboard. I'm using Vista.

Please help - I'm having the same problem on both my work and home computers. I've seen users post the same problem at other times/sites but have yet to see a solution.

Thank you in advance!


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## drewkeller (Aug 1, 2009)

This sounds like the same issue...
http://word.tips.net/Pages/T000316_Cant_Open_a_Word_Document_in_Windows.html


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## ahmorrow (May 5, 2009)

If that doesn't work ctrl+a lets you select the whole page. That should help a bit.

If that doesn't work, try copying the URL and whenever Word loads up, paste the URL into the file box.

If that doesn't work, try opening it in wordpad instead--although I think you mentioned that above--though Word is kind of a generality 

If that doesn't work, you can always download OpenOffice from openoffice.org


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## cdellisola (Aug 12, 2009)

Thanks for the help. I resolved the issue on both computers by deleting the Word Data registry. Here are the steps I used.

To delete the Word Data registry key, follow these steps: 
1. Exit all Office programs. 
2. Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK. 
3. Locate the following registry subkey, as appropriate for the version of Word that you are running: 
• Word 2002: 
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Word\Data 
• Word 2003: 
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Word\Data 
• Word 2007: 
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Word\Data 
4. Click Data, and then click Export on the File menu. 
5. Name the file Wddata.reg, and then save the file to the desktop. 
6. Click Delete on the Edit menu, and then click Yes. 
7. Exit Registry Editor. 
8. Start Word. 

This fully solved the issue. Not sure if it will end up being a permanent or temporary fix but it was easy enough to do.


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## powermagee (Aug 17, 2009)

My problem is about the same except it downloads the attachment as a zip file w/ a bunch of files inside. No data inside the folder.


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## ahmorrow (May 5, 2009)

First of all, welcome to TSF, we're glad to have you powermagee.

Please create your own post powermagee. This is the third old post I've run across that appears to be solved, but is dredged up by people replying to old threads. The problem is that the title is unique to cdellisola's problem and the original post is what most people look at and try to solve.

I'm really not trying to be rude when I say this but it gets really confusing and there will be fewer and fewer people wanting to help on a forum without structure. People that have long forgotten about this post see that there is a new reply and wander whats going on, or the OP sees the new reply and gets an email, finds there way here and instead of new information dealing with their problem, they find someone thread-omancing their problem with a new one.

I'd love to help you out, but honestly, your problem confuses me and has very little detail in it.


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