I cannot set Word as the Default program for .docx files

Question

Hello, I cannot set Word as the default program for opening .docx files. I am using Windows 8.1 and Office 2010.

I tried right clicking the file and then selected Open With. Word was not an option in the menu so I clicked More Options. There was no Word option in that menu either. A message appeared at the bottom saying "Browse for another App on your PC".  I then browsed for the Word application on my Pc but it does not show up in any of the Microsoft Office folders.

I also tried to set it as the default by going to Control Panel and selecting Programs. From there I selected "Make a file type always open in a specific program". When I scrolled down to the .docx file type there was no option to set its Default program to Word.

Does anyone know how to do this.

Thanks for any help

Answer 1

Hmm. In yesterday's post you said you found the file in the folder C:\Program Files(x86)\Microsoft Office 2010\Office14, with no space between 'Files' and '(x86)'. I've never seen a Windows installation where that's the case, but it's worth a try. Copy and paste this line into the Run box:

"C:\Program Files(x86)\Microsoft Office 2010\Office14\winword.exe" /r

Answer 2

I copied and pasted as you said but I got the same error message as in the screenshot in the previous post.

It says the program is unavailable.

Answer 3

Because we now know which folder contains the winword file, the expression you should paste into the Run box must be

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office 2010\Office14\winword.exe" /r

Copy that line from this post and paste it into the Run box -- don't type it, because it won't work if you put in or leave out spaces in the wrong place.

Answer 4

Thanks for the reply. I tried your solution but a message pops up saying windows cant find winword.

The Office 2010 copy that I am using is provided by my college. Would that be the reason it doesnt show up in the search.

No, the program must be somewhere on your computer or else it wouldn't run at all. To find the folder that contains it:

• Open the File Explorer. In the tree list on the left, expand the This PC icon, expand the System Drive (C:) icon, and click on the Program Files (x86) icon. [If you don't have a Program Files (x86) folder, then click on the Program Files icon.]
• Click in the search box at the upper right, and type in winword.
• The search should return a handful of results, and one of them should be winword.exe, probably in the folder C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office 2010\Office14. Make a note of the full path of that file.
• In the Run box described in the ReRegisterWord page, enter the full path and filename enclosed in double quotes, followed by the /r, like this:

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office 2010\Office14\winword.exe" /r

Answer 5

Use the steps in http://www.word.mvps.org/FAQs/AppErrors/ReRegisterWord.htm.