How to Open MDI (Microsoft Document Imaging) Format with Office 2007

When using Microsoft Office 2003 System Suite, you may see a printer named Microsoft Office Document Image Writer in your list of printers. In a situation such as when you don’t have access to a printer, but must print out some transient documents such as booking confirmation for concert, flight or train tickets, or receipt for online purchase, or you simply want to keep a soft copy of the documents in unmodifiable format so that the file can later be printed elsewhere, you can make sure of MS Office Document Image Writer by printing to this virtual printer which will subsequently create a file with .MDI extension.

MDI is a proprietary file format of Microsoft for storing raster images of scanned documents together with optional annotations or metadata, and can only be produced or read by certain Microsoft software, such as Microsoft Office Document Imaging (MODI) module included in Microsoft Office 2003 and later. However, when you upgrade to Windows Vista and Office 2007, or bring the MDI files via USB flash drive or email to another computer with only Office 2007, you will encounter an error of “Windows cannot open this file”, and subsequently ask you to either let Windows to go online to look it up automatically, or manually select from a list of programs that are installed on computer.

The problem happens because “Microsoft Document Image Writer” feature is not installed by default when you run Office 2007 setup. So in order to open and view or print the MDI files with Office 2007 installed, try one of the following workaround or resolution.

Firstly, you can insert the file or drag and drop the MDI file into a OneNote page to view it instantly.

Second is a permanent solution, by installing Microsoft Document Imaging Writer and its corresponding support for the file format.

  1. Go to Control Panel, select “Uninstall a program” link under Programs section.”
  2. High Microsoft Office 2007 (it may show Ultimate, Enterprise, Professional, Small Business, Home and Student, etc).
  3. Click on “Change” located on the navigation link near the top of the window.
  4. Select “Add or Remove Features”, then click “Continue”.
  5. Expand “Office Tools” section.
  6. Click on the drop down list for “Microsoft Office Document Imaging” and select “Run all from My Computer”.
  7. Click “Continue”.
  8. Click “Close” when installation done.

A new virtual printer “Microsoft Office Document Imaging Writer” is created and allows you to print to MDI format (a TIFF variant). And from now onwards you should be able to open any MDI files by simply double click on them. If you still can’t, try to restart your computer.

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This entry was posted on Sunday, May 13th, 2007 at 2:47 am and is filed under Business. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

114 Responses to “How to Open MDI (Microsoft Document Imaging) Format with Office 2007”

Pages: « 5 4 [3] 2 1 » Show All

  1. Diwakar
    July 16th, 2008 01:51
    75

    Awesome Info, thanks a lot. I some times think, Simple solution but yet tough to understand and find.

    Thanks for the Info,

  2. Paula
    July 7th, 2008 11:34
    74

    Sweet! Exactly the help I was looking for.

  3. Jeff
    June 26th, 2008 04:28
    73

    Thank you so much! This is greatly appreciated.

  4. RUFUS
    June 21st, 2008 02:03
    72

    HELLO WALL! Would one of you more IT oriented folks send this to the person in charge of the Office website.

    They need to see what REAL, simple, to the point, works exactly the way it says, help should look like! THANK YOU!!!

  5. Leroy
    June 21st, 2008 00:43
    71

    It worked!

  6. Huss
    June 19th, 2008 20:53
    70

    thanks for the help! nice tip!!!

  7. Marcelo
    June 18th, 2008 02:32
    69

    Ho guy, Solution for my problem. Very cool tip!!!

  8. Lilly Griggs
    June 11th, 2008 15:02
    68

    Thanks so much for this helpful information!

  9. Sridhar
    June 9th, 2008 19:18
    67

    opening mdi file in onenote was very useful thank you so much :)

  10. Bala
    June 4th, 2008 14:03
    66

    Thank you very much.

    It was really very helpful & informative

    May your assistance help us in future.

  11. Jica
    May 20th, 2008 21:10
    65

    Worked great! Thanks for the tip

  12. Peter
    May 19th, 2008 16:40
    64

    Exactly wanted I wanted to know - and it worked! Thanks

  13. P S K
    May 18th, 2008 19:19
    63

    Great info, thanks a lot!!
    - the official Office website was useless

  14. Suresh
    May 17th, 2008 14:48
    62

    Thanks a lot! saved so much of efforts and tension.

  15. Dustin Sherrill
    May 12th, 2008 23:19
    61

    Thanks for the article. I also found out today that I could open MDI files with ‘Windows Picture and Fax Viewer’. So all I had to do was right-click select ‘open with’ then choose ‘Windows Picture and Fax Viewer’.

  16. Gary Tompkins
    May 8th, 2008 10:57
    60

    I tried your tip .In tools it said (with a red x over it,) not avaiable. I have MS office 2007 enterprise edition. Are there any downloads available?
    Thanks,
    Gary

  17. Andy E
    April 29th, 2008 19:08
    59

    Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  18. muddassir
    April 25th, 2008 04:04
    58

    Thanks for the 2nd steps mentioned. I was trying hard to open a .MDI file and the method u mentioned by again installing it from office worked for me

  19. DiM
    April 9th, 2008 21:57
    57

    Thank you so much for this!!! I try to find it 2 day, and finally found. Now all work perfectly.

    Thanks again.

  20. Otonye Braide
    April 7th, 2008 23:00
    56

    Thank you so much!!! It worked like a charm.

  21. Anupam
    April 6th, 2008 09:47
    55

    Excellent!!!

    Thanks for the article which has helped me to open the MDI files again, after installing Office 2007.

  22. cazz
    March 27th, 2008 06:29
    54

    Thanks, article was very informational and steps were straight forward to follow!

  23. Cis
    March 23rd, 2008 04:39
    53

    It may occur that your tiff files are not opened, sinc the upgrade to office 2007. In that case, check http://www.itexperience.net/2008/03/21/restore-tiff-filetype-association-after-migration-to-office-2007/ for the solution for this problem

  24. FieNd
    March 19th, 2008 23:14
    52

    Thanks!!!

  25. Seabra
    March 2nd, 2008 01:50
    51

    Thank you so much for this. Worked perfectly both in my computer with XP and Office 2007 Enterprise and my girlfriend’s Vista with the same office.

    Thank you!

Pages: « 5 4 [3] 2 1 » Show All

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