Tutorials
Microsoft Office Tutorials
Opening an Existing Office File
You can view or edit an existing file by opening it from disk. You do not need to remember the file name because the Open dialog box displays a list of folders and files in the current drive and folder. You can select the desired document from the list, or you can type the name of the document you want to open.
If the file resides in a different drive or folder, you can use the Look in list to select the correct location. The folders and files residing in the selected location appear in the list box below the Look in box.
In addition to using the Look in list to open documents, the Open dialog box contains a Places Bar on the left side of the dialog box. The Places Bar contains shortcuts to various folders containing commonly used files, as well as desktop options, and recently opened files.
If you want to protect the original version of a file from modifications, you can use the Open list to open a copy of the file as read-only.
You can also have more than one file open at a time.
The Open dialog box
Read through the steps:. If you would like to complete these steps in an actual Office file, create a new Office file and then proceed through the steps. (Follow this link for instructions on creating a new Office file.)
Practice the Skill
- Open Word and click the Open button
on
the Standard toolbar.
The Open dialog box opens. - Click the dropdown arrow
beside the Look
in list.
A list of available drives appears. - Select the drive where the document you want to open is located.
A list of available folders appears. - Select the folder where the document you want to open is located.
A list of available files appears. - Select the name of the document you want to open.
The file name is selected. - Click Open.
The Open dialog box closes and the document opens in the document area.
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