OFFXP: HTML File Opens in the Last Office Program in Which It Was Edited (290155)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Excel 2002
  • Microsoft PowerPoint 2002
  • Microsoft Word 2002
This article was previously published under Q290155

SYMPTOMS

When you edit an HTML file in one Microsoft Office XP program and then try to open the file in another Office XP program, the HTML file opens in the program that was previously used to edit it.

CAUSE

Each Office program inserts a meta tag into an HTML file when the file is saved. For example, if you save an HTML document in Word, the meta tag looks similar to the following:

<meta name=ProgId content=Word.Document>

This meta tag causes Excel or PowerPoint to start Word when you try to open the HTML file in either Excel or PowerPoint.

WORKAROUND

To work around this behavior and open the HTML file in a different program than the one in which it was last edited, follow these steps:
  1. Start the program in which you want to open the HTML file.
  2. On the File menu, click Open.
  3. Locate and select the HTML file that you want to open.
  4. In the lower-right corner of the Open dialog box, click the down arrow to the right of Open.
  5. Click Open in Program Name, where Program Name is the name of the Office XP program in which you want to open the HTML file.
NOTE: When you open an HTML file by using these steps in either Word or PowerPoint, you can save the file only if you use a name that is different from the original HTML file name. This is because the file is opened read-only in Word or PowerPoint.

MORE INFORMATION

The following table lists the meta tags that are created by the Office programs when you save a document in HTML format.
Program        Meta tag
---------------------------------------------------------
Excel          <meta name=ProgId content=Excel.Sheet>
PowerPoint     <meta name=ProgId content=PowerPoint.Slide>
Word           <meta name=ProgId content=Word.Document>

REFERENCES

For more information about opening HTML files, click Microsoft Excel Help on the Help menu, type opening HTML files in the Office Assistant or the Answer Wizard, and then click Search to view the topics returned.

For more information about opening HTML files, click Microsoft PowerPoint Help on the Help menu, type opening HTML files in the Office Assistant or the Answer Wizard, and then click Search to view the topics returned.

For more information about opening HTML files, click Microsoft Word Help on the Help menu, type opening HTML files in the Office Assistant or the Answer Wizard, and then click Search to view the topics returned.
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:11/13/2003
Keywords:kbprb KB290155
©2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.