Open files by default in Desktop or Browser or Teams

[Chris70]

The release notes for version Version 2105 (Build 14026.20246) say:
"User preference setting to open files by default in Desktop (or) Browser (or) Teams: Users can set their default preference as Browser, Desktop or Teams when opening Office (Word, Excel, and Power Point) files that are shared in Teams.Desktop setting can be selected if latest Office clients are installed and activated"
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/officeupdates/current-channel#:~:text=User%20preference,and%20activ...

How do we set this user preference?

Thanks.

[#2]

@kaaremai - I would kindly ask you do not use caps in your response. It is unprofessional, and there is a code of conduct to these forums. 

@Sytske the reason to ask to check public preview is to run through a series of steps to identify the issue and if it needs to be raised as a bug. There are really three things to do before getting your admin to raise a ticket to Microsoft. The first is to update the Teams client, which you can do (...) more options next to your avatar, check for updates, update log out and back on and see if it works. The second is to clear the cache and see if it works (Clearing the Cache for Microsoft Teams (Windows) - ANR Information Technology (msu.edu)). The third is to see if the functionality is present in Teams public preview. The reason to check the preview is it is an earlier version of Teams. This functionality is marked generally available with rollout complete per this roadmap item (https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/microsoft-365/roadmap?featureid=82662) so, yes, it should 100% be in the preview - however from time to time the roll out is not always successful: and if it turns out not to be an issue with your client, Microsoft needs to look into it to find the root cause. If you do raise a ticket, you can say you have done all these steps to get a faster response. 

Best, Chris

[#3]

Thanks, @Christopher Hoard, for the additional information. 

1. I have updated teams about an hour ago. 

2. I have cleared the cache, following the steps at (Clearing the Cache for Microsoft Teams (Windows) - ANR Information Technology (msu.edu)).

But unfortunately: still no option Desktop app, in Settings > Files.

You write: 

"The third is to see if the functionality is present in Teams public preview. "

But i'm still not sure how to do this. I'm not quite sure what you meant by: 

"Note to enable public preview you/your admin will need to enable you to see the option in the Teams client. Once enabled in the TAC, go to (...) next to the avatar > about > public preview. It'll 100% be there in preview."

Do I have to ask our Admin, to enable preview? 

Thanks again :)

Sytske

[#4]

Yes, they can follow this guide to enable it, and once they have done so you can enable it in the Teams client

https://microsoft365pro.co.uk/2020/11/19/teams-real-simple-with-pictures-get-ready-for-teams-public-...

If you don't see it after that then it's getting them to open a ticket with Microsoft Support via the Microsoft 365 Admin Centre.

Best, Chris

[#5]

@Christopher Hoard @Sytske 

Did this ever resolve the issue? I am running into the same problem.

Thanks,

[#6]

Hi Bobutcher, I still haven't asked my Admin (whe was really busy at the time, and than having holidays). I will ask him, and get back to you.

[#7]

@Christopher Hoard 

I made a ticket with Microsoft. It turns out that it is not supposed to work by design.. This feature to open by app is only available for Office Enterprise. If you run any other version of Office desktop license in your tenant then you won't have the option to open by app..

Such a silly and totally random "design feature". I don't even know where i should look to find that information. It also took the Microsoft support agent almost two days to find out that this was the cause.

[#8]

I have looked at it with our admin, and indeed: it is only available in Enterprise...

[#9]

@Sytske Thanks for the update. 

This is odd however, as staff here are all on m365 business premium and half can select this option to open by default while the other half cannot. They used to use E3 a few months ago until we moved to using Autopilot and required the business premium license. I wonder if their account is somehow remembering the old E3. In this case moving a single license around all users may be a work around to activate it. 

[#10]

@NikkiChapple_ 

Where exactly are these magical settings? Below is what I see when I select the gear/settings icon next to my avatar. May I add that this recent change to requiring users to select the option to work on the desktop is the most user-hostile, misbegotten change I've seen from Microsoft in my many years of suffering the products I pay so much to use.

[#11]

Below is what I see in Teams. And yes, i find it quite annoying that, when working on Desktop, I still have to explicitely ask to open a file in a desktop app....  

[#12]

It's not only annoying but completely unacceptable!! I can't fathom how Microsoft can justify that only people with Office Enterprise are allowed to open by default with app. Makes 0 sense.

[#13]

What is even more odd is that our Mac users with the Business Prem license can do this. Windows users cannot.

[#14]

Guess what! I discovered today that the option was availlable in my version of Teams. And what is odd about that, is that my colleague, who is Admin, does NOT have that option ...

But I am very happy that I have the option. I have inmediatly set it to Desktop App, and won't touch it again...

groet, Sytske

[#15]

I have the same problem... Have also changed default open behavior of document library to "Open in the client application", but it doesn't help. Is there a user voice for this?

[#16]

@Ydm_m6 

Here we go

Edit an Office file in Teams (microsoft.com)

Before attempting to edit an Office file in its desktop app, make sure you've met these prerequisites:

• Be using the Teams desktop app for Windows or macOS

• Must have an Office 365 E3 or E5 license

• Download the desktop apps for PowerPoint, Word, and Excel (Office version 16 or newer)

Best, Chris

[#17]

@Christopher Hoard: I think I have all the prerequisites in your 31 May 02:24 msg, although I don't know what license our org has, and Word won't tell me afaict. Yet while I have Team's Files| "File open preference" set to "Always open Word...files in: Desktop app", a link in a chat msg to a Word doc stored on sharepoint still opens in a browser, not in the desktop app.

Yet another reason I find Teams to be broken. Another reason: I can't open that link by copy-pasting it into Word's File | Open dlg. The only way to open the doc in Word seems to be to memorize the relevant words of the link in the chat, and then track the doc down by clicking on "teams", finding the right team, and drilling down through the Files "tab" using those words I memorized. Worse, Teams doesn't have tabs in the way a browser does, so I can't switch back and forth between the chat msg and the files "tab" without losing the context. Someone at Microsoft's UI department seriously doesn't understand this task.