If you want to default Office files to open in the native app for a specific document library – please follow the instructions below. Instructions are a bit different for SharePoint and OneDrive. If you would like to automatically have the Office files open in the native (desktop) applications, then you would need to change some settings behind the scenes. Right-click above the file > Open > Open in app How to default Office files to open in the native app In this article, I would like to explain how to default Office files to open in the native app from SharePoint and OneDrive.Īny user at any time can manually bypass the browser experience.

However, if you are doing serious editing, have fancy formatting, or, say, working with advanced formulas in Excel – you will need to open the Office files in their native (desktop) app. The browser experience opens files quickly, allows you to make the changes “on the fly,” and best of all –the changes are auto-saved back to SharePoint or OneDrive. That is the default experience for these file types. By default, when you click on Word, Excel, or PowerPoint files from SharePoint or OneDrive, they open up in the browser.