MicrosoftOffice Word2007 Command-line switches

To modify the way Microsoft Office Word 2007 starts one time, you can add a switch in the Microsoft Windows Run command (Start menu). If you plan to use the modified startup method frequently, you can create a shortcut on the Windows desktop.

Note: If you want to prevent a macro from running automatically instead of using a switch, you can press Shift when you start Word.

Introduction to commands, switches, and parameters

Each time you start Word, you are actually running the Winword.exe command, although you usually don't even see it by typing the command. You can change some aspects of how your program starts by adding a subcommand (called a switch) to the Winword.exe command.

The switch appears after the main command, preceded by a space and a forward slash (/). Sometimes, the switch name follows another space, followed by one or more specific directives (called parameters), which provide the program with more information about how to execute the Winword.exe command.

For example, the following command instructs Word to start and immediately open a file named MyDocument.

winword.exe/f Mydocument.docx

Use this switch once by adding a switch to the Run command

First, you must verify the location of the Winword.exe file on your computer. If you accept the default folder location when you install Word, the Winword.exe file may be located at:

C:Program FilesMicrosoft OfficeOffice12Winword.exe

If the Winword.exe file is not found at this location, search for the file and record the full path.

1. Do one of the following:

Microsoft Windows Vista Click the Start button

, point to All Programs, click Accessories, and then click Run.

Microsoft Windows XP or Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Click the Start button, and then click Run.

2. In the Run dialog box, type the full path (including the file name) of the Winword.exe file, or click Browse to locate the file.

3. Type a space at the end of the path, and then type the switch and parameters. For example, you can type:

"C:Program FilesMicrosoft Officeoffice12winword.exe"/F C:mydocument.docx

The next time you start Word, the program still takes its previous default settings. To make your custom startup reusable, see the next section.

Comments:

Switches and parameters are not case-sensitive. For example,/A is the same as/A.

Remember to include a space before the switch, and include a space before each parameter.

If the switch uses a filename and the file name contains spaces, enclose the entire name in quotes, such as/T "elegant Report.dotx".

To make a switch reusable by creating shortcuts

First, you must verify the location of the Winword.exe file on your computer. If you accept the default folder location when you install Word, the Winword.exe file may be located at:

C:Program FilesMicrosoft OfficeOffice12Winword.exe

If the Winword.exe file is not found at this location, search for the file and record the full path.

1. Right-click the Windows Desktop, point to New, and then click Shortcuts.

2. In the "type the location of the item" box, type the full path (including the file name) of the Winword.exe file, or click Browse to locate the file.

3. Type a space at the end of the path, and then type the switch and parameters. For example, you can type:

"C:Program FilesMicrosoft Officeoffice12winword.exe"/F C:myfile.docx

4. Click "Next".

5. In the type a name for this shortcut box, type a name for the shortcut, and then click Finish.

The shortcut appears on the desktop.

6. Whenever you want to start Word in this specific custom way, double-click the shortcut.

7. To add the desktop shortcut to the Start menu in Windows, right-click the shortcut, and then click Attach to Start Menu on the shortcut menu.

You can create multiple shortcuts, and each shortcut will apply different switches and parameters to the program when the program starts.

Comments:

Switches and parameters are not case-sensitive. For example,/A is the same as/A.

Remember to include a space before the switch, and include a space before each parameter.

If the switch uses a filename and the file name contains spaces, enclose the entire name in quotes, such as/T "elegant Report.dotx".

Available switches and Parameters