Microsoft KB Archive/148208

Knowledge Base

How to Delete Files from Within an Office Program

Article ID: 148208

Article Last Modified on 8/17/2007

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APPLIES TO

• Microsoft Office 4.2 for Macintosh
• Microsoft Office 4.21 for Macintosh
• Microsoft Office 4.2 Standard Edition
• Microsoft Office 4.3 Standard Edition
• Microsoft Office 95 Standard Edition
• Microsoft Office 97 Standard Edition

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This article was previously published under Q148208

SUMMARY

This article describes many ways in which you can delete files while you work in any of the Office products listed at the beginning of this article.

MORE INFORMATION

Version 7.0, 7.0a, or 97 Programs

To delete a file, use the following steps:

1. On the File menu, click Open.
2. Click the name of the file you want to delete.
   

1. • If you want to delete more than one file, press and hold down the CTRL key as you click the file names.
   • If you want to delete several files whose names appear in a row, click the first file name you want to delete, then press and hold down the SHIFT key as you click the last file name that you want to delete.
2. To delete the file or files, use either of the following methods:
   

1. • Press the DELETE key.
     

-or-

1. • Right-click the file name, and then click Delete. NOTE: This option is not available in Microsoft Windows NT 3.51.
2. A message appears, asking you to confirm that you want to delete the file(s). Click Yes.

NOTE: If you are deleting a file in Word that contains a Preview Picture, you must choose a different view before you try to delete the file. If you do not, you receive the following error message:

Cannot delete '<file name>'

If you are on Windows 98, you are not prompted before deleting the file if you use the DELETE key to delete the file. If you are on Windows NT, you receive a prompt before deleting the file for the versions mentioned earlier in this article, except for Office 97 Service Release 2 (SR-2).

Office version 4.2, 4.3 for Windows and 4.2, 4.2.1 for Macintosh

1. On the File menu, click Find File. In the Open dialog Box, click Find File.
   
   
   1. The first time you use Find File, the product you are using displays the Search dialog box. Fill out the Search dialog box with the following information, depending on which operating system you are using.
      
      

      • If you are using a Windows program, in the File Name box, type the appropriate extension for the type of file you're looking for:

                    In this program                   Type this extension
                    -----------------------------------------------------
                    Word for Windows                                *.doc
                    Microsoft Excel for Windows                     *.xl*
                    PowerPoint for Windows                          *.ppt
                  
                                                

        -or-

      • If you are using a Macintosh, leave the File Name box blank. Then, click the down arrow in the File Type box and make the appropriate selection:

                    In this program                      Choose this file type
                    ----------------------------------------------------------
                    Word for the Macintosh               Word Documents
                    Microsoft Excel for the Macintosh    Microsoft Excel Files
                    PowerPoint for the Macintosh         Presentations
                  
                                                

   2. In the Location box, choose the drive that you want to search.
   3. Click OK. These settings will be used the next time you start Find File.
2. In the Find File dialog box, click the name of the file you want to delete. Note that in PowerPoint version 4.x for Windows and version 4.0 for the Macintosh, you cannot select multiple files.
   
   
   • If you want to delete more than one file, press and hold down the CTRL key (Windows) or the OPTION key (Macintosh) as you click on the file names.
   • If you want to delete several files whose names appear in a row, click the first file name you want to delete, then press and hold down the SHIFT key as you click the last file name that you want to delete.
3. Use either of the following methods to delete the file or files:
   
   
   • Press the DELETE key.
     
     -or-
   • Click the Commands button, and then click Delete.
4. A message appears, asking you to confirm that you want to delete the file. Click Yes.

Additional query words: word6 word7 word95 off97 xl97 word97 winword wordnt ntword winppt macppt 4.00 4.00a 4.00c 5.00 5.00a 5.00c 6.00 6.0.1 6.00a 6.00c 7.00a 8.0 97 remove application kill get rid erase purge expunge discard dele del dispose exterminate

Keywords: kbhowto kbinterop KB148208

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