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Problem Sending the Command

Anonymous
2017-01-21T20:09:37+00:00

Hello. Every time I try to open a saved Word document, I receive an error: "There was a problem sending the command to the program." If I click "OK" I am taken to the document as though there was nothing wrong. How do I get rid of this error?

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For home | Windows

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  1. Anonymous
    2017-01-21T23:29:52+00:00

    Thank you for getting to me. It still did not work however.

    I went to the exact location you identified above, but I could find know WINWORD.exe.

    I did find it at C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\root\Office16. However, when I view "Properties" there is no "Compatability" tab

    I also tried the REGEDIT method, and that did not work either.

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  2. Doug Robbins - MVP - Office Apps and Services 323.1K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2017-01-21T23:18:52+00:00

    For the error message "There was a problem sending the command to the program", use Windows Explorer to access the C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office16 folder and right click on WINWORD.EXE then on Properties, go to the Compatibility tab and uncheck all the boxes.  It has also been reported that the problem can be overcome by editing the registry at HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Word.Document.12\shell\Open and deleting the ddeexec key.

    The ddeexec can also be deleted from

    HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Word.DocumentMacroEnabled.12\shell\Open.

    That fix is described at ...

    http://www.dilloway.co.uk/there-was-a-problem-sending-the-command.html

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