WD: Word May Not Open or Print Large Number of Selected Files

• Microsoft Word for Windows, versions 6.0, 6.0a, 6.0c
• Microsoft Word for Windows 95, version 7.0, 7.0a
• Microsoft Word 97 for Windows

SYMPTOMS

If you select multiple files in the File Open dialog box and click the Open button, Word may not open all of the files. For example, if you select 50 files to be opened at the same time, Word may only open 35 of them.

If you select multiple files in the File Open dialog box, right click on the files and click Print on the shortcut menu, Word may not print all of the files. For example, if you select 50 files to be printed at the same time, Word may only print 35 of them.

CAUSE

There is a limit of 255 characters for the path and file name for all of the files.

Under Windows 3.1x, the problem may also be a Windows resource limit.

WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, use one of the following methods:

• Select the files in the Windows Explorer, right-click on the files, and click Open or Print from the shortcut menu.

  NOTE: Word should be open and running prior to using this method to print the documents. If Word is not open, a separate instance of Word will be opened and then closed for each document that is printed. This will cause a considerable amount of wasted time with large numbers of documents. However if Word is open at the time this process is started, then all of the documents will use the open instance of Word to print.

• In Word, select fewer files to open or print.
• If possible, move the files to a location with a shorter path, or shorten the file names.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

MORE INFORMATION

The number of files that Word will open depends on the length of the selected file names and their paths. If the file names or paths are longer, fewer files can be opened.

In Word 6.0 for Windows, if you select multiple files, Word may not open all of the files but this is due to limited system resources. In Word 7.0 and 97, the system resource limitation no longer exists; however there is a 255 character limitation on the length of the path and file name.