Microsoft Word Document 1, Document 2, etc.

[Seronello1]

Version: 2008 Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) Processor: Power PC Every time I click on my Word icon in the dock, it automatically opens a new blank document. This drives me crazy! I cannot anywhere in the preferences to turn this off. I don't want a new blank document every time I activate the software. Most of time I want to open a doc already on file, and it gets tedious having to close these unwanted blank docs. Can somebody help me?

 

[MacD]

I have the same issue ... and one more besides. Periodically, when I call up a second document it is arranged BEHIND the one I'm currently working on. Not always, mind you. And the documents that get placed below the active one (or that irritating Document 1) don't seem to have anything distinctive in common. At least I haven't spotted it.

Both these things are driving me round the bend. Any hints on how to fix 'em gratefully received.

FYI, I'm working in Word: Mac 2008 in Snow Leopard OS -- though it was happening in Leopard, too.

 

[Seronello1]

I'm using Leopard. I was hoping there was an adjustment I could make to my preferences, but apparently not. Often I wonder if the people who design software ever actually sit down and try to use it for a day. I only recently discovered how to get the keyboard to quit second-guessing what I'm typing into an Excel doc by spitting out a drop-down menu with everything I've ever typed in my life as an option! Honest to God! Fortunately, I was able to turn that "feature" off in preferences. Wish I could do the same with the blank docs in Word. Thanks for commisserating with me.

 

[MacD]

This exchange -- from a year ago -- may have some pertinence for your/our issue...



Except that -- like the guy making the query -- I'm not finding that the blank document goes away.

 

[John_McGhie_[MVP]]

Sorry guys, but this is a required behaviour for any "document-centric"
application on the Mac. The fact that it's the same on the PC makes no
difference: on the Mac, Microsoft does not make the rules, and the rules
require that when you click the icon in the doc, "document-centric"
applications must start with a blank document.

However, if you immediately open a new document without making any change to
the blank, it WILL go away.

If you leave the blank open long enough to fire the AutoRecover, it will
stay. Or if you have any kind of active field in your template which
updates on open, the new blank will stay.

Hope this helps

This exchange -- from a year ago -- may have some pertinence for your/our
issue...

http://www.officeformac.com/ms/ProductForums/Word/7394/0>

Except that -- like the guy making the query -- I'm not finding that the blank
document goes away.

--

The email below is my business email -- Please do not email me about forum
matters unless I ask you to; or unless you intend to pay!

John McGhie, Microsoft MVP (Word, Mac Word), Consultant Technical Writer,
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
Sydney, Australia. | Ph: +61 (0)4 1209 1410 | mailto:[email protected]

 

[CyberTaz]

Use the OS X-intended keystroke of Command+Tab to switch back to Word if
it's already running. Doing so will not cause a new blank document to be
created. The Dock is for launching apps... Each time you click the Dock icon
you are essentially 're-launching' the program which is what generates the
new document if a document window isn't already open.

HTH |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[Patty Winter]

Sorry guys, but this is a required behaviour for any "document-centric"
application on the Mac. The fact that it's the same on the PC makes no
difference: on the Mac, Microsoft does not make the rules, and the rules
require that when you click the icon in the doc, "document-centric"
applications must start with a blank document.

However, if you immediately open a new document without making any change to
the blank, it WILL go away.

Which makes it a lot more convenient than a certain other Mac word
processing program I could mention, where you have to close the
blank document manually...


Patty

 

[MacD]

Use the OS X-intended keystroke of Command+Tab to switch back to Word if

> it's already running. Doing so will not cause a new blank document to be
> created. The Dock is for launching apps... Each time you click the Dock icon
> you are essentially 're-launching' the program which is what generates the
> new document if a document window isn't already open.

That eliminates one annoyance, thanks. Do you have any insights into why documents occasionally end up being shuffled below the current doc (blank or otherwise) when I call up something from the Open Recent or Open... menu? I haven't detected any pattern -- it seems to happen to docs saved in both .docx and .doc, for instance.

 

[Seronello1]

That works! Thank you so much! It goes back to Word no matter what else I'm using. You're the best!

 

[CyberTaz]

That one's a little more elusive... Especially since I'm no longer using any
Macs running 10.5.x. The best I can offer is that you make certain that both
OS X & Office are fully updated with disk permissions repaired.

There was an initial conflict with Office windowing in Leopard because of
Apple springing Spaces after indicating that they wouldn't [at least that's
the story I've most commonly heard ]. Most of the conflict appears to
have been resolved via updates, but I believe there is still some sporadic
behavior such as you describe. Apparently its occurrence is very
inconsistent, so what can't be reproduced is very difficult to identify &
what they can't identify they can't fix. It seems, however, that it is less
likely to happen if you don't leave Office apps running day to day.

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac