\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 4, 2006, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-edit-an-html-file/379094 "2006-11-04T15:42:03Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 14\
**Page:** 1
**Author:**  [@Gymnopithys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gymnopithys)\
**Post date:** [November 4, 2006, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-edit-an-html-file/379094/1 "2006-11-04T15:42:03Z")
this is probably a beginner’s question but…
on an HTML page I used to have the option File, “edit or modify with Word”. Somehow this option disappeared. How can retrieve it ?
Thank you for your help
(have Windows XP Home)
---
**Author:**  [@SlickRoenick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlickRoenick)\
**Post date:** [November 4, 2006, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-edit-an-html-file/379094/2 "2006-11-04T15:49:33Z")
Go to Tools\> Internet Options\> Programs tab
Change the HTML editor to Word
---
**Author:**  [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\
**Post date:** [November 4, 2006, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-edit-an-html-file/379094/3 "2006-11-04T18:58:33Z")
No! Don’t use Word!
Use Notepad!
---
**Author:**  [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\
**Post date:** [November 5, 2006, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-edit-an-html-file/379094/4 "2006-11-05T03:03:38Z")
Notepad can be used, but with Word you at least get to “see” what you’re editing. Plus you can use Word, and then goto \> View \> HTML source, and the code is layed out in a color coded fashion for ease using MS source editor. Still, notpad can be used.
---
**Author:**  [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\
**Post date:** [November 5, 2006, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-edit-an-html-file/379094/5 "2006-11-05T03:31:34Z")
Word is a very bad choice to use as an HTML editor. Word produces extensive code bloat that is not conducive to best practices, let alone anyone who has to wait forever for a Word-created page to download.
Besides, there are plenty of quality applications out there that will produce excellent results. [NoteTab](http://www.notetab.com/) and [UltraEdit](http://www.ultraedit.com/) are excellent text editors with builtin HTML coding support. Both have trial versions while NoteTab has freeware version as well. One of the better WYSIWYG freeware apps is [First Page 2006](http://www.evrsoft.com/).
Just forget Word.
---
**Author:**  [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\
**Post date:** [November 5, 2006, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-edit-an-html-file/379094/6 "2006-11-05T03:38:13Z")
Ooh, is it editor war time?
Emacs rules!
C-x C-c
😛
---
**Author:**  [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\
**Post date:** [November 5, 2006, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-edit-an-html-file/379094/7 "2006-11-05T07:42:20Z")
[QUOTE=friedo]
Ooh, is it editor war time?
Emacs rules!
C-x C-c
😛
[/QUOTE]
Agree 🙂 Star Office 7 (and probably 8, and I assume OpenOffice) let you switch views and edit html without major bloat.
However, at work I mostly use emacs and just refresh the page when I want to see if it looks okay.
But my first word processor was runoff, so I don’t really believe in WYSIWYG editors yet. 🙂
---
**Author:**  [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\
**Post date:** [November 5, 2006, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-edit-an-html-file/379094/8 "2006-11-05T07:59:56Z")
If this is an “editor war”, I’m with the Notepad™ Batallion.
---
**Author:**  [@FRDE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FRDE)\
**Post date:** [November 5, 2006, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-edit-an-html-file/379094/9 "2006-11-05T08:04:18Z")
Personally I despise Notepad and use Textpad
If you are going to understand HTML rather than just try to tweak it then do a Google search for:
Stephen le Hunte HTML
He wrote a Help file over 10 years ago, which is pretty useful.
- there are later versions, but I recommend using the oldest you can find
In my view, the best way of writing HTML is to do it with a text editor and have a few different browsers pointing at the page - and periodically refresh them.
Another view is to use a WYSIWYG editor and clean it up afterwards.
---
**Author:**  [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\
**Post date:** [November 5, 2006, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-edit-an-html-file/379094/10 "2006-11-05T08:42:37Z")
[QUOTE=Duckster]
Word is a very bad choice to use as an HTML editor.
[/QUOTE]
You’re right, but since he started out with “beginner’s question”, and that he used to once use Word to accomplish his goals, well maybe he should just stick with Word. Word?
The mentions of the other editors is still good if that’s what the OP is interested in.
---
**Author:**  [@Gymnopithys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gymnopithys)\
**Post date:** [November 5, 2006, 9:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-edit-an-html-file/379094/11 "2006-11-05T09:23:59Z")
I don’t have “Internet options” “Programs” in Firefox tools (did a thorough search…). I have it on Internet Explorer and the HTML editor is Word. But nothing doing, I can’t get that option anymore. So I’ll try the other solutions you kindly suggested.
Thank you all
---
**Author:**  [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\
**Post date:** [November 5, 2006, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-edit-an-html-file/379094/12 "2006-11-05T17:42:27Z")
You could also just save the file to your hard drive, open Word, and click “File\>Open\>nameofyourHTMLdocument”
---
**Author:**  [@Gymnopithys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gymnopithys)\
**Post date:** [November 6, 2006, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-edit-an-html-file/379094/13 "2006-11-06T07:50:23Z")
I changed the HTML editor to “Notepad” and now I do get the option “Edit with Word” ! This computer is perverse.
[QUOTE=Really Not All That Bright]
You could also just save the file to your hard drive, open Word, and click “File\>Open\>nameofyourHTMLdocument”
[/QUOTE]
It’s elementary but I never thought about it! :smack: And it works fine.
First Page 2006 seems to be a great tool but it takes forever for each click to work. I suppose it’s all due to my ignorance.
Thanxalot
---
**Author:**  [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\
**Post date:** [November 6, 2006, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-edit-an-html-file/379094/14 "2006-11-06T08:44:00Z")
[QUOTE=Duckster]
First Page 2006.
[/quote]
Man, I wish they’d release a version of that for Mac. I used First Page 2000 on a PC several years ago, and I really liked the interface. Right now I use BBEdit in conjunction with Dreamweaver. I like DW, but it’s a freakin’ resource pig that makes me wonder if it’s written in Java. Or RealBasic.
> [@](#):
>
> Just forget Word.
Word. Talk about pigs …