Setting Excel as default

[Clitheroekid]

I recently bought a new PC, mainly because I'd previously been forced to switch from my ancient version of Outlook to Outlook 365, but as I was still using Windows 7 it kept crashing, and I was unable to resolve it.

When I got the computer it had Windows 10 and MS Office 2010 installed on it, but every time I tried to open an Excel file a message popped up saying I needed an activation key. As I was already paying for Office 365 I decided the simplest option was to uninstall Office 2010, expecting that it would then open spreadsheets on the 365 version. However, I now find that whenever I open a spreadsheet it opens in Libre Office, instead of Excel.

For the avoidance of doubt I'd actually installed Office 365 on my PC, so I'm not just using the web version.

Whilst I’ve no doubt Libre Office is a perfectly good program I'm paying for Excel, I'm familiar with it, and I therefore want to use Excel exclusively.

I therefore went to settings/apps/default apps/choose default applications by file type, intending to change it so that spreadsheets would be automatically opened in Excel.

Sure enough, Libre Office Calc was specified as the default program to open Excel files.

When I clicked on it to change, a window popped up saying “Choose an application". However, the only two options offered were Libre Office Calc or “Look for an app in the Microsoft store".

I therefore clicked on the "Look for an app" tab, expecting to find Excel there, but there were just dozens of proprietary programs designed to work with Excel, and Excel itself was not in the list.

It did occur to me that the simplest option might be just to delete Libre Office, as I can't see I'd ever want to use it, but I’m not sure this would work.

The `help' functions have been their usual waste of time, so I would be immensely grateful if anybody can help me resolve the problem.

[Infrasonic]

Where did you buy this PC from? Office 2021 is the latest version, and most PC's have been shipping with W11 for some time, W10 goes out of support next year...https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows ... upport?r=1

A legit licensed Windows PC should auto launch MS applications as default file associations out of the box - that's one of the criticisms people level at Windows, fighting it to change the defaults to non MS products!

Sounds a bit odd to me...

[Breelander]

...I therefore went to settings/apps/default apps/choose default applications by file type, intending to change it so that spreadsheets would be automatically opened in Excel.

Sure enough, Libre Office Calc was specified as the default program to open Excel files.

When I clicked on it to change, a window popped up saying “Choose an application". However, the only two options offered were Libre Office Calc or “Look for an app in the Microsoft store".

Right-click on any of your spreadsheets and choose 'Open With'. If Excel isn't in the list offered, select 'Choose another app'. If you still don't see Excel click 'More apps'. If it's there select it, tick 'Always use this app..' and click OK. If not, then click 'Look for another app on this PC' and browse to find Excel.exe.

After you have done this once Excel will also have been added as an option in 'default applications by file type'.

[modellingman]

Have you set up your Office365 account on the new PC? From memory that's the first step. It will also give you access to any files on OneDrive (if you make use of that). Once you login to your PC usingyour Office365 credentials you should be able to install the Office365 versions of Excel, Word, etc that you are paying for as part of your subscription.

modellingman

[Clitheroekid]

Thanks for your assistance. For reasons unknown, and without my doing anything, Excel has suddenly become recognised as the default.

The ways of Microsoft will never cease to confuse me.