Question: I opened a Microsoft Word file on an AHS computer and I can't seem to edit or save it. How can I edit it?
Context: Microsoft has recently changed their licensing model, impacting staff who work exclusively on shared AHS computers. As previously posted, individual AHS prescriber licenses are being switched over to reflect these changes starting in September 2025 (concluding in November), and this will affect some of the functionality of the desktop versions of Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint software on shared AHS computers. However, web versions of the software are now available for AHS use via the Microsoft 365 (M365) web apps, and these have most of the basic functions of the desktop version and are relatively easy to use. Many Microsoft files will open directly in these web apps and can then directly be edited/saved/downloaded from there. For those files that first open on the desktop version of the software, with a couple clicks these can be opened in the computer's Internet browser for quick online editing or downloading for further offline work on a personal device.
Answer: While editing and saving a Microsoft file using the desktop Microsoft Office software on a shared AHS computer may no longer be possible, it is possible to do so in an Internet browser.
If wanting to edit a Microsoft file that first opens in the desktop app, it will have to be opened in your browser first and then downloaded and moved to the cloud before it can be opened in the web app (see pg. 3-4 of the guide for screenshots):
- Click on the “File” tab.
- In the lefthand menu, click on “Info”, and then click on the “Copy path” button near the top of the screen, underneath the filename.
- Open a new tab in your web browser, paste the link in the address bar, and press enter on your keyboard. The file will open in the Microsoft “online” view-only mode (note this is not the same as the M365 web app used for editing). On the righthand side, select the three dots.
- In the dropdown menu, click on “Download”. The file should then be found in the computer’s Downloads folder. It can then be either be: (a) moved to your AHS cloud storage location (e.g., your AHS OneDrive), and from there it will open in the web app; or (b) attached to a secure email and sent to yourself, to open on your personal/professional device and work on further.
If a Microsoft file opens in a M365 web app and you prefer editing on your personal device, to download:
- Click on the “File” tab.
- In the dropdown menu, click on “Create a Copy”.
- Select “Download a copy”. After confirming you want to download the file, the file should then be found in the computer’s Downloads folder. It can then be attached to a secure email and sent to yourself, to open on your personal/professional device.