WordPad

[Bergerie1]

I have had Windows 10 on my laptop for some time with no problems. Last night a big update came in. When I switched my laptop back on I found that all my Word documents .docx have been changed to WordPad *.docx and the format is different.

How can I get them all back to Word documents? I do a lot of writing and have no idea how to proceed. Can anyone help?

[G0ULI]

First, don't panic.

Think about what the updates do. They update the software on your machine, not the user data. Your user files should not be affected by any software update.

The onlt way in which user data can be affected is if you open an existing file in a new ir updated program and then save the file in a new or different format.

The symptoms you describe sound like a new or different default format has been preselected to view and edit your files, which is why they look different. Practically all software has the ability to maintain backwards compatibility with earlier document versions, so with a bit of looking around in the Word settings, you should be able to find the option to set Word back to the default option you prefer to edit your files.

So long as you do not save any files with the same name, this overwriting the old versions, your data should remain safe until you manage to resolve the issue. It is most likely hidden in the settings menu, as an item relating to the default format with which to open and save files.

[messybeast]

G0ULI is correct. Don't worry, you're files haven't changed but the default app has been changed from Word 20xx to WordPad.

Two ways to fix this.

1. In File Explorer, right click on one of your .docx files and select Properties at the bottom of the context menu. In the General Tab, near the top, it should show Type of File and Opens With. The Opens With will probably say WordPad. If so, click on the Change button and select your version of Word from the list. Click OK and then click OK again to close Properties

2. To reset the default for all Word documents (.doc, .dot. etc.) to Word, click on the Start Menu (bottom left), then Settings, (the Cog symbol).

Double click on settings, then on Default apps in the left column.

Select "Choose default applictions by file type" near the bottom of the right column. In the new window, scroll down to the .doc* ahd .dot* file types (it can be a long list if you have a lot of programs). Each time you see WordPad as the default, left click on it and select Word instead.

Close the windows when finished.

Hope this fixes it.

Messy

[Bergerie1]

Messy and GOULI,

Many, many thanks. Problem now fixed. I knew some of you experts would know what to do!