Cannot close help window in Office apps

On 11/30/07 10:54 AM, in article
4b2e5893-4021-4c37-b5b7-4957f2ad1205.TakeThisOut@y43g2000hsy.googlegroups.com,
"jkeramidas@gmail.com" <jkeramidas.TakeThisOut@gmail.com> wrote:

> When I click the application specific help option (e.g. Excel Help),
> the help window launches and I can navigate it as well as continue to
> work with the open document. I cannot, however, seem to find a way to
> close the help window when I am finished. The normal window option
> buttons (close, minimize, expand) are not visible and there is no
> "close window" link either. Any ideas on what might have happened? The
> only way to currently get out of this is to quit and relaunch the
> application.

Command-W closes any open window.

Daiya's solution to change resolution should work, but you could also try in
the Finder under View to "Arrange by Name" or Cleanup to get Help to move
from under the menu bar.

--
Diane, Microsoft Mac MVP (MVPs are not Microsoft Employees)
Entourage Help Page <http://www.entourage.mvps.org/>
Entourage Help Blog <http://blog.entourage.mvps.org/>
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In article <C376025C.8A54%diane@invalid.entourage.mvps.org>,
Diane Ross <diane.RemoveThis@invalid.entourage.mvps.org> wrote:

> Command-W closes any open window.

That's emphatically NOT true in XL...

Typing CMD-w in XL with the Help window active closes the active
workbook.

The ONLY ways to close the Help window in XL are to (a) use the red
gumdrop in the Help window's title bar, or (b) Quit XL.

It's a bug, and a damned annoying one. Can't tell you how many times
I've closed a workbook accidently...
 >> Stay informed about: Cannot close help window in Office apps 

In article <jemcgimpsey-C34D36.13255803122007 DeleteThis @news.microsoft.com>,
JE McGimpsey <jemcgimpsey DeleteThis @mvps.org> wrote:

> The ONLY ways to close the Help window in XL are to (a) use the red
> gumdrop in the Help window's title bar, or (b) Quit XL.

Oops - forgot a third way!

If the Help window is active, typing CMD-SHIFT-w will close it.

However, if the workbook is actually active (and there are no visual
cues as to whether the worksheet or the Help window are active),
CMD-SHIFT-w by default toggles the "Shadow On/Off" command instead.

So if you've opened Help, then done anything with the workbook (i.e., if
you've done whatever you've opened Help for), you have to click in the
Help window anyway, before you can use the unique shortcut.
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JE McGimpsey wrote:
> In article <jemcgimpsey-C34D36.13255803122007 RemoveThis @news.microsoft.com>,
> JE McGimpsey <jemcgimpsey RemoveThis @mvps.org> wrote:
>
>
>> The ONLY ways to close the Help window in XL are to (a) use the red
>> gumdrop in the Help window's title bar, or (b) Quit XL.
>>
>
> Oops - forgot a third way!
>
> If the Help window is active, typing CMD-SHIFT-w will close it.
>

Oh! That's hugely useful in this situation.
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In article <#Ujk8LfNIHA.748@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl>,
Daiya Mitchell <daiyaNOSPAM.RemoveThis@mvps.org.INVALID> wrote:

> > If the Help window is active, typing CMD-SHIFT-w will close it.
> >
>
> Oh! That's hugely useful in this situation.

Possibly, though it's still better, IMO, to reset its position.

The really ugly part is that the only way to activate the Help window is
to click somewhere in it - when it opens, the workbook window remains
active. So one HAS to pick up the mouse to dismiss the Help window, no
matter what.
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