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vladiacob's avatar
vladiacob
Copper Contributor
Feb 28, 2025

ms-word:ofe|u cannot open pdf documents in windows

Was looking at opening pdf in ms-word using https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/client-developer/office-uri-schemes?source=recommendations and ran into an issue when testing this on windows.

Trying to run 

ms-word:ofe|u|<url of some pdf> 

e.g
run this in any browser: ms-word:ofe|u|https://www.w3.org/WAI/ER/tests/xhtml/testfiles/resources/pdf/dummy.pdf

Fails to open in word

However this works just fine on mac (intel and silicon)
Browser is not relevant.


Note that if one changes the file extension to a .docx it does not error and actually tries to get the file (which ofc fails later because it doesn't exist)

ms-word:ofe|u|https://www.w3.org/WAI/ER/tests/xhtml/testfiles/resources/pdf/dummy.docx




Mac behaviour:
you get the pdf to docx convertion screen and then you are shown the converted document as a .docx


Does anyone have any ideas how to make this work or if it may indeed be an issue on windows builds?

office-uri-schemes
pdf to docx

1 Reply

  • LeoMaverick's avatar
    LeoMaverick
    Iron Contributor
    Mar 18, 2025

     1. Check the file format and integrity: Make sure the PDF file is not damaged. Try to open the file in another PDF reader (Adobe Acrobat Reader).
    If the file is corrupted, try to re-download or obtain the file from the original source.
    2. Update Microsoft Word: Open Microsoft Word and click File > Accounts.
    Under Product Information, click Update Options > Update Now.
    Make sure Word is the latest version.
    3. Check PDF support features: Word requires specific feature support to open PDF files. Make sure your version of Word supports the PDF conversion feature.
    Try to open other PDF files to confirm whether it is a file-specific problem.
    4. Repair Office installation: Open Control Panel > Programs and Features.
    Find Microsoft Office, right-click and select Change.
    Select the “Repair” option and wait for the repair process to complete. 5.
    5. Use other tools to open PDF: If Word can not open PDF, you can try to use other tools (Adobe Acrobat Reader or online PDF converter) will be converted to PDF Word format (.docx), and then open Word.
    6. Check system permissions: Make sure you have permission to access PDF files. Right-click on the PDF file and select “Properties” to check whether the file is locked or restricted.
    Try to copy the file to another location (such as the desktop) and then open it with Word.
    7. Disable add-ons: Some Word add-ons may interfere with the opening of PDF files.
    Open Word, click “File” > “Options” > “Add-ons”.
    In the “Manage” drop-down menu, select “COM Add-ons” and click “Go”.
    Disable all add-ons, and then try to re-open the PDF file.
    8. Check the default program settings: Ensure that the default open program for PDF files is not Word.
    Right-click on the PDF file, select “Open as” > “Choose another application”.
    Select another PDF reader (Adobe Acrobat Reader) and check “Always use this application to open .pdf files”.
    9. Reinstall PDF support: If the problem still exists, you can try to reinstall PDF support.
    Open Settings > Applications > Applications and Features.
    Find Microsoft Office, click “Modify” and select “Add or Remove Features”.
    Make sure PDF support is enabled.
    10. Contact Microsoft Support: If none of the above methods work, it is recommended to contact the Microsoft Support team and provide detailed error messages and screenshots for further assistance.

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