Add documentlibrary setting for opening in view or edit mode
Previously the default behavour was to open in Read mode, and then actively change to Edit mode - with the latest updates the default is to open in Edit-mode.
This causes Word Online to save the second the user opens the document, and thereby rendering the "Edited by" and "Last edited"-fields completly useless, as it in effect just shows who opened the document last.
It also causes users to make a lot of accidental changes to documents as well.
Since users are complaning about both the default behaviours, why not add a setting that let's the admins control how files open by default, per library?
That way everyone will be happy, and it adds a certain safety for libraries where users both read and contribute to documents often.
Y_point
shared this idea
27 comments
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Dave
commented
Unbelievable.
I just spent a week with MS Support due to our auditing showing a significant increase in edits due to all documents being opened in edit mode online. Most edits were accidental / unintentional. To add to the user confusion, documents now open with no header or footer. Supports official response:
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We can achieve it using the "Protect Document" option.
1. Open SharePoint document
2. Click on File > Info
3. Select "Protect Document".
Currently, we do not have any option/setting to apply protected view for specific site or to whole tenant.
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We are now looking at the very painful proposition of migrating back to on-prem servers which do not have this particular “feature”.
Not sure how or why MS thought this was a good feature. Needs to be remediated ASAP. -
peter ku
commented
Wasn't sharepoint a long time ago always read only by default? This is important feature to be re-implemented.
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David
commented
It should just be an option to make a library or a whole site default open in read only mode.
Ecatly to avoid in intentional changes when just viewing a document.
Microsoft, this must be an easy change to implement, and can just be a radio button in the library and/or site settings.
Please do this now! It is preventing me rolling out versioning and autosave to a whole team of engineers who are worried about accidentally modifying documents.
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Cesar
commented
I agree, we need this functionality. The other issue that I am having is that in edit mode, some functions disappear, such as header and footer. This is confusing for the end user.
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Shan
commented
This absolutely needs to be corrected. This is not a "feature" or "enhancement"; this is a mistake / error that NEEDS to be corrected immediately. As an Admin of SharePoint sites that have legal docs, it is impossible for me to meet governance requirements. 2-part issue - docs don't open in read more AND Admins can't enforce the behaviour for how documents are to open . How the hell did MS think this was acceptable? It goes against every retention policy at any company that I have ever worked at! Nevermind that when dealing with lawsuits, makes it impossible to know what exactly was in place at the time of a claim. Seriously MS, CORRECT this error immediately.
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kh
commented
Is the solution in the meantime to open it up in the desktop version?
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kh
commented
I second @Eric S on this being largely the same as https://sharepoint.uservoice.com/forums/329214-sites-and-collaboration/suggestions/34393561-requests-for-correction-on-behavior-to-open-in-edi
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lisa
commented
Internal Audit departments all over MUST hate this! A view of a file with NO changes should not be saving it and updating the modified & modified by values!
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Eric S
commented
Should be considered combinable with the idea submission below - this topic has enough votes/priority and is overdue for a MSFT response
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GTEM
commented
Additionally this causes issues with retention policies for GDPR where documents never reach the set period after last modified because the clock starts ticking every time somebody merely looks at the document.
At least only save the document when changes are made.
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Anonymous
commented
opening a file just to "view" it should not prompt a change to "last modified." this is causing confusion and is quashing any warm feeling my team might have had about co-authoring in the cloud. productivity loss in wondering what was changed and why, when in reality, a team member simply viewed content.
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Anonymous
commented
Exactly this is why On-Prem installations, where you are in control, are superior!
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Joris Tielkes
commented
Our main problem with default edit mode is that some information and formatting is not displayed in Word (Online). The suggested workaround of requiring checkout is not an option as it creates an extra step for our users when they do need to edit a document. The ability to control this behaviour at the library level would help us out.
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mori
commented
Office365の添付ファイルが編集可能で開かれてしまい、
ファイル更新日が変更されてしまう。 -
Geoff Taylor
commented
I agree with this. These defaults should be able to be set by the individual organization - not Microsoft. I'm a SharePoint Admin and really feel that we're being backed into a corner in O365. Give some control back to the admins please MS. We are the ones who know our users best.
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Anonymous
commented
This is very important to our company. Word docs and spreadsheets used to open as read-only, but now they open in edit mode and our employees accidentally create minor revisions which makes a mess of our documentation system. Please let us have what we used to have!
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ian.turner
commented
We need the default click to be open in read/view mode NOT edit!
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Miguel
commented
Any news about this update? Because it changed suddenly a few months ago and we are waitting for an option to rollback this behaviour or that we have the option to choice our behaviour. Thanks!
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Andy
commented
Agreed
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Richard Bourke
commented
I concur with the feedback here. This was a terrible change for our organization.
Previously when our users clicked into a document, it opened in View mode. If the user needed to make changes they could click edit. This worked well for us because the full document is rendered in view mode (header + footer). We also have strict version control on publishing libraries and opening in view mode meant users would not inadvertently make changes.Since the announced change, documents now open in edit mode by default. This means that users no longer see the header/footer by default and for more complicated documents, Word Online cannot render all of the content properly. It also has the knock on affect of inadvertent edits creating new versions/ modifications where none were intended.
