HOW TO: Redirect or Disable the Office on the Web Connection for Office XP Programs (309022)

SUMMARY

Office on the Web is a command on the Help menu of most Office XP programs that leads to a Web site with Office XP resources. Office on the Web allows users to view various kinds of information about Office:

• Information that may not appear in the product documentation
• Information about Office issues that were recently discovered
• Information about enhancements and updates to download

Some administrators do not want users to have access to the Internet from any Office product and prefer to disable this option.

This article describes how you can redirect or disable the Office on the Web connection for all Office XP programs by configuring a system policy setting or by using the Microsoft Management Console.

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Redirect or Disable Office on the Web by Using a System Policy

To redirect Office on the Web by using a system policy:

1. In the System Policy Editor, double-click the Default User icon.
2. Click the plus (+) sign to expand the Microsoft Office XP node.
3. Expand the Help | Office on the Web node.
4. Select the Office on the Web URL check box.
5. Under the Settings for Office on the Web URL work area, set the Office on the Web URL box to the URL that you want to use, or leave it blank.

To disable Office on the Web by using a system policy:

1. In the System Policy Editor, double-click the Default User icon.
2. Click the plus (+) sign to expand the node for the Microsoft Office program that you want to modify.
3. Expand the Disable items in user interface node.
4. Expand the Predefined node.
5. Select the Disable command bar and menu items check box.
6. In the lower window, scroll to Help | Office on the Web, and then select the check box.
7. Repeat steps 2 through 6 for each additional Office program, and then click OK when you are finished.

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Redirect or Disable Office on the Web by Using the Microsoft Management Console

To redirect Office on the Web by using the Microsoft Management Console:

1. Click Start, point to Run, and then start the Microsoft Management Console (MMC).
2. On the Console menu, click Add/Remove Snap-In.
3. On the Add/Remove Snap-In dialog box, click Add (on the lower left).
4. In the list of snap-ins, double-click Group Policy, and then click Finish.
5. Click Close to close the dialog box, and then click OK in the Add/Remove Snap-In dialog box.
6. In the Console root under Local Computer Policy, expand User Configuration.
7. Expand Administrative Templates, and then examine the templates that are currently installed.
8. Right-click Administrative Templates, and then click Add/Remove Templates.
9. Click Add and then double-click the Office10.adm template.
10. Click Close to close the Add/Remove Templates dialog box.
11. Expand the Microsoft Office XP node.
12. Click Help | Office on the Web.
13. Double-click Office on the Web URL.
14. Click the Enabled button.
15. In the box, type the URL that you want to use, or leave the box blank.
16. Click OK in the Properties dialog box.
17. On the Console menu, click Save to save the modified policy.

To disable Office on the Web by using the Microsoft Management Console:

1. Click Start, point to Run, and then start the Microsoft Management Console (MMC).
2. On the Console menu, click Add/Remove Snap-In.
3. In the Add/Remove Snap-In dialog box, click Add (on the lower left).
4. In the list of snap-ins, double-click Group Policy and then click Finish.
5. Click Close to close the dialog box, and then click OK in the Add/Remove Snap-In dialog box.
6. In the Console root under Local Computer Policy, expand User Configuration.
7. Expand Administrative Templates, and then examine the templates that are currently installed.
8. Right-click Administrative Templates, and then click Add/Remove Templates.
9. Click Add and then double-click the Office program template (*.adm) that you want to modify.
10. Click Close in the Add/Remove Templates dialog box.
11. Expand the program template that you just added under Administrative Templates.
12. Expand the Disable items in user interface item, and then click Predefined.
13. Double-click Command bar buttons and menu items.
14. Click the Enabled button.
15. Scroll to Help | Office on the Web, and then select the check box.
16. Click OK in the Properties dialog box.
17. Repeat for each additional Office program that you want to modify.
18. On the Console menu, click Save to save the modified policy.

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Troubleshooting

The Office on the Web feature is automatically disabled if a default Web browser is not installed on the user's computer, or if a feedback URL is not defined in the Windows registry.

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