How to Preview MS Word Docs Instead of Opening Files

Microsoft Word’s preview tool lets you view the contents of a document WITHOUT having to open it.

This is a terrific time saver, especially if all you want to do is look at the cover sheet of a large document. 

  1. From the File menu, click Open.
  2. Instead of opening the file, click the Views menu in the Open window pane.
    quick-preview-in-word.JPG 
  3. Select Preview. This opens a preview pane which displays the contents of the document.