The simplest way to open a Word document in Windows is by double-clicking the file name or icon. This will launch the Microsoft Word application and open the document in the workspace. When you double-click a Word document, it will be opened in whatever version of Microsoft Word is installed on your computer.
If you have installed the latest version of Word, your Word document may open in a new user interface, which works differently than earlier versions. To access the classic interface, click the File menu and chose Options. In the General tab, turn on the “Show the Start screen when this application starts” option. Click OK to save your changes.
If your document is more than a few years old, it may be saved in an earlier format such as .doc instead of .docx. You can open these older documents with the latest version of Word by clicking File, then selecting Open and browsing to locate the document. Then select the document from the list, and select the “Open as Read Only” or “Convert” radio buttons before clicking Open.
From the main Word window, you can also open documents from external programs such as the Internet, email, or a cloud storage service. To use these features, go to the File menu and select Open from the list. Then browse through the list to find a document from your web browser, email client, or a cloud storage service. A preview of the document will appear in the main window. Click Open to continue.
Finally, you can open a Word document using the Run command. Press the Windows key and the R key simultaneously on your keyboard. This will open the “Run” box. Type “winword” followed by the path of the document you want to open and press Enter. For example, if the document is called ‘mydocument.docx’, you would enter “winword “C:\myfolder\mydocument.docx”.
Once you have opened the document, you can begin editing. To save your changes, click File, then select Save. You can choose a different name, save it in a different location, or select the “Save As” option to keep a copy of the original document.