For faster access on a desktop.
The Office Web Apps in Microsoft Office 365 are a great way for users to quickly view, edit or create documents without needing to launch a full version of the relevant Office application.
While this behaviour is default for tablet and smartphone users who don’t have a full Office application installed, on a Windows computer it is a different story.
There are many scenarios where a customer may want their documents to be opened in Office Web Apps by default. Say for example to increase the speed of access and modifications, or to save bandwidth when working with large documents on SharePoint Online which may take some time to download to the local computer.
This functionality can be enabled at the site collection level so that it applies across the board.
The first step is to click on Site Actions:
The next step is to enter the administration section of SharePoint Online by selecting Site Settings.
You will then need to locate Site collection features located underneath the Site Collection Administration section.
Locate the Open Documents in Client Applications by Default and select Deactivate.
This will now specify that every link to an Office file within your SharePoint site collection will open within the relevant Office Web App.
This setting can be overridden on an individual library level which I will cover in another post.
Loryan Strant is a Microsoft Office 365 MVP (Most Valuable Professional). Follow him on Twitter @TheCloudMouth.
