Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here: Viewing Files of a Certain Type.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated October 31, 2020)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021
When you want to open a document, you normally use the Open dialog box. The easiest way to display it is to just press Ctrl+O. Depending on your version of Word, this may take you directly to the Open dialog box, or you may need to poke around a bit more to finally get to it.
The Open dialog box is a standard dialog box in Word used to list the files that you can open in the program. At the bottom of the dialog box you can use a drop-down list to limit what Word displays in the file list.
What if you want to display files that have a non-standard filename extension, however? For instance, what if you want to display only the files that you saved using a filename extension of .LET? If you want to do this, Word makes it easy: simply enter *.let in the File Name box and press Enter. Word dutifully displays all the files ending in .LET.
What if you want to display only the files that begin with W and end in .DOCX? All you need to do is enter w*.docx in the File Name box and again press Enter.
For those who have been around computers for a (very long) while, you may recognize a pattern here. The pattern is simple—you can use the old DOS wildcards (asterisk and question mark) to specify a pattern for the files you want Word to list.
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (10311) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Viewing Files of a Certain Type.
Create Custom Apps with VBA! Discover how to extend the capabilities of Office 365 applications with VBA programming. Written in clear terms and understandable language, the book includes systematic tutorials and contains both intermediate and advanced content for experienced VB developers. Designed to be comprehensive, the book addresses not just one Office application, but the entire Office suite. Check out Mastering VBA for Microsoft Office 365 today!
Your macro may need to know if a particular file exists. This is easy to figure out using the Dir command, and even ...
Discover MoreWhen working on a document, you most often want to save your edits using the existing name of the document. If Word ...
Discover MoreWord can be configured to save your work periodically; on any time schedule you desire. This tip explains this feature ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)
Got a version of Word that uses the ribbon interface (Word 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the menu interface.
Visit the WordTips channel on YouTube
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here:
Comments