Document library - New document - Custom content types - Online office app opens

Brass Contributor

Hi,

I have a document library with a custom content type with a template. When creating a new file (classic or new experience, that does not matter), I see my content type as expected. When I click on it Excel/Word on line opens with the empty template.

 

When I open an existing document in this document library, the client application Excel/Word opens. This is the expected behavior, I set the "Open in the client application" in the advanced settings of the library settings.

 

Why does the new not follow this behavior ? Why does it open in the online version of the office application ? How can I make the new also open the client application ? When was this changed and why, I think it was changed less than a month ago ;)

 

Best regards,

Marc

 

12 Replies
Interested to hear an answer to this one as well. We would like this option to be applicable to templates also.

SharePoint online, otherwise I would me us who changed something, now I presume it is Microsoft that changed something as I have it with multiple customers ;)

Word add-in ? I'm afraid I do not understand. And what would this Word add-in do ? Open the client application ?

Marc

 

You can build task panels and ribbon commands to interact with Word or Office documents, in that way content renders in both client application and browser without any issues.

HI SPOAdmin,

That is not what I'm looking for. All I need is the "out of the box" functionality of creating a new document using a content type with an associated template document (Word of Excel).

 

Regards,

Marc

 

Hi Marc.

Any progress on this? We ourselves has a few customers complaining about this too. Have you tried talking to Microsoft Support?

Hi Jonas,

Sorry for the late answer, but I was out of the office the entire week.

 

What I have seen at a couple of different customers:

(1) If you have the modern page view, new always opens the online version.

(2) If you have the classic page view, new opens as set in the advanced settings.

 

Best regards,

Marc

 

Hi Marc,

No worries :)

We (as for now) can conclude the following:
1) In Chrome, both in modern and classic view it opens in the Online version (always). Existing documents open in the clients (always)
2) In Internet Explorer we are experiencing both behaviour depending on how updated IE is (it works in newer versions, but not in older - at least in our tests)
3) It works with SharePoint 2013 on-prem in both Chrome and IE on the same client, where IE works and Chrome doesn't against SPO

We have created a MS Ticket, whom are tracking the issue and trying to figure it out as we speak.

Any solution to this problem where content types open in Excel Online instead of the client application?