Disable Reading View for Microsoft Word

This KB Article provides an overview for disabling Reading View for Microsoft Word when opening email attachments.

By default, Microsoft Word will open documents you can't edit, such as email attachments, in Reading view.


To change this setting so that the default behavior is to instead open these documents in the default view:

  1. Open Microsoft Word and begin a blank document.

  2. Click File in the upper-left.

    Click File in the upper-left in Microsoft Word.

  3. Click Options at the bottom of the left ribbon.

    Click Options at the bottom of the left ribbon.

  4. In the General tab, under Start up options, uncheck the setting to 'Open e-mail attachments and other uneditable files in reading view'.

    Uncheck 'Open e-mail attachments and other undeitable files in reading view'.

  5. Click OK.




Keywords:word,outlook,reading,view,preview,attachment readingview   Doc ID:88272
Owner:Thom W.Group:Fox Valley Technical College
Created:2018-12-06 15:33 CDTUpdated:2019-10-16 12:01 CDT
Sites:Fox Valley Technical College
CleanURL:https://kb.fvtc.edu/readingview
Feedback:  11   12