Hyperlinked Office documents open in browser instead of associated application

When a hyperlink to an Office document is clicked the document will open within Internet Explorer instead of beginning an instance of the associated application. This is the correct behavior according to Microsoft.

To force hyperlinked Office documents to open with the appropriate application instead, follow these steps:

- Open REGEDIT.
- Browse to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes
and locate the subkeys for each document type you desire to change as follows:

- For each document/key create a new DWORD value called BrowserFlags and set to a value of 8.
- Close REGEDIT.

For other Office document types or for more information see Microsoft support article Q162059.

Warning: By visiting this site and/or by using any information contained herein, you agree to the Techbytes.ca terms of use.

Add a comment about this TechByte

If you wish to add a comment regarding this TechByte, please use the form below. Please note that by submitting comments using this form you are allowing all of the information submitted to be visible on this website. Any comments submitted using this form will only be shown on the website if they are approved by the administrators of this site. IF APPROVED, COMMENTS MAY TAKE SEVERAL DAYS TO BE POSTED.

Other TechBytes:

• Unable to open .jpg in Microsoft Photo Editor
• "NTLDR is missing or corrupt" on boot-up
• Unable to open secure websites (https) in Internet Explorer