Microsoft KB Archive/97790

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WD: How to Open the Last Document Edited When You Start Word

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Q97790

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The information in this article applies to:


 * Microsoft Word for Windows, versions 7.0, 7.0a
 * Microsoft Word for Windows, versions 6.0, 6.0a, 6.0c, 2.0, 2.0a, 2.0a-CD, 2.0b, 2.0c, 1.0, 1.1, 1.1a

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SUMMARY
The bottom of the File menu lists the last files that have been saved or loaded in chronological order (the last file saved or opened appears first). This list of files is commonly referred to as the Most Recently Used (MRU) list.

After you start Word for Windows, if you want to open the last file saved or opened, you can manually click the first file listed on the MRU list on the File menu, or you can have Word automatically open the file when you start Word by either modifying the Word command line or creating an AutoExec macro.

MORE INFORMATION
To automatically open the last document edited when you start Word, use one of the following methods:

Windows 95

 * 1) With the right mouse button, click the Start button, and then click Explore.
 * 2) In Explorer, expand the Windows folder by clicking the plus (+) sign to the left of the Windows folder. Expand the Start Menu folder, and then click the Programs folder.
 * 3) In the Programs folder, right-click the shortcut for Microsoft Word, and then click Properties.
 * 4) In the Properties dialog box, select the Shortcut tab. Add /mFile1 to the Target line.

NOTE: There is no space between the /m and File1.

Windows 3.1
 Select the Word for Windows icon in Windows Program Manager. On the Program Manager File menu, click Properties.  Add /mFile1 to the command line. For example, if your Word for Windows directory is on drive C and is called Winword, change the command line to the following: "C:\Winword\Winword.exe /mFile1" NOTE: There is no space between the /m and File1. 

The File1 macro opens the first file in the list of most recently saved documents.

Word 6.0/7.0

 * 1) On the Tools menu, click Macro. In the Macros Available In list box, select Normal.dot (Global Template) and in the Macro Name box, type AutoExec. Click the Create button.
 * 2) Below the Sub Main statement, type File1, as in the following example:
 * 3) On the File menu, click Close and, when prompted, choose to save changes to the Global:AutoExec macro.
 * 4) On the File menu, click Save All and, if prompted, choose to save global changes to the Normal.dot template.

Word 2.x

 * 1) On the Tools menu, click Macro. In the Show box, select Global Macros, and in the Macro Name box, type AutoExec. Click Edit.
 * 2) Below the Sub Main statement, type File1, as in the following example:
 * 3) On the File menu, click Close and, when prompted, choose to save changes to the Global:AutoExec macro.
 * 4) On the File menu, click Save All and, when prompted, choose to save global glossary and command changes.

Word 1.x

 * 1) On the Macro menu, click Edit. In the context box, select Global. In the Edit Macro Name box, type AutoExec. Click OK.
 * 2) On the blank line after Sub Main, type File1.
 * 3) On the File menu, click Close and, when prompted, choose to save changes to the Global:AutoExec macro.
 * 4) On the File menu, click Save All and, when prompted, choose to save global glossary and command changes.