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Recognizing that “stuff” happens, Microsoft offers an Office Repair utility. Because Word 2016 is a part of the Office suite of programs, the Office Repair utility works to fix anything horrifically wrong with Word. Obey these steps:

1. Close Word and any other Office programs.
   You should do so now; otherwise, you’ll be asked to do so again later.
2. Press the Win+X keyboard shortcut.
   In Windows 10, the Windows-and-X key combination brings up the super-secret shortcut menu in the lower left corner of the screen. If you’re using Windows 7, just click on the Start button.
3. Choose Control Panel.
4. Below the Programs heading, click the Uninstall a Program link.
   Don’t freak out: You’re not uninstalling Word. The link should read “Uninstall or Change a Program,” which is the title of the Control Panel screen you see next.
5. Select Microsoft Office from the list of programs.
   The name may be subtly different, such as Microsoft Office 2016 or Microsoft Office 365.
6. Click the Change button.
   The Office Repair utility runs, showing a screen similar to the one shown here.
7. Choose Quick Repair.
   If this choice doesn’t work, go back and choose Online Repair when you try again.
8. Click the Repair button.
9. Click the Repair button again to confirm.
10. Wait.
    The Office Repair utility attempts to figure out what’s wrong. What happens next depends on whether anything is fixed. If something needs attention, obey the directions on the screen. If everything is fine, you see the Done Repairing message (even if nothing was actually wrong).
11. Click the Close button.

If the repair didn’t work, try again but choose Online Repair in Step 8. If that doesn’t work, consider reinstalling your Office installation.

Note

Office 365 ProPlus is being renamed to Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise. For more information about this change, read this blog post.

Summary

This article describes how to identify a damaged document in Word 2007 and later versions. Additionally, this article includes steps that explain how to recover the text and data that is contained in a document after you have identified the document as damaged.

This article is intended for a beginning to intermediate computer user.You may find it easier to follow the steps if you print this article first.

Update Microsoft Office and Windows

Many software issues can be resolved by updating the Microsoft Office and Windows programs.

A damaged document or a software issue?

A Word document can become corrupted for several reasons that will prevent you from opening it. This behavior may be related to damage to the document or to the template on which the document is based. This behavior might include the following:

• Repeatedly renumbers the existing pages in the document
• Repeatedly redoes the page breaks in the document
• Incorrect document layout and formatting
• Unreadable characters on the screen
• Error messages during processing
• A computer that stops responding when you open the file
• Any other unexpected behavior that cannot be attributed to the typical operation of the program

Sometimes, this behavior can be caused by factors other than document damage. It is important to determine whether the document is damaged or whether the problem is a software issue. To eliminate these other factors, follow these steps:

1. Look for similar behavior in other documents. Try to open other Word documents to see whether the same problem occurs. If they open correctly, then the problem might be with the Word document.
2. Look for similar behavior in other Microsoft Office programs. If this is the case, then the issue might be with another application or the operating system.

If any of these steps indicate that the problem is not in the document, you will then have to troubleshoot Word, the Office suite, or the operating system that is running on the computer.

Troubleshooting steps to try if the damaged document does not open

Try the methods in the order given. If one does not work for you, try the next one.

Method 1: Open the damaged document in draft mode without updating links

Step 1: Configure Word

1. Start Word.
2. On the View tab, select Draft in the Views group.
3. Select the File Menu, and then Options, and then Advanced.
4. In the Show document content section, select Use draft font in Draft and Outline views and Show picture placeholders.
5. Scroll down to the General section, clear the check box Update automatic links at open, select OK, and then close Word.

Step 2: Open the damaged document

1. Start Word.
2. Select the File Menu, and then select Open.
3. Select the damaged document, and then select Open.

If you can open the document, close the document and then reopen it by using method 6, and repair the document. Otherwise go to method 2.

Method 2: Insert the document as a file in a new document

Step 1: Create a new blank document

1. Select the File Menu, and then select New.

2. Select Blank document, and then select Create.

   Note

   You might have to reapply some formatting to the last section of the new document.

Step 2: Insert the damaged document into the new document

1. On the Insert tab, select Insert Object, and then select Text From File.

2. In the Insert File dialog box, locate and then select the damaged document. Then, select Insert.

   Note

   You might have to reapply some formatting to the last section of the new document.

Method 3: Create a link to the damaged document

Step 1: Create blank document

1. In Word, select the File Menu, and then select New.
2. Select Blank document, and then select Create.
3. In the new document, type 'This is a test.'
4. Select the File Menu, and then select Save.
5. Type 'Rescue link,' and then select Save.

Step 2: Create link

1. Select the text you typed in step 1-3.
2. On the Home tab, select Copy in the Clipboard group.
3. Select the File Menu, and then select New.
4. Select Blank document, and then select Create.
5. On the Home tab, select the arrow on the Paste button in the Clipboard group, and then select Paste Special.
6. Select Paste link, select Formatted Text (RTF).
7. Select OK.

Step 3: Change the link to the damaged document

1. Right-click the linked text in the document, point to Linked Document Object, and then select Links.

2. In the Links dialog box, select the file name of the linked document, and then select Change Source. Microsoft outlook sync tool for mac computer.

3. In the Change Source dialog box, select the document that you cannot open, and then select Open.

4. Select OK to close the Links dialog box.

   Note

   The information from the damaged document will appear if there was any recoverable data or text.

5. Right-click the linked text, point to Linked Document Object, and then select Links.

6. In the Links dialog box, select Break Link.

7. When you receive the following message, select Yes: Are you sure you want to break the selected links?

Method 4: Use the 'Recover Text from Any File' converter

Note

The 'Recover Text from Any File' converter has limitations. For example, document formatting is lost. Additionally, graphics, fields, drawing objects, and any other items that are not text are lost. However, field text, headers, footers, footnotes, and endnotes are retained as simple text.

1. In Word, select the File Menu, and then select Open.
2. In the Files of type box, select Recover Text from Any File(.).
3. Select the document from which you want to recover the text.
4. Select Open.

After the document is recovered by using the 'Recover Text from Any File' converter, there is some binary data text that is not converted. This text is primarily at the start and end of the document. You must delete this binary data text before you save the file as a Word document.

Note

If you are using Word 2007 and there is not a file button in the User Interface, choose the Office Button and follow the directions when necessary.

Troubleshooting steps to try if you can open the damaged document

Method 1: Copy everything except the last paragraph mark to a new document

Step 1: Create a new document

1. In Word, select File on the Ribbon, and then select New.
2. Select Blank document, and then select Create.

Step 2: Open the damaged document

1. Select File on the Ribbon, and then select Open.
2. Select the damaged document, and then select Open.

Step 3: Copy the contents of document, and then paste the contents into the new document

Note

If your document contains section breaks, copy only the text between the sections breaks. Do not copy the section breaks because this may bring the damage into your new document. Change the document view to draft view when you copy and paste between documents to avoid transferring section breaks. To change to draft view, on the View tab, select Draft in the Document Views group.

1. In the damaged document, press CTRL+END, and then press CTRL+SHIFT+HOME.
2. On the Home tab, select Copy in the Clipboard group.
3. On the View tab, select Switch Windows in the Window group.
4. Select the new document that you created in step 1.
5. On the Home tab, select Paste in the Clipboard group.

If the strange behavior persists, go to method 8.

Method 2: Change the template that is used by the document

Step 1: Determine the template that is used by the document

1. Open the damaged document in Word.
2. Select File on the Ribbon, and then select Options.
3. Select Add-Ins.
4. In the Manage box, select Templates under View and manage Office add-ins.
5. Select Go.

The Document template box will list the template that is used by the document. If the template that is listed is Normal, go to step 2. Otherwise, go to step 3.

Step 2: Rename the global template (Normal.dotm)

1. Exit Word.
2. Select the Start button.
3. In your operating system, search for normal.dotm. It's typically found in this location: %userprofile%appdataroamingmicrosofttemplates
4. Right-click Normal.dotm, and then select Rename.
5. Type 'Oldword.old', and then press ENTER.
6. Close File Explorer.
7. Start Word, and then open the document.

Step 3: Change the document template

1. Open the damaged document in Word.
2. Select File on the Ribbon, and then select Options.
3. Select Add-Ins.
4. In the Manage box, select Templates, and then select Go.
5. Select Attach.
6. In the Templates folder, select Normal.dotm, and then select Open.
7. Select OK to close the Templates and Add-ins dialog box.
8. Exit Word.

Step 4: Verify that changing templates worked.

1. Start Word.
2. Select File on the Ribbon, and then select Options.
3. Select the damaged document, and then select Open.

If the strange behavior persists, go to method 3.

Method 3: Start Word using default settings

You can use the /a switch to start Word by using only the default settings in Word. When you use the /a switch, Word does not load any add-ins. Additionally, Word does not use your existing Normal.dotm template. Restart Word by using the /a switch.

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Step 1: Start Word by using the /a switch

1. Exit Word.

2. Select the Start button and search for Run. In the Run dialog box type the following:

   winword.exe /a

Step 2: Open the document

1. In Word, select File on the Ribbon, and then select Open.
2. Select the damaged document, and then select Open.

If the strange behavior persists, go to method 4.

Method 4: Change printer drivers

Step 1: Try a different printer driver

1. In your operating system search for Devices and Printers.
2. Select Add a printer.
3. In the Add Printer dialog box, select Add a local printer.
4. Select Use an existing port, and then select Next.
5. In the Manufacturer list, select Microsoft.
6. Select Microsoft XPS Document Writer, and then select Next.
7. Select Use the driver that is currently installed (recommended), and then select Next.
8. Select to select the Set as the default printer check box, and then select Next.
9. Select Finish.

Step 2: Verify that changing printer drivers fixes the problem

1. Start Word.
2. Select File on the Ribbon, and then select Open.
3. Select the damaged document, and then select Open.

If the strange behavior persists, go to step 3.

Step 3: Reinstall original printer driver.

Windows 10 and Windows 7

1. In your operating system search for Printers.

2. Select the original default printer, and then select Delete.

   If you are prompted for an administrator password or for a confirmation, type the password, or select Continue.

3. If you are prompted to remove all the files that are associated with the printer, select Yes.

4. Select Add a printer or scanner, and then follow the instructions in the Add Printer Wizard to reinstall the printer driver.

Step 4: Verify that changing printer drivers fixes the problem

1. Start Word.
2. Select File on the Ribbon, and then select Open.
3. Select the damaged document, and then select Open.

If the strange behavior persists, go to method 5.

Method 5: Force Word to try to repair a file

Step 1: Repair document

In Word, select File on the Ribbon, and then select Open.

1. In the Open dialog box, click once to highlight your Word document.
2. Select the arrow on the Open button, and then select Open and Repair.

Step 2: Verify that repairing the document fixes the problem

Verify that the strange behavior no longer occurs. If the strange behavior persists, restart Windows, and then go to method 6.

Method 6: Change the document format, and then convert the document back to the Word format

Step 1: Open the document

1. Start Word.
2. Select File on the Ribbon, and then select Open.
3. Select the damaged document, and then select Open.

Step 2: Save the document in a different file format

1. Select File on the Ribbon, and then select Save as.
2. Select Other Formats.
3. In the Save as file type list, select Rich Text Format (*.rtf).
4. Select Save.
5. Select File on the Ribbon, and then select Close.

Step 3: Open the document, and then convert document back to Word file format

1. In Word, select File, and then select Open.
2. Select the converted document, and then select Open.
3. Select File, and then select Save as.
4. Choose Word Document for the Save As type.
5. Rename the document's file name, and then select Save.

Step 4: Verify that converting the document file format fixes the problem

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Verify that the strange behavior no longer occurs. If the behavior persists, try to save the file in another file format. Repeat step 1 to step 4, and then try to save the file in the following file formats, in the following order:

• Webpage (.htm; .html)
• Any other word processing format
• Plain Text (.txt)

Note

When you save files in the Plain Text (.txt) format, you might resolve the damage to the document. However, all document formatting, macro codes, and graphics are lost. When you save files in the Plain Text (.txt) format, you must reformat the document. Therefore, use the Plain Text (.txt) format only if the other file formats do not resolve the problem.

If the strange behavior persists, go to method 7.

Method 7: Copy the undamaged parts of the damaged document to a new document

Step 1: Create a new document

1. In Word, select File, and then select New.
2. Select Blank document, and then select Create.

Step 2: Open the damaged document

1. Select File, and then select Open.
2. Select the damaged document, and then select Open.

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Step 3: Copy the undamaged parts of document, and then paste the undamaged parts to the new document

Note

If your document contains section breaks, copy only the text between the sections breaks. Do not copy the section breaks because this might bring the damage into your new document. Change the document view to draft view when you copy and paste between documents to avoid transferring section breaks. To change to draft view, on the View tab, select Draft in the Document Views group.

1. In the damaged document, locate and then select an undamaged part of the document's contents.
2. On the Home tab, select Copy in the Clipboard group.
3. On the View tab, select Switch Windows in the Window group.
4. Select the new document that you created in step 1.
5. On the Home tab, select Paste in the Clipboard group.
6. Repeat steps 3a to 3e for each undamaged part of the document. You must reconstruct the damaged sections of your document.

Method 8: Switch the document view to remove the damaged content

If the document appears to be truncated (not all pages in the document are displayed), it might be possible to switch the document view and remove the damaged content from the document.

1. Determine the page number on which the damaged content is causing the document to appear to be truncated.

   1. In Word, select File, and then select Open.
   2. Select the damaged document, and then select Open.
   3. Scroll to view the last page that is displayed before the document appears to be truncated. Make a note of the content which appears on that page.

2. Switch views, and then remove the damaged content.

   1. On the View tab in the Document Views group, select Web Layout or Draft view.
   2. Scroll to view the content that was displayed before the document appeared to be truncated.
   3. Select and delete the next paragraph, table, or object in the file.
   4. On the View tab in the Document Views group, select Print Layout. If the document continues to appear to be truncated, continue to switch views and delete content until the document no longer appears truncated in Print Layout view.
   5. Save the document.

Method 9: Open the document with Notepad

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If the document is corrupted and none of the previous methods work, try to recover its content by opening the document with Notepad.

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Note

By using this method, you will lose all formatting. The intention is to recover the content.

1. Locate the damaged document using Windows File Explorer.
2. Right click the document and select Open with.
3. Select Notepad:

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4. The document will open in Notepad with extra code and text around the content.

   Note

   You may have to change the file type from 'Text Documents (.txt)' to 'All Files (.*)'.

5. Clean the text by deleting all or most of the extra characters.
6. Select File, and then select Save As… Rename the document to make sure that you don't overwrite the damaged one.

Go back to Word and open the new document. Once in Word, you can clean it up and try to reapply the lost format.