PPT97: PowerPoint File Does Not Open in Web Browser Window

When you open or select a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation in Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.01 or later, the presentation does not open and you receive no error message. However, when you attempt to open a Microsoft Word document using the same method, the file opens as expected.

This behavior occurs if the Browse In Same Window option is not selected in Microsoft Windows Explorer.

Enable the Browse In Same Window option. To do this, follow these steps:

1. On the Windows Start menu, point to Programs, and then click Windows Explorer.
2. On the View menu, click Options.
3. Click the File Types tab.
4. From the Registered File Types list, click to select Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation, and then click Edit.
5. Click to select the Browse In Same Window check box, and click OK.
6. Click OK.

To open the file in Microsoft PowerPoint, follow these steps:

1. On the Windows Start menu, click Run.
2. In the Open box, type the path and file name of the file you want to open.
   
   -or-
   
   Click Browse and select the file you want to open.
3. Click Open.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.

When the Browse In Same Window option is selected, the Web browser displays the file. If this option is not selected, the file is opened in the program (Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word, etc.) that it is associated with.

For more information about the Browse In Same Window option, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: