| 6ixStringJack: Once we get this all squared away, you should probably teach yourself to use those Google Docs instead of MS word too. Now that Windows 10 is gone, most old versions of MS Word don't work on Windows 11 anymore. Your next computer is likely going to have Windows 11. The only version I know that works for sure in Windows 11 without doing some hacking is their Microsoft Office 365, which is a subscription based model that you have to pay a monthly/yearly fee to use. Your current computer could last you another 5 years, but eventually you're going to have to learn to do something different than what you're doing now. It would probably be a good idea this year to start trying to use both just so you can get a handle on the free Google Docs rather than try to figure out how you'd pay for a MS subscription without being able to pay for things online. |
| 6ixStringJack: Once we get this all squared away, you should probably teach yourself to use those Google Docs instead of MS word too. Now that Windows 10 is gone, most old versions of MS Word don't work on Windows 11 anymore. Your next computer is likely going to have Windows 11. The only version I know that works for sure in Windows 11 without doing some hacking is their Microsoft Office 365, which is a subscription based model that you have to pay a monthly/yearly fee to use. Your current computer could last you another 5 years, but eventually you're going to have to learn to do something different than what you're doing now. It would probably be a good idea this year to start trying to use both just so you can get a handle on the free Google Docs rather than try to figure out how you'd pay for a MS subscription without being able to pay for things online. |
| 6ixStringJack: I just thought too that it's possible that you might have accidentally changed the default program for your documents to Google Docs instead of Word too. If you double click on your book that you know is good, does it open it in Microsoft Word, or does it open it in Google Docs? If you can't get any doc to open in MS Word and they all open in Google Docs, we need to change back your default program for Word Docs back to MS Word. |
| 6ixStringJack: On a side note: That window that opens up when you click on the paperclip item is essentially another instance of File Explorer. If you really look at it, you should see the similarities. Here's a wikihow on sending an attachment in Gmail that I double checked. [go to link] |
| 6ixStringJack: Try to open the email you sent to yourself again, and instead of left-clicking, right click and you should have an option to download the file. It should open a window similar to that which opens when you click on the paperclip before you send it. On the left side you should see some other folders besides just "Documents". One of them would be "Desktop". Choose Desktop on the left, and then click the "Save" button toward the bottom and it should download the ".docx" from the email instead of opening it up in Google Docs. |
| 6ixStringJack: So it's not actually the one your editor sent back to you. That should be your book, but we don't want to open it in Gmail. We want to download the attachment. |
| 6ixStringJack: What I'm assuming happened here is that because you're using GMail, it's automatically opening your Microsoft Word ".docx" file in Gmail when you left-click on it. |
| 6ixStringJack: Okay... When you press the paperclip, it will say what folder it's currently looking at in the box that comes up. It actually is opening in a default folder. So what you did by dragging the book into that box, and not the body of the email itself, is make a copy of your book from your Documents folder into whatever folder Gmail defaults to, and then you sent that copy to yourself. I'm guessing that your file now says "Brenda's Book Title (2) - Copy.docx" or something very close to that? |
| Brenda: I used the attachment icon at the bottom of the email. The paperclip and it brought up the window and I just moved the file into the box, hit open and it went into the email. I was doing the exact same thing when I was emailing to myself as I did then. |
| Brenda: Okay I will try that later. I've got it written down. |
| Brenda: I use Gmail for my email and all it says is copy and after I send it to myself, there is a file in the email. Behind the file is ".doxc" |
| Brenda: I know and I've been trying to figure it out to and it is driving me buggy. |
| 6ixStringJack: I know it was a few years ago now, but do you have any recollection how you attached your book and emailed it to the editor? You're doing exactly the same thing you did when you did that, but the only difference here is that you're emailing it to yourself instead of somebody else. |
| 6ixStringJack: If you have an actual file attached to the email, instead of left clicking it, right click on it and it may give you the option to "Save" or "Save As". Save that to your Desktop if this is the case. I don't want you saving it to your Documents folder and accidentally saving over your book, so I want you to save it to the Desktop instead. |
| 6ixStringJack: Are you using Gmail or Hotmail? What is your email platform? Maybe if you're using Gmail it's automatically loading that up into Google Docs or something instead of giving you the option of downloading it and saving it. Do you just get a link in the email after you send it to yourself, or does it show that there is an attached file? If it shows an attached file, does it say what type of file it is (or say what the extension is, ie: ".doc" or ".docx" or the like? |
| 6ixStringJack: Something is amiss. I don't know exactly what it is that you're copying into the email. There should be absolutely zero connection between your Word Document in the Documents folder and that online link. Absolute zero. Completely unrelated. If you're copying over the file that you double click and it opens in Word. |
| Brenda: I've noticed when I did what you said. Instead of asking me anything it says copy before dropping into the email. Not sure if it should be saying that. |
| Brenda: Just tried it again and once it arrived in my inbox, I opened it and it is still the google doc.
I had two windows open like you said and I left click and dragged it and it looks in the email. Then like I said I send it and it arrives but opening it, it doesn't work. I am trying to figure out when I downloaded it if I missed a step. |
| Brenda: I guess they did set up a folder a folder. I don't totally know as this was gotten for me through a friend. And both friends knew I needed Word. |
| Brenda: What I am opening in Microsoft word is my latest version of my book. |