How to set default version: 2010 or 2016?

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Not sure if this is a Windows problem or Excel problem, butI hope someone here has a solution.

On a Windows 10 computer with Office 2010 already installed, I installed Office 2016. The programs run OK from the various Start buttons, but when I double-click an XLS or XLSX from Windows Explorer, then the file is launched into Excel 2010 instead of the desired 2016. I have worked through various screens in Control Panel > Default Programs, but nothing seems to make a difference. Here’s what I’ve found:

- Control Panel > Default Programs > Set your default programs
- choose Excel 2016 from the list of programs
- Set this program as Default
- nothing appears to happen, and nothing changes with double-click behaviour

- Try something different
- Choose defaults for this program
- bottom of the dialog, under “protocols”
- Url:Excel Protocol
- listed as Microsoft Office 2010 <——- this seems to need changing to 2016, but how?

- go back to "Default Programs" in Control Panel
- Associate a file type of protocol with a specific program
- scroll thru the list until find .XLS
- click "Change Program…"
- browse thru various folders until find the EXE for Excel 2016, and select that one
- makes NO difference to what opens with double-clicking a filename

- try something different
- Scroll to the bottom of the list of file types and protocols
- locate MS_EXCEL
- it is listed as Microsoft Office 2010
- Click "Change Program…"
- Only two options are offered
- Office 2010
- Look for an app in the Store

- WHAT???? there is no option to browse the file system to find the Excel 2016 program that is installed on this computer.

I hope someone can tell me how to resolve this issue.

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Check this site
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/office/forum/office_2016-excel/need-to-open-xls-files-with-excel-2016win10/e6f1568f-e23d-4bcf-aa6d-742e625f0ec8?auth=1

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Thanks for your response – I had actually seen that article earlier, tried some of the suggestions, and gave up after reading about 20 entries. The article spans 15 pages of entries, from about October 2015 to July 2016 (maybe 250 entries). If this problem has been discussed in the Windows Secrets forum earlier, and I overlooked it in my search, I apologize for not finding it.

I am not sure if your answer was intended to be 1) you will find the answer here, or 2) you will find that many people are frustrated by this problem and there is no definitive answer. Upon first seeing your reply, I thought it was #1, but now I am not sure. Regardless, here is a typical response from about 10 days ago, so it seems to be an unresolved issue that Microsoft has not dealt with adequately:

I worked my way through dozens of entries, finally jumped to the end (page 14) and see that there is still no solution. I have Windows 10/Office 365 Pro on my desktop, laptop, and Surface. Surface works just like you would expect, but I don’t use that for development. On the desktop, I can’t get to an Excel file from the File Manager, but I can get to them from Excel’s memory list. The only way I can get to one that isn’t on the list is to (1) create a new Excel file imposter with the name of the file I want to open (FileName.xlsx), put one number in a field, and save it. Then I do a copy/paste of the real FileName.xlsx to replace the imposter, and tell mr. filemanager that yes, I really do want to replace it. Then Excel has a recent record of having talked with FileName.xlsx and when it is asked to open it, lo and behold it opens the old one in the new place. Then I have to do a “Save As” to put it where I really want it.
If this sounds like an idiotic approach, it is. It seems to me that a problem this fundamental could/would have been fixed LONG AGO. (I reinstalled Office 365 Pro yesterday, and that is no better.)

Here’s hoping that Microsoft cleans up an unresolved bug that seems to be causing a lot of confusion, and makes their solution easy to find and implement.

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I reviewed the referenced article again, and found some additional information. After much experimentation, I was able to get XL2016 to open as it should. Below is what I posted on the article that was referenced earlier.

+++++++++++++++++++++
I would have agreed with you about 24 hours ago, but my computer finally opens XL2016 when I double-click on a filename in Explorer. Also, the jumplist of files in the Excel shortcut on my Windows taskbar works properly by opening XL2016.

None of these steps worked independently, but ***something*** finally clicked to make it work. Perhaps all four are required???

1. Set the association between XLS and XL2016
2. Use the “update” function built into XL2016. Access from Excel via File > Account > Office updates
3. Manually edit the Windows Registry. By searching through the Registry, I found three instances where “Excel Protocol” was associated with Office 2010, instead of Office 2016 as it should be, and one instance where it was associated with Office 2016. I created a new .reg file to change the 2010 entries to match the 2016 entry.
4. Using Control Panel > Programs and Features > Office 2016 > Change, I was able to repair the O2016 installation.

ONLY after completing the final step did the file association work properly (and then it took many seconds for XL2016 to launch. That behaviour seems to have disappeared today). Furthermore, a Registry-monitoring program that I use alerted me that the Repair in step 4 tried to create an association with O2010, instead of the correct O2016. I rejected that change, and kept the O2016 association. Overall, the repair seems fragile.

I don’t claim that any of these steps will work for anyone else, nor that it will continue to work on my computer. I only write this to provide a glimmer of hope for anybody else struggling with this inexcusable behaviour. What is Microsoft doing by allowing such a glaring bug to remain for so long on their flagship product? It’s beyond comprehension.

++++++++++++++++

Microsoft responded with yet another “we are working on the problem” reply.

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Hi

I have 5 versions of Excel running quite happily on one of my laptops.
(Excel2003, 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016).
(I like having that flexibility)

I find the simplest way to load an excel file (and test it) in a specific version of Excel is to start the Excel app version first, then double-click the required file.
Of course, things get complicated if you start running multiple sessions of Excel and multiple versions of Excel at the same time.
In those circumstances, I use an Excel vba front-end file that allows me to choose which version of Excel I want to load a specified file.

zeddy

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Hi

I have 5 versions of Excel running quite happily on one of my laptops.
(Excel2003, 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016).
(I like having that flexibility)

I find the simplest way to load an excel file (and test it) in a specific version of Excel is to start the Excel app version first, then double-click the required file.
Of course, things get complicated if you start running multiple sessions of Excel and multiple versions of Excel at the same time.
In those circumstances, I use an Excel vba front-end file that allows me to choose which version of Excel I want to load a specified file.

zeddy

Hey
Is it possible to share that Excel vba front-end file that allows you to choose which version of Excel opens first? i have Excel 2010 and 2016 installed

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Hi Lungz

I need to update my front-end file to detect the whether Excel2016-click-to-run version is installed rather than Excel2016-mso version. (These Excel2016 versions have different functions available).

Anyway, I assume you are trying to choose which version of Excel opens when you double-click an Excel file in a Windows folder.

Currently, my understanding is that when you have multiple versions of Excel available on a PC/laptop/tablet, and you don’t have any Excel session currently running, then, when you double-click a filename to launch Excel and load that file, then it is the last installed version of Excel that will be the default version when opening files.

If you have a previous version of Office installed and an update is applied to that version, Windows thinks that it is the latest installation and changes the defaults.

It is easy to set up your Taskbar to show the different Excel icons for the versions you have available. On my system, I can click the associated Excel icon I want to load, i.e. clicking the Excel2003 taskbar icon loads Excel2003, clicking the Excel2007 taskbar icon loads Excel 2007 etc etc etc.

So, if you want a chosen file (selected in a file-browser window) to open in a particular version of Excel, the simplest way is to open the required Excel version first, then ‘drag-and-drop’ the selected file onto the open Excel session. If you only have one Excel session running, then double-clicking a filename will load that chosen file into the current session.

Hope this is of some help.

zeddy

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Hi Lungz

I need to update my front-end file to detect the whether Excel2016-click-to-run version is installed rather than Excel2016-mso version. (These Excel2016 versions have different functions available).

Anyway, I assume you are trying to choose which version of Excel opens when you double-click an Excel file in a Windows folder.

Currently, my understanding is that when you have multiple versions of Excel available on a PC/laptop/tablet, and you don’t have any Excel session currently running, then, when you double-click a filename to launch Excel and load that file, then it is the last installed version of Excel that will be the default version when opening files.

If you have a previous version of Office installed and an update is applied to that version, Windows thinks that it is the latest installation and changes the defaults.

It is easy to set up your Taskbar to show the different Excel icons for the versions you have available. On my system, I can click the associated Excel icon I want to load, i.e. clicking the Excel2003 taskbar icon loads Excel2003, clicking the Excel2007 taskbar icon loads Excel 2007 etc etc etc.

So, if you want a chosen file (selected in a file-browser window) to open in a particular version of Excel, the simplest way is to open the required Excel version first, then ‘drag-and-drop’ the selected file onto the open Excel session. If you only have one Excel session running, then double-clicking a filename will load that chosen file into the current session.

Hope this is of some help.

zeddy

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