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🗂️ Open Office Files Directly in the Desktop Version of Word, Excel, or PowerPoint

Open your Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files in the desktop Office apps instead of in your browser.

M
Written by Maxime Renault
Updated over 2 weeks ago

By default, Office files (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) open in their web version.

If you prefer to open them directly in the desktop applications, you can change this setting in just a few clicks.

💡 Which Files Does This Apply To?

This feature applies to:

  • Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files

  • Stored on OneDrive or SharePoint

Once enabled, all your Word, Excel, or PowerPoint files will open in the installed desktop version on your computer instead of in the browser.

🖥️ Enable Opening in Office Apps — Windows

  1. Open Word, Excel, or PowerPoint (any one of them).

  2. Go to File > Options.

  3. Click the Advanced tab.

  4. Scroll down to the Link Handling section.

  5. Check the option: "Open files in the desktop app".

🍎 Enable Opening in Office Apps — Mac

  1. Open Word, Excel, or PowerPoint.

  2. In the menu bar, click Preferences.

  3. Go to General.

  4. In the Link Handling section, enable "Open files in the desktop app".

🔗 Need Additional Help?

You can find more details in Microsoft’s official documentation:

👉 Read the full documentation

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