# MS Word

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ms-word/434084>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 18, 2008, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ms-word/434084 "2008-01-18T22:09:41Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Lanzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Lanzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lanzy)\
**Post date:** [January 18, 2008, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ms-word/434084/1 "2008-01-18T22:09:41Z")

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I don’t ask these things lightly and do try to find an answer first.

My new company issued laptop has MS Word (2003) on it. When I open a document it is always in the split screen formatted view. Doesn’t happen when it is one of my documents just others that someone else has saved. It doesn’t matter who else has saved it.

The Q: Can I set the default to open in “Normal” view?

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**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\
**Post date:** [January 18, 2008, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ms-word/434084/2 "2008-01-18T22:15:15Z")

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I’ve never seen a split screen like you’re talking about, but try the advice offered here:

> **[Yahoo | Mail, Weather, Search, Politics, News, Finance, Sports & Videos](https://www.yahoo.com/)**
>
> Latest news coverage, email, free stock quotes, live scores and video are just the beginning. Discover more every day at Yahoo!

[http://groups.google.com/group/myLifeOrganized/browse\_thread/thread/5214795d4280ecc5](http://groups.google.com/group/myLifeOrganized/browse_thread/thread/5214795d4280ecc5)

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**Author:** ![JustThinkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@JustThinkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustThinkin)\
**Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ms-word/434084/3 "2008-01-19T01:43:19Z")

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Hmmm. . . Mine always opens in the view the doc was last saved in. Check Tools \> Options. In the General tab, make sure “Allow starting in Reading Layout” is unchecked. That might be it (and it might not).

If all else fails, have Word reloaded. It might be a program corruption problem.

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**Author:** ![Lanzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Lanzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lanzy)\
**Post date:** [January 21, 2008, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ms-word/434084/4 "2008-01-21T23:04:10Z")

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Man. its always something simple. Thanks JustThinkin’. I’m good now.