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Would anyone here know how I can get offline help on programs (when I click F1) back on Windows 10? I find it a bit ridiculous if I need to go to my Windows 7 VM to start the calculator and get the help - I'm using the Win32 calculator, not the new one, btw. And I found out I'd like to know how to use a part of the programmer of it, so I went on Help --> Microsoft site with no help. That's cool.

So.... is there ANY way of redirecting the Help links to offline help again? On Windows 7 (with which I was until a month ago - and I regret having upgraded in parts and not in others, and this is one I regret), I had offline help on everyone and if I wanted online help, I just had to click on the Online thing button. On Windows 10 it's online if we want and if we don't, our problem - or I hope I'm amazingly wrong and there's a way of getting offline help on this thing.

Thanks for any help.

PS: I know I can just go search on Google, I guess, but that seems a bit weird, to say the least.

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    Windows 10 changes every 6 months or so, so that Help is now Online. I do not think there is much you can do about that except adapt. I have been using Windows 10 for over half a decade and help does not present an issue to me.
    – anon
    Commented Sep 29, 2020 at 1:36
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    Windows discontinued offline help files over a decade ago due to the numerous security vulnerabilities that had been discovered. Offline help doesn’t exist on any modern supported version of Windows
    – Ramhound
    Commented Sep 29, 2020 at 2:08
  • Really miss the offline help.... But Windows 10/Server 2016/Server 2019 help does not exist anymore.... instead there is sucking online help which I hate. Any press of F1 will take you to Get help and you can't view .hlp files too, but one thing is better that you no longer need to unblock .chm files to view them, and no longer "Navigation to the webpage has been cancelled" messages
    – Wasif
    Commented Sep 29, 2020 at 2:29
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    I know this may not be easy for users who are accustomed to using Windows 7, but Windows 10 has no offline help. Windows 10 integrates the entire help system and integrates various types of hardware or system error and resources into an online website to facilitate users to retrieve relevant information. This may be the future development trend.
    – JoyQiao
    Commented Sep 29, 2020 at 5:34
  • @WasifHasan Actually you can view HLP files. I have some very old games with those files as help and dear Win10 didn't want me to see them, so I found an installer for that (majorgeeks.com/files/details/winhlp32_for_windows_10.html). Though it would be best if you'd actually replce the files. The MSI installers for up to Win8.1 did that, but there's none to Win10, so they made that which doesn't replace anything. Now I can see help from some games.
    – Edw590
    Commented Sep 29, 2020 at 10:23

1 Answer 1

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It is not possible to do this on current Windows computers. This function was removed several years ago due to security issues and the rapidity of changes in the systems, and the ubiquity of internet connections.

You could theoretically download a selection of help documents for offline perusal, but these would be outdated the next time Windows updates.

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  • Well, in my case I don't mind too much if Windows updates, because I won't be receiving the update haha --> LTSC edition (2019). No changes unless I so wish. So I can keep the system as it is now and get to actually know it before it changes and I stop knowing it fully again. But in this edition, Microsoft removed all the apps and even the Store (I have it back though haha). And if they did that and replaced the UWP calculator with the old Win32 calculator, not sure if they should or not have bought the help for it back... (because of what you said - security, which I didn't know about).
    – Edw590
    Commented Sep 29, 2020 at 10:27
  • I also tried to replace HelpPane.exe, hh.exe and Help folder with the ones from Win7 32-bit (I have 64-bits OS - hope that's not the issue here), but it goes to Online help anyways, even though MS said HelpPane would redirect that to online stuff on Win10 (docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/customize/desktop/…), so replacing it I thought it would work, but no - then it's not only HelpPane (or not it at all?).
    – Edw590
    Commented Sep 29, 2020 at 10:31

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