This site will have limited functionality while we undergo maintenance to improve your experience. If an article doesn't solve your issue and you want to ask a question, we have our support community waiting to help you at @FirefoxSupport on Twitter and/r/firefox on Reddit.

Avatar for Username

Search Support

Avoid support scams. We will never ask you to call or text a phone number or share personal information. Please report suspicious activity using the “Report Abuse” option.

Learn More

Este fío arquivouse. Faga unha nova pregunta se precisa axuda.

Firefox & Word Files in Read-only Mode

  • 2 respostas
  • 0 have this problem
  • 6 views
  • Last reply by SCW

SCW
SCW
more options

This problem has only occurred in the last 24 hours:

a) I access a Word file with Firefox (maybe an e-mail attachment, maybe directly from an e-learning site); I tell Firefox to Open With Word 365; the file opens, but only in Read-only mode - I cannot edit the document at all; I cannot change this status from within Word 365.

b) I access the very same file from the very same source but now tell Firefox to Save File to my Desktop; I then open the file with Word 365 - it opens 'normally'; I can edit the document straight away.

Yesterday, it did not matter if I did a) or b), I could always edit the document straight away (Read-only was never 'forced' on me).

As extra background, I have turned off every Protected View feature in Word 365 which I can find - does not help at all.

I want to be able to go back to option a): Open With Word 365, NOT have 'Read-only' & be able to edit the document immediately.

This problem has only occurred in the last 24 hours: a) I access a Word file with Firefox (maybe an e-mail attachment, maybe directly from an e-learning site); I tell Firefox to Open With Word 365; the file opens, but only in Read-only mode - I cannot edit the document at all; I cannot change this status from within Word 365. b) I access the very same file from the very same source but now tell Firefox to Save File to my Desktop; I then open the file with Word 365 - it opens 'normally'; I can edit the document straight away. Yesterday, it did not matter if I did a) or b), I could always edit the document straight away (Read-only was never 'forced' on me). As extra background, I have turned off every Protected View feature in Word 365 which I can find - does not help at all. I want to be able to go back to option a): Open With Word 365, NOT have 'Read-only' & be able to edit the document immediately.

All Replies (2)

cor-el
cor-el
  • Moderator
  • Top 10 Contributor
more options

Opening the file as read-only is to protect you because when you open a file in another application the file is stored in the OS TEMP folder and can be removed at any time. You need to use "Save As" in Word to save the file in other location (folder) to ensure that you do not lose your edits.

SCW
SCW Question owner
more options

Dear Cor-el,

Thank you for the timely response - this confirms my suspicions as to why this is the case. Still, I do not understand why, up until 48 hours ago, I could tell Firefox to Open with Word 365, and I would be able to immediately edit the document, and now, just two days later, that is not an option. Moreover, what I would really like to know is if - and how - I can reverse this change. Given the number of documents I process, it would be a minor but noticeable gain in time.

In a nutshell, if I tell Firefox to Open with Word 365, what setting(s) do I need to change so that the document is NOT opened in Read-only? (Given that, if the document is already on my Desktop, this is not an issue, I am assuming - perhaps naively - that the issue is with Firefox and not Word.)

Again, thank you so far.