Can’t use CTRL-F6 in Word when open multiple files f/ Windows Explorer

Can’t use CTRL-F6 in Word when open multiple files f/ Windows Explorer

I believe I’ve run into a bug with Windows Explorer, however, it could possibly be with Word 2010. If it’s not a bug, and can be “fixed” by your helping me, that would be wonderful! (I use Windows 7 Professional, 64-bit.)

This is what does work just fine: From Word, I open a file, then open another file, then another. I am able to use the CTRL-F6 to move from document to document.

This is what does not work: I open those same 3 files from Windows Explorer, by using the mouse to select them and hit ENTER. The files do open in Word. However, the CTRL-F6 keystroke does not work to be able to move from document to document.

In the latter, it’s a little bit as if Windows Explorer is starting multiple copies of Word. However, from the Word icon on the taskbar, both cases look the same, i.e., when I hover over the icon, I can see the 3 miniature files, and can click into any of them.

I’d like to understand what’s going on that’s different in the 2 cases. But I’d really love to learn of how I can make the latter case work. With my work, I do this process (open multiple files from Windows Explorer) dozens of times a day, and I need efficiency. It takes a lot longer to open each file one-by-one. It also takes longer to not be able to use CTRL-F6.

Thanks, if someone can help me.

Works fine here, using Word 2010 (SP1, fully patched) on Win7 SP1 Ultimate. I know that doesn't help you with your problem, but assuming you're using Office 2010, at least we can start to wonder if it's something wrong with your installation of Office or Windows - it does work, at least for me .

Thank you, cluberti, for testing this on your system. That is a clue that our systems are different. The question is, of course, How? (Yes, I’m using Office 2010.)

Would you please try it again, this time with 7 or more files? I.E., from Windows Explorer, select a larger number of Word files, then hit ENTER. Then test to see if CTRL-F6 cycles through each and every one?

A slightly alternative test is to open from Word a couple of files. Then, do the other procedure by opening from Windows Explorer a bunch of files. Then test CTRL-F6. Are any files left out of a keystroke visit?

If anyone else would like to help, they could try these tests. Am I the only person who has this problem, or does anyone else experience it?

And, does anyone have any theories on why my system would have this problem? Thanks!

OK, tested - it works here. In my case, all of the files open under one single instance of Word 2010 (for clarity, it's Office 2010 32bit on Win7 Ultimate SP1 x64), and cycle properly.

I appreciate your trying it again with the different twist.

Guess what! My husband has a brand new PC with a newly-installed, new version of Windows 7 Professional 64-bit, and a newly-installed, new version of Office 2010. (Though from different sources, our versions are the same except that my Office is Professional and his is Home & Business.)

I ran the tests I have described here on his new system. Lo and behold, his brand new system has the exact same problem, namely, if multiple files are opened from within Word, the CTRL-F6 works. If the same files are instead opened from Windows Explorer, the CTRL-F6 does not work.

That demonstrates that this Microsoft software problem is not because my PC has a faulty installation.
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I should probably bring this issue up where people discuss technical issues about Windows Explorer, since that might be the culprit instead of Word. I don’t know which forum category that fits here.

I need to try to understand in sufficient detail what Explorer is doing when one hits ENTER after selecting various files.

Can you post a step by step (in depth) repro of the problem, so I may make sure I am doing exactly as you are? Short of a video, posting the exact steps one by one should help me figure out where yours is going wrong.

Okay, sure.

1. Prepare (or find) a folder that has (for example) 5 Word files such that in Windows Explorer, Details view, they would be next to each other.

2. Put unique content in each of the 5 Word files so that you can tell them apart.

3. In Windows Explorer, go to that folder and view it in Details view.

4. Use your mouse to simultaneously highlight and select those 5 files.

Below shows an example. My mouse just selected my 5 fives (though my mouse pointer is not showing up in the graphic).





5. Hit [ENTER] on your keyboard.

6. The system will now start Word for you and will open those 5 files, and the 5 Word files will be available to edit in Word.

Below shows what it looks like with my mouse hovering over the Word icon on the taskbar. As you can see, the 5 files are open in Word.





7. Go to any of the Word files as if you were going to edit it.

8. On the keyboard (in Word), simultaneously click [CONTROL] and [F6]. Continue to push CTRL-F6, and report what happens.
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What should happen is that Word would cycle through each of your 5 files (and you can tell that the content is switching from one to another).

This does not happen for me, nor on my husband’s brand new system.

However, if I start the process over and, from within Word, open those same 5 files (i.e., click [FILE], [OPEN], and find the file to open, then the next, etc.), then CTRL-F6 does cycle through the 5 files.
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Whew! I tried to be explicit, above, but am I precise enough? If there's anything I could explain better, please let me know.[FONT=&quot]
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Nope, that's good. Let me give it a try in a couple of different Win7 VMs when I get back to my hotel later.

Sounds good.

Well, I apologize - I never got to testing this. Hopefully later today.

OK, after awhile I was finally able to reproduce this, but note it did not always reproduce, so it seems like a timing issue. When it worked, I was able to close all documents opened (I had 5 in a folder) without issue, but when it reproduced the issue and I was unable to CTRL+F6, I got a message (on every document but the last I tried to close) that normal.dotm was open in another session, and did I want to save anyway. It would seem that opening each document separately from explorer in your case avoids this, but on your systems you have apparently a timing issue that causes each instance to open too fast, and thus normal.dotm is probably still locked by the winword.exe process. I also noticed during process startup (via procmon) that if the file is locked, it appears Word spawns a new instance of winword.exe, which would explain why CTRL+F6 doesn't work across documents (you can only CTRL+F6 in documents opened within the same winword.exe process).

It's not a bug, it does this to make sure you can open the documents you requested - the issue comes down to the fact that Word does do a file lock request on normal.dotm for template data when you open a Word document, and if you open too many too fast, you will end up with multiple processes (rather than all documents in a single winword.exe process) to avoid document layout or corruption issues. The real "fix" is "user education", aka "don't do that" .

Yaayyy! You finally could see what I see! And you go further by grasping some of the mechanics behind the scenes. Thanks for not dropping the issue, and for coming back to it!
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Of course, as you’d expect, I don’t want to accept, “don’t do that”. I’ve used lots of different versions of Windows operating systems with their respective Windows Explorers, and they all could “do that” (i.e., open multiple files in Word, Excel, etc. from Windows Explorer). If a more modern Windows can’t “do that”, then it needs to “learn” to “do that”. The real "fix" is "OS education". (I realize I’ve performed somewhat of a context switch. Your “don’t do that” pertained to, don’t try to lock normal.dotm when it’s already locked.)

You offer some clues that could be very helpful (thanks ). “[E]ach instance... open too fast”. Maybe there is a way to tell Windows Explorer to not be so fast.

This reminds me of an annoyance I used to have with Internet Explorer when, upon starting up, it would bug me by telling me that I might want to disable the add-ons that I purposefully added in there. (Of all the nerve! ) I tracked down the help I needed; I then “told” Internet Explorer to wait longer before asking such a silly question. Viola -- it doesn’t bug me anymore. So, I need to find an equivalent method for Windows Explorer.

You noticed that “it appears Word spawns a new instance of winword.exe”. Yeah, that’s what I was suspecting when, in my first post, I said it’s “as if Windows Explorer is starting multiple copies of Word”. I didn't think to look in the Task Manager; that was a good idea of yours.

I don’t suppose there’s a way to tell Word the following: If you can’t lock normal.dotm, just get a read-only copy (and, don’t even think about spawning a new instance of Word). I only update normal.dotm every once in a while, but I read from it often.

There's not a way to force it to do that, but it could be a request you make of the product team via email ([email protected] may still work, I don't know - otherwise, you would open a support case to have a bug filed). In all reality though, file locking behavior isn't something the Office team can necessarily change, they can only change the way they attempt to open the file itself (that's the behavior you would want changed, I would assume). Unfortunately, it isn't going to be fixed in this version, and if you don't submit soon and get a change approved, it's not likely to make the next version either (unless they change the behavior on their own outside of your request, which is always possible, just not probable). So, if CTRL+F6 is important to you, I submit the fix (at least for now) is a behavioral one, and not a technical one .

Good idea for me to make that request. I think you’re right that the read-only DotM file will probably not be something “they” want to work on.

However, since the ability to have W.Explorer properly open multiple files was something that worked in many previous Windows O/S’s, but Win 7 can’t do it, I consider that a bug, not a design wish.

Thanks so much for exploring this issue with me. Your efforts have been valued!
(I don't know what that pink elephant is supposed to mean, but I've been wanting to use it. So you get the honor.)