
- #Always open word in edit mode update#
- #Always open word in edit mode android#
- #Always open word in edit mode download#
These hard-working customers didn’t understand, nor have the time to learn something as technical as file conversions or finding janky workarounds just to edit a document in a format that was familiar to them. I did report this issue a long time ago and while the bug has gotten a lot of attention, nothing has really been done about it – not until now.
#Always open word in edit mode android#
They weren’t good for enterprise users, but they got the job done for most people on the consumer end who were only going to use their Chromebooks at home.Īfter doing so though, they were disappointed to find that any time they would load Office files from the Chromebook Files app into these Android versions of Microsoft’s software, they would open in read-only mode with no editing capabilities unless they duplicated the file each time they opened it! This has been an issue for quite some time and has something to do with Google’s file picker experiment which would allow users to open Drive files successfully in Android or ARC apps like Office by mounting cloud services in the Files app! Worse still is the fact that no one can decide who’s at fault – Microsoft or Google. They wanted to aim at the large middle of the consumer base that was confused by the complex Microsoft Ribbon and just wanted to make basic edits.

What many don’t realize though is that Microsoft created the interface and functionality for these apps and for Office Online to try to copy the simplicity and success of Google Docs, Sheets and Slides.

Office Compatibility Mode – a band-aid solutionĭespite the allure of these Microsoft apps by name, they were still just glorified Android phone or tablet apps and that made a lot of people angry as they saw them as “wannabe Office”. This is the same as the “Open with” option today. If the “Office Editing for Docs, Sheets, Slides” Chrome extension is installed, you will be redirected to the extension and not Docs, Sheets, or Slides.
#Always open word in edit mode update#
This update simply allows you to open your files in Google Drive on the web and allows Google to automatically open them in Office Editing Mode on your behalf!) Password-protected Office files are the exception to this rule as they will not open directly in Office Editing Mode and instead, will continue to work in preview mode. (Clarification: Locally stored files and files housed in removable storage devices will continue to work as they do today. So long as you have your compatible Office files set to open in Google Drive through your Chromebook’s Files app by default, they will automatically open in Office Editing Mode. Office Editing Mode is a major improvement over compatibility modeĪutomatic ‘Office Editing Mode’ solves a longstanding issue that Chromebook users have been facing for years – the ability to natively edit Microsoft Office files from their local Files app and removable storage devices without needing to use Microsoft’s Android apps! Soon, any time you open an Office file on the web from your Files app, it will open in ‘Office Editing Mode’ by default – no need for conversions or hassle at all. While this is momentous, it has much bigger implications for Chromebook. This is huge because Drive users will no longer be required to manually choose to open a document this way before editing.

About this time last year, Google rolled out Office Editing Mode, which is an amazing improvement to compatibility mode, but this update makes it the default. xlsm) no longer requires any extra effort.
#Always open word in edit mode download#
Previously, double-clicking an Office file would just open a preview of it in Google Drive with options to download it, convert it to a Google Doc or open it in ‘Office compatibility mode’ – a band-aid solution with severely limited tools and janky formatting which had no autosave. It also comes with an expanded set of tools for manipulating the document and the ability to collaborate in real-time with others while auto-saving after each keystroke. Within the next two weeks, Google will begin rolling out a feature that is long overdue – Office files will now automatically open in ‘Office Editing Mode’ by default on the web! Office Editing Mode allows you to work on Microsoft Office files directly in Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, and Drawings without converting them and retains their formatting nicely too.
