#Requires -Version 5.1 <# JbTecWiz Support Centre -- generated fix script Fault : Double-clicking a file opens Office but not the document Fix : Reset the file association Source: https://jbtecwiz.com/support/win-office-dde-blank Run as : PowerShell as the affected user Expect : 20 minutes Risk : low Reversible : yes WHEN THIS IS THE RIGHT FIX The DDE setting is not the cause, or the wrong program is opening the file. HOW TO UNDO IT Set the default application back through Settings -> Apps -> Default apps. This script walks the fix one step at a time and asks before each one. Steps with no command are things you do yourself -- it prints those and waits. Run with -DryRun to print without executing. #> [CmdletBinding()] param( # Print every step and command without running anything. [switch]$DryRun, # Do not ask before each step. Read the script first if you use this. [switch]$Unattended ) $ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop' $script:Failed = 0 function Write-Rule { param([string]$Text) Write-Host '' Write-Host ('-' * 70) -ForegroundColor DarkGray if ($Text) { Write-Host $Text -ForegroundColor Cyan } } function Show-Prose { param([string]$Text, [string]$Colour = "Gray") if (-not $Text) { return } $words = $Text -split "\s+"; $line = " " foreach ($w in $words) { if (($line.Length + $w.Length) -gt 74) { Write-Host $line -ForegroundColor $Colour; $line = " " } $line += "$w " } if ($line.Trim()) { Write-Host $line -ForegroundColor $Colour } } function Invoke-Step { param( [int]$Number, [string]$Do, [string]$Why, [scriptblock]$Command, [switch]$Manual, [string]$Shell = "powershell" ) Write-Rule " Step $Number of 4" Show-Prose $Do "White" if ($Why) { Write-Host ""; Show-Prose $Why "DarkGray" } if ($Manual) { Write-Host '' Write-Host ' -> Do this yourself, then press Enter to carry on.' -ForegroundColor Yellow if (-not $Unattended -and -not $DryRun) { [void](Read-Host) } return } Write-Host '' foreach ($l in ($Command.ToString().Trim() -split "`n")) { Write-Host (" " + $l.Trim()) -ForegroundColor Green } Write-Host '' if ($DryRun) { Write-Host " (dry run -- not executed)" -ForegroundColor DarkGray; return } if (-not $Unattended) { $a = Read-Host " Run this step? [Y]es / [S]kip / [Q]uit" if ($a -match "^[Qq]") { Write-Host " Stopped at your request."; exit 0 } if ($a -match "^[Ss]") { Write-Host " Skipped." -ForegroundColor DarkGray; return } } try { & $Command } catch { $script:Failed++ Write-Host (" Step $Number failed: " + $_.Exception.Message) -ForegroundColor Red Show-Prose "The rest of the fix may depend on this. Read the write-up before carrying on." "Red" if (-not $Unattended) { $c = Read-Host " Carry on anyway? [y/N]" if ($c -notmatch "^[Yy]") { exit 1 } } } } Write-Rule Write-Host ' Double-clicking a file opens Office but not the document' -ForegroundColor White Write-Host ' Reset the file association' -ForegroundColor Cyan Write-Host '' Write-Host ' Risk: low Reversible 20 minutes' Write-Rule if (-not $Unattended -and -not $DryRun) { $go = Read-Host ' Ready? [y/N]' if ($go -notmatch "^[Yy]") { Write-Host " Nothing was changed."; exit 0 } } Invoke-Step -Number 1 -Do 'Look at the per-user choice Windows is honouring.' -Why 'The per-user choice overrides the machine-wide association. A previous default set by another application -- a viewer, a competing suite, an installer that grabbed the extension -- lives here and survives an Office repair.' -Command { Get-ItemProperty 'HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.xlsx\UserChoice' -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Select-Object ProgId } Invoke-Step -Number 2 -Do 'Remove the per-user override so the machine default applies again.' -Command { Remove-Item 'HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.xlsx\UserChoice' -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue } Invoke-Step -Number 3 -Do 'Set the default again through Settings -> Apps -> Default apps, choosing Excel for the extension. Setting it through the interface writes the hash Windows requires; writing ProgId directly does not work on current builds.' -Why 'Windows validates UserChoice with a hash of the user SID, the extension and the ProgId. A value written by hand fails validation and is silently ignored, which is why registry-only fixes for this appear to do nothing.' -Manual Invoke-Step -Number 4 -Do 'If several extensions are affected, run the Office quick repair, which re-registers all of them at once.' -Command { & "$env:CommonProgramFiles\Microsoft Shared\ClickToRun\OfficeClickToRun.exe" scenario=Repair platform=x64 culture=en-us RepairType=QuickRepair DisplayLevel=True } Write-Rule " Confirm it worked" Show-Prose 'Double-clicking each affected file type opens the right application with the file loaded.' 'White' Write-Rule if ($script:Failed -gt 0) { Write-Host (" Finished with " + $script:Failed + " failed step(s).") -ForegroundColor Yellow Show-Prose 'Read the full write-up at https://jbtecwiz.com/support/win-office-dde-blank' 'Yellow' } else { Write-Host ' Finished.' -ForegroundColor Green } Write-Host '' Show-Prose 'To undo: Set the default application back through Settings -> Apps -> Default apps.' 'DarkGray' Write-Rule