Office: Search Subfolders Option Not Selected in Open Dialog (133147)

SYMPTOMS

When you use the Open dialog box in a Microsoft Office application, or when you click the Open A Document button on the Office toolbar, by default, the Search Subfolders feature is not selected. The files displayed in the Open dialog box are only those files found in the current folder, not including files found in any subfolders in the current folder.

CAUSE

This behavior is by design of the Open dialog box in Microsoft Office. This reduces the amount of time it takes to display files in the Open dialog box. When you select the Search Subfolders feature in the Open dialog box, the Open dialog box displays the files that meet your search criteria in both the current folder and all subfolders. This feature remains selected when you click the New Search button; however, when you close the Open dialog box, and then use the Open dialog box again, the Search Subfolders feature is turned off again.

If your current folder in the Open dialog box is located on a network share (for example if you are running the application from the network), the amount of time it takes to display the files in the Open dialog box each time you want to open a file would be greatly increased by searching the subfolders.

MORE INFORMATION

To turn on the Search Subfolders feature, use either of the following methods:

Method 1

In the Open dialog box, click the Commands And Settings button, and then click Search Subfolders.

Method 2

In the Open dialog box, click the Advanced button. Click the Search Subfolders check box, and click Find Now.

REFERENCES

For more information about finding documents using the Open dialog box in a Microsoft Office application, click the Index tab in Microsoft Office Help, type the following text

finding documents, o

and then double-click the selected text to go to the "Finding, Opening, And Managing Documents" topic.