How to Open and Repair a Word Document | 10 Word Recovery Tips

QUICK STEPS: Open and Repair a Word Document:

• Step 1. Run the Word Repair tool.
• Step 2. Add and repair corrupted, unreadable, and inaccessible Word files.
• Step 3. Preview and save the repaired Word document. Learn more details...

Has it ever happened to you that Microsoft Word 2016 just won't open your .doc or .docx files? Are you annoyed when you try to open a Word file and it shows “Word encountered an error trying to open the file” or “Word cannot read this document. It may be corrupted”?

How to fix Word? If you're experiencing the same issue on your Windows PC, refer to this page to find the right solution to the problem that Word 2016 won't open or read files.

Use a Repair Tool to Open and Fix a Word Document

When your Word 2016 or 2019 document won't open, getting access to all your precious content again is top priority. To make this easier, the Tools team has designed a straightforward solution: a new algorithm has been added to the latest version of the Fixo Document Repair tool, turning it into a powerful Word repair utility.

Unlike other Word file repair tools, Fixo Document Repair automatically fixes your corrupted, damaged, or unreadable Word files. With this powerful Word repair tool, you can easily resolve issues like Word not opening, blank pages in Word, or Word showing 0kb.

If your Word document is corrupted on an external hard drive, SD card, or any other storage device, Fixo Document Repair has got you covered!

Download this Microsoft repair tool and follow the guidelines to fix your corrupted Word document file yourself:

Step 1. Launch the Word Repair tool on your computer and select the corrupt Word document by clicking on “File Repair” and then “Add File.”

Step 2. On the next screen, you can select “Repair All” to fix multiple corrupted Word files at once. You can also click on “Repair” button to individually recover corrupted Word file.

Step 3. Save the repaired Word documents and check them by clicking the “View Repaired” button.

Aside from supporting the opening and repair of corrupted Word 2016/2019 files, you can also use this software to fix other files like a corrupted Excel file, damaged videos, images, and more.

You can share this post with your colleagues or classmates to help them open and fix the file:

If you follow any of the fixes mentioned in the next part, you'll successfully repair and open your Word file in Microsoft Word 2016/2019/2013, or even earlier versions.

Repairing a Word Document Using Other Methods

So, how to repair a corrupted Word document? When any of these instances happen, do you know how to open and repair a corrupted Word 2016? Here, you'll learn some practical solutions that will help you effectively fix and resolve corruption issues with Word 2016/2019 on your own:

• #1. Unlock the Word File
• #2. Use a Text Recovery Converter
• #3. Insert the File into a New Document
• #4. Use Microsoft's Open and Repair
• #5. Open the Corrupted Word in Draft Mode
• #6. Change the Word Document Format
• #7. Open the Document with Notepad
• #8. Ensure Sufficient Memory and Disk Space
• #9. Find and Recover from Auto-Saved Temporary Files

Note that these fixes can also be used to repair corrupted documents in programs like Microsoft Office Word 2013, 2010, or 2007. The more fixes you try, the higher the chances of recovering your corrupted Word file.

Choose a method to learn how to make your corrupted 2016 Word document accessible and readable again:

Method 1: Unlock a Word File

When trying to open a Word 2016/2019 document, you might receive an error message that says, "Word experienced an error trying to open the file..." This usually happens due to issues with third-party software interfering with file transfer or access permissions.

You can try unlocking the file by following these steps:

Step 1: Right-click the problematic Word file and choose “Properties.”

Step 2: On the General tab, clear Read-onlyRecommended > OK.

Now you should be able to open the Word file on your computer without any issues.

Note: If you see this error in multiple Word documents, try the following steps:

Step 1: Copy and move all problematic Word documents to the same folder.

Step 2: Open Word 2016 and click File > Options.

Step 3: Click Trust Center, and then click Trust Center Settings.

Step 4: Click on Trusted Locations and then on Add new location.

Step 5: Choose a new location to save the files, and click OK > OK to complete the process.

It would be great if this post could be shared with users encountering this Word error on forums like Reddit:

Method 2: Using a Text Recovery Converter

You can also utilize the Word Text Recovery Converter to repair your Word document. Here are the detailed steps to follow:

Step 1: Open the Word 2016 application and click "File" > "Open."

Step 2: Click "Browse".

Step 3: Browse and select the inaccessible Word 2016 file and then choose “Recover Text from Any File (*.*)” from the drop-down menu.

Step 4. Click on "Open," and be patient. The Word application should open and display the contents of your Word 2016 document.

Step 5. After reviewing the contents, it's recommended that you copy the content and save it as a new file just in case something goes wrong.

If the Text Recovery Converter fails to fix the issue, your Word file might be severely corrupted. Try using a dedicated Word repair tool to open and fix the Word file.

Method 3: Inserting a File into a New Document

Step 1: Open the Word 2016 application and create a new, blank Word document.

Step 2: Click on the "Insert" tab in the menu bar, then click "Object," and choose "Text from File."

Step 3. In the Insert File dialog, locate and select the inaccessible, corrupted, or damaged Word file and click Insert.

Step 4. Wait for the application to open and read the corrupted Word 2016 document content.

You can also copy the contents and paste it into a new blank document.

Method 4: Use Microsoft's Open and Repair

You can also use Microsoft's “Open and Repair” feature to fix issues with Microsoft Word not opening.

< strong > Step 1. Open the Word 2016 application and go to File > Open > Browse.

Step 2. Go to the location or folder where the problematic Word document is saved, and select the damaged Word file.

Step 3: Click the drop-down arrow next to Open, and then select Open and Repair.

Wait for the process to complete. Once you can see the content of the Word file, copy and save it to a new document.

Method 5: Open the Corrupted Word Document in Draft Mode

Step 1: Open the Word application and click on the "View" tab. In the "Views" group, select "Draft".

Step 2. Go to File > Options > Advanced.

Step 3: In the Display Document Content section, choose Use draft font in Draft and Outline views and Show picture placeholders.

4. In the Display section, uncheck Update links on open, and then click OK and close Word.

Step 5: Restart the Word application and go to File > Open.

Step 6. Select the damaged or inaccessible Word 2016 file and click Open.

Method 6: Change the Document Format in Word

Step 1: Launch the Word 2016 application and click on “File” > “Open.”

Step 2: Select the unreadable or corrupted Word document and click "Open".

Step 3: Click File > Save As, and then click Browse.

Step 4: From the Save as type list, select Rich Text Format (*.rtf).

Step 5: Choose “Save.” Then, close Word.

Step 6: Then, you can double-click the RTF file to open it and view your Word 2016 document contents.

If the file is open and its contents have been safely saved, you can repeat the above steps to save the file as a Word document with the file extension .doc or .docx.

Method 7: Open the Document with Notepad

Step 1: Open the folder where the corrupted Word document is saved in File Explorer.

Step 2: Right-click the corrupted Word 2016 file and select Open With.

Step 3: Select “Notepad” as the tool to open Word.

Step 4. Wait for Notepad to open the Word document. If Notepad can't open the corrupted Word file, try using a tool like Fixo Document Repair to quickly fix the problem.

Method 8: Make sure you have enough free RAM and disk space

Sometimes, when there is insufficient memory or disk space, the Windows operating system will not allow the Word application to open a file or create a new document. Thus, the best solution is to add more memory and disk space.

Fortunately, there are many ways to increase both your computer's memory and its disk space. Some of them are simple, and others not so much.

For a more detailed guide, refer to the article How to Solve "There Is Not Enough Memory or Disk Space to Run Word" Error.

Method 9: Search and Recover from an Auto-Saved Temporary File

One last thing you can try is to look into the “Temporary Auto-Save Files” folder and find the temporary file for the Word document that won't open or is corrupted.

Here are the steps:

Step 1: Open the Word 2016 application and go to the “File” option.

Step 2: Click "Manage Documents," and then select "Recover Unsaved Documents" from the drop-down list.

Step 3: Look for the temporary files of the problematic Word document that has the .asd extension.

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Step 4. Wait for the Word application to open your recovered Word document, and then click "Save As" to save it as a new document.

In the end

How to fix a Word document? This page covers various symptoms that can help you determine if your Word file is corrupted or not opening. We've also gathered 10 practical solutions to help you effectively open and repair a Word document in Microsoft Office 2016/2019 or similar versions.

An indispensable tool for swiftly and securely resolving issues, Fixo Repair Tool is a must-have. Apart from repairing damaged Word files, you can also effortlessly utilize it to fix Excel sheets, videos, images, and more.

More on Common Issues with Damaged Word Files

How can I tell whether it's Word or a Word document that's damaged?

This page lists the symptoms and error messages that you might see on your computer when a Word document won't open or is damaged.

You can determine whether the Word application is experiencing problems if you see any of the following symptoms:

Error 1 - "Microsoft Word has stopped working"

If you see the error message, "Word has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience," you'll need to find a way to fix the crashing Word program.

You might also be interested in our article on 8 Ways to Fix Microsoft Word Not Opening.

Error 2 - "WINWORD.EXE - Application Error" or with an error code

If you receive an error like “Microsoft Word has stopped working (0xc0000142)” or a similar error code when you try to open the application, you have a problem with your version of Word.

**2. How do I find the "Open" and "Repair" feature in Microsoft Word?** In Microsoft Word, you can locate the "Open" and "Repair" features by following these steps: 1. Launch the Word application. 2. Click on the "File" tab at the top of the menu bar. 3. In the dropdown menu, you will see an option labeled "Open." Click on it to browse and select the document you want to open. 4. Under the same "File" menu, if you need to use the "Repair" feature to attempt fixing a damaged document, typically you would find your document in the "Open" dialog box. Then, look for and click on the "Open & Repair" button located below the file list. Please note that the "Open & Repair" feature may not be available in all versions of Word. If you cannot find this option, you might need to update your Word version or try alternative methods to recover your document.

As we know, the “Open and Repair” option can fix corrupted Word documents. But how to find it? You can locate it by following these steps:

Open the Word app > File > Open > Browse > select the damaged Word file > click the downward-pointing arrow next to “Open,” then choose “Open and Repair.”

Why can't I open my Word document?

Whether online or offline, a document may become corrupted and unopenable because of problems with the file itself or because it was loaded from a damaged disk. The key to retrieving data from an unloadable Word document is not to panic.

Next, you need to look for and try practical Word recovery and repair solutions. In Part 1, we recommended the Fixo Document Repair tool along with 9 other fixes that are ready to lend you a hand. Just go back and pick one of the methods to get your Word opening and working correctly again.