Every major tech company out there is offering their version of the productivity suite. Apple provides iWork suite of productivity apps. Google’s G Suite is fiercely popular. While Microsoft’s Office 365 bundle is considered as Gold standard among all.
Cloud storage solution providers such as Dropbox and Box are providing word-processing software such as Dropbox Paper and Box Notes for seamless sharing and collaboration. Newcomers such as Notion, Coda, and Airtable are trying to change the game with modular approach, but nothing beats a native experience.
Jan 30, 2016 Open up the Word application on your Mac and then click the menu Word Preferences Save and then check the option “Always create backup copy” For PC users. Open Microsoft Word and go to Option by clicking on File tab Options. ( Older version users need to click Office icon left-top corner and then click button “Word Options” from menu. Work Folders provides the following functionality in Windows computers: - A Control Panel item that sets up and monitors Work Folders - File Explorer integration that enables easy access to files in Work Folders - A sync engine that transfers files to and from a central file server while maximizing battery life and system performance.
Microsoft is steadily improving Word experience with more features. Recently, Apple pushed a big update to iWork apps, including Apple Pages. Google is slow in this regard, but it’s getting there with small additions.
We have already covered a detailed comparison of Microsoft Word to Google Docs, and in this post, we will pit Microsoft Word against Apple Pages. The comparison will focus on interface, features, sharing, collaboration, price, and more. Let’s get started.
Availability
After becoming CEO of Microsoft, Satya Nadella laid out ‘Mobile First, Cloud First’ vision. And as a result, Microsoft Word is available everywhere. You can access the software on iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, iPad, and even Web.
As its case with every Apple software, Apple Pages is limited to iOS, Mac, and iPad. The comparison below focuses on the Mac version.
Templates and User Interface
Both Microsoft and Apple offer plenty of default templates. After comparing them side by side, I found Word’s template list was richer and versatile. Apple Pages provides generic and basic ones such as Business Letter, Resume, Invoice, etc.

Nevertheless, you can always use third-party templates from the web.
Let’s talk about User Interface for a bit. If you have used a past version of Microsoft Word before, then you will feel right at home with 2019 Word look.
The familiar toolbox is at the top with relevant sections. I felt Microsoft Word’s interface was a bit outdated compared to today’s standards. However, it’s understandable why Microsoft doesn't want a drastic shift from interface since millions of its enterprise customers use the same software.
In comparison, Apple Pages look better. The editing options are at the right side and the ability to add table, charts, media, are at the top. It’s not cluttered like Word.
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Read MoreFunctions That Matter
Apple Pages perfectly gets the basics. You can add images, videos, tables, integrate stats, shapes, and more.
One can set a password to access a page for extra security. The default editing options remain straightforward. I recommend you master keyboard shortcuts for Word to fly through functionalities.
Microsoft Word is full of features yet the media add-on remains same as Apple Pages. The company has integrated other services such as Microsoft Translate and LinkedIn Resume Assistant. The assistant will guide you to make compelling resume edits.
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There is also a researcher function which gets all the relevant information of the selected word from the web. Thesaurus features let you find the synonyms of a word to increase vocabulary.
You can also add a password to document, add equations, format pages with color, border, and add watermarks.
Storing Documents
You can save a document offline on Microsoft Word and Apple Pages. But that’s the thing of past, isn’t it?
Apple Pages is tightly integrated with iCloud. Once you hit the save button, the software will save it in the default iCloud folder. You can generate a sharable link and send a link to others. With iOS 13 and the upcoming Mac Catalina update, user can send the entire folders to others.
Microsoft Word is all about options. It’s not limited OneDrive only. You can save documents to Dropbox and Box too. The trick remains the same. Save a document to cloud, open it on other device, and start making edits again.
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How to Make a Fillable Form in Microsoft Word
Read MoreSharing and Collaboration
Sharing and real-time collaboration are essential in 2019. Microsoft has had online sharing since 2013 (With the help of OneDrive). Apple was a bit late to the sharing party.
Microsoft Word gives three options for sharing. You can send a copy to others using email. Upload a file to OneDrive and generate a sharable link from there. One can also invite others to make edits. You will see the real-time changes and the author’s name along with it.
Apple Pages takes advantage of Apple’s ecosystem. You can directly share a document using mail and iMessage. One can also send a document using Airdrop. It works seamlessly across Apple devices.
Of course, you can make permission changes and see the real-time edits made by others.
Export
Microsoft Word gives a few options here. You can export a doc as pdf and HTML file. The software also lets you make a basic layout of the document and export it as a template. Using default reduce file size function, one can decrease the file size by compressing added images before exporting or sending it to others.
Similar to Microsoft Word, you can export a page as pdf, Word file, EPUB file, plain text, and rich text bearing fancy elements. Apple also allows you to share the documents to Apple Books platforms from the app.
As always, you can save a page as a template for quick edits. This function is useful for making letterheads and default business letter style for your company.
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Apple Pages is completely free to use. The documents get stored on iCloud, which only offers 5GB of storage for free. You can buy additional space for $1/month.
Microsoft’s productivity suite of apps, including Word, is free for screen size less than 9-inch. Meaning, you can use the software for free on mobiles and tablets. To use the software on a laptop, one need to purchase Office 365 Personal, which costs $5/month. You also get 1TB of OneDrive storage for free with the bundle.
Choose the Best One
As you can see from the above comparison, Apple Pages weights on simplicity and basic functions. Of course, the functionalities aren’t as rich as MS Word, but it gets the job done.
Microsoft Word is universally available, more flexible on storage options, and offers more features out of the box. But at the same time, some may find it bloated. In that case, I would advise going for Pages and if that’s not the case with you, then go with Microsoft Word.
Next up: You can also edit images using Microsoft Word software. Read the post below to find out more.
Read NextHow to Edit Images Using Microsoft Word 2016Also See#productivity #appleDid You Know
Apple facilities are powered by 100% renewable energy.
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Summary
This article describes how to prevent files from automatically opening when you start Microsoft Excel.
More information
When you start Excel, all the files that are located in the XLStart folder are automatically opened. This behavior occurs regardless of the kind of file. Additionally, if you specified an alternative startup folder for Excel, every file in that folder is also automatically opened.To remove an alternative startup folder:
- Select the File menu and then select Options.
- Select the Advanced tab and then locate the General section.
- Clear the box next to 'At startup, open all files in:'.
Excel might stop responding or take longer to start if either of the following conditions is true:
- The files in either startup folder aren't valid Excel workbooks or worksheets.
- The files are stored on a network drive that has a slow network connection.
How to prevent files from automatically opening in Excel
Use one of the following methods to prevent files from automatically opening when you start Excel.
Remove files from the XLStart folder and the alternative startup folders
To remove files from the XLStart folder and the alternative startup folders, follow these steps:
Select Start, and then select Run.
In the Open box, type one of the following and press Enter:
For Office365 or 2019 32 bit:
C:Program Files (x86)Microsoft OfficerootxxXLSTART
For Office365 or 2019 64 bit:
C:Program FilesMicrosoft OfficerootxxXLSTART
Where 'xx' represents the version that you are using (for example, Office15, Office14, etc.).
Also try the following:
- %appdata%MicrosoftexcelXLSTART
- C:UsersUserNameAppDataRoamingMicrosoftexcelXLSTART
Delete any files in the XLStart folder or move them to another folder.
Restart Excel.
Start Excel in safe mode
Note
This is only a temporary solution that will not fix the issue. To use this method, it must be done every time that you start Excel.
Another method for preventing files from automatically opening is to start Excel in safe mode. Starting Excel in safe mode prevents all Excel add-ins, toolbar customizations, and startup folders from loading when the program is started.
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There are two ways to start Excel in safe mode: the CTRL key and command-line switches.
Using the CTRL key
To start Excel in safe mode, hold down the CTRL key while you start Excel. You will receive the following message: Excel has detected that you are holding down the CTRL key. Do you want to start Excel in Safe mode? Select Yes to start in safe mode.
You can then delete files from the alternative startup location as described earlier.
Use Command-line switches
In all versions of Excel, you can use a command-line switch to start Excel in safe mode.Both the /safe switch and the /automation switch can be used for this purpose.
Note
The /safe switch starts Excel in safe mode. The /automation switch disables all automatically opened files and auto-run macros.
To use a command-line switch to start Excel, follow these steps:
Select Start, and then select Run.
In the Open box, type either of the following lines (but not both):
excel.exe /safe
excel.exe /automation
Select OK.
Note
If Microsoft Windows Installer starts when you use one of these command-lines switches, clickCancel to finish starting Excel.
Press the ESCAPE key

Note
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This is only a temporary solution that will not fix the issue. To use this method, it must be done every time that you start Excel.
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Another method for preventing files from automatically opening is to press the ESCAPE key (but do not press and hold). When you press ESCAPE after the files start to open, Excel is prevented from opening additional files.
Using this method, you may receive one or both of the following messages:
- Would you like to cancel opening all files from your Alternate Startup File Location?
- Would you like to cancel opening all files from your XLStart Location?
If you click Yes in either message, Excel starts without opening any additional files from the startup locations.
Note
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Do not hold the ESCAPE key. If you do this, the messages will be closed before you can click Yes.
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References
Microsoft Word Creating Folders For Every File On Mac Computer
For more information about Excel startup folders, see the following Microsoft Knowledge Base articles: