The problem with Word documents and Excel spreadsheets is the macro capability of the programs Excel and Word. So, if you can look at a .doc or .xls file without exposing your computer to the macros in it, then you're as safe as you would be to look at something that doesn't allow macros.

There are various methods to do this. None of these methods remove any viruses that might be hiding in the documents. So if you look at a document any of these ways, don't get overly confident and send it on to your friends.

1. For a .doc file you download or receive in an email message, you can save it to your disk and then open it in WordPad. In Windows 95/98, usually this is found in the "Start" menu, under "Programs", and then under "Accessories". Open WordPad and then choose the "File" menu and go to the file that you saved and open it. WordPad will read the text and formatting from a Word document, but ignores the macros.
2. You can configure your Word and Excel programs to ask you, when you start to open a file, if you want to "Disable macros". If you don't usually use macros yourself, this is a perfectly reasonable thing to do. However some people find it irritating to be asked this every single time they open a file. And, of course, if you reinstall your programs, you have to remember to set these.
3. Certainly, whenever you are asked if you want to "Disable macros", you should always say "Yes" unless you know that there are macros in it you intend to actually use and you trust the source of the document.

Last updated July 5, 1999. Mary Parker, mparker@austincc.edu