Microsoft Teams testing option to save clicks when opening Office documents

Microsoft Teams PC (Image credit: Future)

What you need to know

Microsoft Teams public preview now has an option to open Office documents in the Office desktop apps by default.
Previously, Teams would open Office files directly within the app and then provide an option to open them on the desktop or web Office apps.
People can now choose between having Office documents open in Teams, the web, or the Office desktop apps.

Microsoft is testing a new option for Teams that gives people more of a choice regarding opening Office documents. The public preview version of Microsoft Teams now allows people to open Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents in the desktop versions of the apps by default. Before this change, Teams would open Office documents within Teams and then show the option to open them in the web or desktop Office apps.

Microsoft explains the feature in a Tech Community post:

The Teams desktop and web apps for Windows and Mac now enable users to configure the default app used to open Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files that have been shared in Microsoft Teams.Users can configure Teams to open the file directly in Teams (default), open in the web browser, or open in the Word, Excel, or PowerPoint desktop apps.Prior to this feature rollout, clicking a PowerPoint, Word, or Excel file shared in Teams would open the file in Teams. Users could then select the option to open the file in the browser or Office desktop app.

Teams Default Office — Source: Microsoft (Image credit: Source: Microsoft)

This feature should save people a few clicks, especially if they always want to open a document in a specific version of an Office app.

The option has been available in Teams public preview since July 23, 2021 but was highlighted by a Microsoft engineer in a UserVoice forum (via MSPU).

TOPICS

Sean Endicott is a news writer and apps editor for Windows Central with 11+ years of experience. A Nottingham Trent journalism graduate, Sean has covered the industry’s arc from the Lumia era to the launch of Windows 11 and generative AI. Having started at Thrifter, he uses his expertise in price tracking to help readers find genuine hardware value.

Beyond tech news, Sean is a UK sports media pioneer. In 2017, he became one of the first to stream via smartphone and is an expert in AP Capture systems. A tech-forward coach, he was named 2024 BAFA Youth Coach of the Year. He is focused on using technology—from AI to Clipchamp—to gain a practical edge.