Mac Forum / Applications / Word / March 2007

Hi Rory:

OK, you have two problems, and we need to separate them:

Issues 1 and 2 are the same thing.

Issues 3 and 4 are probably the same cause.

The first problem is that your Normal template has probably acquired a
macro.  If it has, you'll get a macro warning every time you open ANY
document.  It may not be a macro: it can be any kind of customisation.

Follow the instructions here to find and remove your existing Normal
template:
http://word.mvps.org/mac/macwordnormal.html

That should fix issues 1 and 2.  If not, get back to us, we'll have to look
deeper.

Issue 3 is a problem with what the users at the other end are doing.  They
are probably trying to open your documents within their email program.
That's never safe, and recent versions of email programs are increasingly
being locked down to prevent it.  Tell the users to SAVE your documents to
their local hard disk (or wherever) then use File>Open from within Word.
They will then open straight up.

Don't believe the helpful souls who tell you that file name extensions are
required: they're not.  Windows hasn't needed them since 1995.  But they can
be handy on Mac OS X.  Being Unix, it's a little more comfortable with
extensions, but it will also cope without if it's correctly set up.

However, if you advise other users to save to disk then use File>Open from
within Word, the files will open straight up every time, with or without
extensions, and no exceptions.  They will also be properly protected against
malicious files.

Saving to PDF is not something that is under Word's control.  You should, of
course, check for things such as stranded text and unresolved tracked
changes and saved "Versions".  The easiest way to do that is to (AFTER you
have replaced your Normal Template!!) create a new blank document, carefully
copy everything except the last paragraph mark from the existing document,
and paste.  Save that as a document, then as a PDF and compare the file
sizes.

If the file size has shrunk dramatically, the document was full of invisible
rubbish.  Keep the new version!

If it hasn't, the document is full of heavyweight graphics.  Graphics
created on a PC can be a problem: when they get to Mac Word, it converts the
graphics to Mac format, then saves both versions within the file.  The
document can nearly double in size.  There's not much you can do about this,
other than reduce the file size of the original graphics :-)

Hope this helps, get back to us if it doesn't.

One other thought in addition to John's comprehensive expertise re items 2 &
3: zip the files before you send them.