The Open tab on the File menu shows a list of files you've recently opened, and it includes links to places where you commonly store files.
The Recent list shows the files that you opened recently from any of your devices. If this list gets unwieldy, you can remove files from it. Just right-click the file name and then pick Remove from list. You can make other changes to the Recent list. To learn more, see Customize the list of recently used files. If you don't use the list of Recent files, and you'd rather jump straight into browsing folders, use Ctrl+F12 to open the Open dialog box directly.
To access files from your Microsoft 365 Groups or SharePoint Online document libraries click Show more under Quick access in the left nav pane. This displays a list of your frequently Groups and Sites to select from. Pick one and browse to the file you want to open.
Double-click This PC to get to local files, including removable flash drives. You can also select one of the locations your accounts let you get to, sign in if necessary, and then open the file you want. To add a new location, select Add a Place.
Tip:Â If you want to bypass File > Open and always use the Open dialog box, do this: Select File > Options > Save, and then select the Don't show the Backstage when opening or saving files check box. Then, close and reopen any open Office applications. Note that this change only affects what you see when you press CTRL+O to access the Open Files dialog box.
Search for your file
To find a document on your computer but aren't sure where it is, use search. Select  Browse at the bottom of the places list on the left. In the Open dialog box appears, type a whole or partial file name, or text that may be in the file in the Search box at the top right and press enter. A list of matching documents will appear for you to choose from.
See also
On the Mac, selecting the File menu and then Open (or press ⌘+O) gets you to the File Open dialog box.
To access files from your Microsoft 365 Groups or SharePoint Online document libraries select the Sites - Your Company link. You'll get a list of your frequently Groups and Sites to select from. Pick the one you want and browse to the file you want to open.
Double-click On my Mac to get to local files, including ones stored on the desktop or removable flash drives.
The Recent list shows the files that you opened recently from any of your devices. You can press control + click on a file and get options to Open, Repair, Share, Copy Path, Rename, or Delete files.Â
