How to Open Microsoft Word Using Gmail
Many small business owners use Gmail, Google’s web-based email service, to receive and distribute files including documents such as contracts, invoices and intra-office memos. First released in 1983, Microsoft Word is used by hundreds of millions of business professionals and others around the world to create documents. As with other email services, you can share Word documents in Gmail by attaching them to emails. You can open them in Word by using Gmail and browser tools to download them to your computer.
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Navigate to Gmail’s sign in screen, enter your username and password and click “Sign In” to go directly to your Gmail Inbox.
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Select an email that has a Microsoft Word attachment.
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Click the “Word” icon next to the attachment in the email, or the “Download” link, and wait for the file to start downloading to begin the process.
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Open the document in Word following your specific browser’s prompts. For example, if you’re using Google Chrome, click the document button that appears on the "Downloads" bar at the bottom of the screen, or click the down arrow on the button and select “Open.” For Firefox, select “Microsoft Office Word (default)” from the “Open With” drop-down menu when prompted, if not already selected, and click “OK.” For Internet Explorer, click the down arrow next to “Open” on the "Downloads" bar, select “Open With” and select “Microsoft Word.”
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Tips
- To open a Word document online from Gmail in Google Docs, click the “View” link in Gmail, or right-click “View” and select the “View in New Tab” option.
- To automatically open Word documents, locate and select your browser’s automatic option the first time you download a Word document from Gmail. For example, in Google Chrome, wait for the document to appear as a button on the "Downloads" bar, click the down arrow and select “Always Open Files of This Type.”
Writer Bio
Based in Southern Pennsylvania, Irene A. Blake has been writing on a wide range of topics for over a decade. Her work has appeared in projects by The National Network for Artist Placement, the-phone-book Limited and GateHouse Media. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Shippensburg University.