Office Settings & Configuration

How to Restore Word Reading View Settings After a Windows Update

Elise Williams Sep 30, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user needs to restore a missing setting for opening email attachments in Reading View, which disappeared after a recent system update.

Restore Word Reading View Settings After a Windows Update

Product: Microsoft Word
Device & OS: Windows
Scenario: Trying to configure Word to open email attachments and uneditable files in Reading View after installing Windows updates.
Observed behavior: The "Open email attachments and other uneditable files in Reading View" option is missing from Word settings, and third-party applications using Word templates are now generating scripting errors.

Before you start

Ensure you have administrator privileges on your computer, as accessing and modifying the Local Group Policy Editor requires administrative rights.

Solution 1Recommended

Enable Reading View Settings via Group Policy Editor

If the setting has been hidden from the standard Word Options interface, you can attempt to force it to be enabled using the Windows Group Policy Editor.

This method utilizes Windows Administrative Templates for Microsoft Office. If you do not have the Office administrative templates installed, you may need to download them from the official Microsoft website first.

Open the Group Policy Editor

Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box. Type 'gpedit.msc' and press Enter to launch the Local Group Policy Editor.

Navigate to Word Options

In the left pane, navigate to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Microsoft Word 2016 > Word Options > General.

Modify the Reading View Policy

Look for the policy named 'Open e-mail attachments in Reading View' in the right pane. Double-click it to open the configuration window.

Enable and Apply

Select the 'Enabled' radio button, then click 'Apply' followed by 'OK'. Restart Microsoft Word for the changes to take effect.

Enable Reading View Settings via Group Policy Editor

Policy Availability: If you cannot find this specific policy, it means the setting has been completely removed from your installed build of Microsoft Word.

Solution 2

Contact Microsoft 365 Support

If the Group Policy setting is unavailable, the feature has been permanently removed from your Office version, and you will need to seek official support to resolve template scripting errors.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why did the Reading View option disappear from Word Options?

Microsoft frequently updates Office applications to streamline the user interface and improve security. In recent Microsoft 365 builds, the specific setting to automatically open email attachments in Reading View has been deprecated and removed from the standard options menu.

How can I safely open email attachments without the Reading View setting?

By default, Microsoft Word opens files originating from the internet or Outlook in 'Protected View'. This acts similarly by preventing malicious scripts from running automatically while allowing you to read the document safely.

Why are my Word templates generating scripting errors after the update?

If a third-party application relies on a specific Word macro or template that expects the document to initialize in Reading View, the removal of this feature can break the expected workflow. You may need to update the application integration or adjust macro security settings in the Trust Center.

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