[Solved] Writer opens blank document whenever I return to a session in progress

[jkt]

Windows 11. When I am editing a document in Writer, I often feel the need to temporarily go to another app. When I click Writer on my task bar in order to return, Writer opens up a new, blank document. If I click "Windows" in Writer, the document I am working on is still open in its own window. I want to return to Writer to the same window (and document) that was open when I left. I don't want to accumulate empty windows.

Am I missing something? One way or another, I would appreciate it if someone could clarify this for me.

Thanks - John

[RoryOF]

When you are editing your document, click "Windows" and see if there are two documents listed - a blank document and the one you are editing. If so, switch to the blank document and close it. Having only the one document open should cure the "blank" document problem when you switch away and return.

[MrProgrammer]

When I click Writer on my task bar in order to return, Writer opens up a new, blank document.

I suspect the item on the task bar you're clicking on is actually a Writer template, not the OpenOffice application. This is exactly what opening a template would do. I can reproduce the problem on MacOS by adding a Writer template to my Dock On MacOS, the Dock is an area of the screen from which one can launch applications or documents, so I think it's the MacOS equivalent to your taskbar. When I click on the template in the Dock, an empty Writer document opens, not any of the existing OpenOffice documents I have open.

I do not use Windows and cannot help with your taskbar problem. I do not know how to:
• investigate the properties of the Writer item on your taskbar (to see if it's a template)
• remove the Writer icon from your taskbar, or
• put a link to the OpenOffice application on your taskbar (instead of a link to the Writer template)

Read about templates in Help → Index or in User Guides (PDF) or searching for topics about them in the Writer Forum.

After running my test, I deleted the Writer template from my Dock, since I always launch the OpenOffice application from the dock. Writer is not a separate application. Writer, Calc, Impress, etc. are all part of OpenOffice, and you can create Writer documents, Calc spreadsheets, Impress presentations, databases connections, etc. from its File → New menu. If you want to return to existing documents, you must use the OpenOffice application, not a Writer template.

If this solved your problem please go to your first post use the Edit ✏️ button and add [Solved] to the start of the Subject field. Select the green checkmark icon at the same time.

[jkt]

Thank you for your thoughtful reply. I have gotten rid of the template shortcuts and created shortcuts to the .exe files.