Quick Fix: “The document could not be opened for editing. A Microsoft SharePoint Foundation Compatible application could not be found to edit the document”

Problem:

A user tries to open an InfoPath form in the application instead of the browser, and get an error message:

The user can open the file in the browser just fine, and has been able to open the forms previously with no problem. User is able to download the form to their desktop and open the form in InfoPath. But when they try to open the form in the application from the context menu, the above error is shown.

In researching the error, I found a support posting that provided a clue to the problem. In it, the user is instructed to enable Add Ons in their Internet Explorer:

1. Go to Tools in IE, click Internet Options
2. Click Programs at the top
3. Click “Manage add-ons” near the bottom
4. Click Publisher, then you can see all of Microsoft Corporation together
5. Scroll to SharePoint names (May be one or several)
6. Make sure they are all enabled by clicking on the name; the Enable button is towards the bottom.
7. Then click OK and OK and restart IE

Can you guess what the problem was?

Solution:

The user had opened the site in Google Chrome. Obviously, the Chrome browser does not support the IE Add-Ons that call the correct application to open the document.

When the problem was initially reported via e-mail, the error message was included in the screen shot, but the image provided little context to indicate that the browser was Chrome. It was only after visiting the user’s desk to get a better understanding of what they were doing that the browser was identified as the issue. (Another example of Point of View.)

In environments where users are able to use browsers other than IE, check that they are using the correct browser.  If they are using IE, check that the add-ons are properly enabled.