Fixed: “The file is corrupted and cannot be opened in Word”
Read time 8 minutes
Microsoft Word is an integral part of the renowned Office Suite, a product line created and consistently updated by Microsoft. Alongside its counterparts like Excel and PowerPoint, MS Word holds substantial significance for a wide range of working professionals and individual users alike.
Microsoft Word stands as one of the most extensively utilized commercial word processors, serving as a versatile tool for drafting documents and text files, whether for professional or personal purposes. However, akin to various file formats, .docx files do exhibit certain imperfections. Frequently, when users attempt to access a previously saved or downloaded Word file, they encounter a discouraging error message stating, “The file is corrupt and cannot be opened.
Within this article, our attention will be directed towards addressing critical aspects such as the origins of this error and the methods for successfully opening corrupt Word DOC and DOCX files in MS Word.
The inaccessibility of Word files can be attributed to a multitude of factors, spanning from the intricate process of round-tripping, involving the conversion of file formats back and forth, to the transition between different Office software versions. A prevalent scenario leading to this error occurs when users attempt to open a Word 2007 file using the Word 2010 version.
We have listed some of the most common reasons behind inaccessibility or corruption of Word files.
This type of error is not exclusive to a specific MS Office module, such as Word; instead, you may encounter this issue in Excel and PowerPoint as well. Below, we have compiled a list of some of the most common methods to recover corrupt Word Documents.
We have tried out the best solutions and filtered out the easiest and most effective ones to fix the issue “The file is corrupted and cannot be opened in Word”. Let us get into full details now.
A reliable way to verify the integrity of your Word document and check for corruption is to attempt to open it with alternative applications like Notepad or WordPad, which are readily available on Windows operating systems.
For this, here are the steps to carry out.
To resolve the error “The file is corrupted and cannot be opened in Word,” Microsoft Word provides a highly useful built-in feature that can effectively repair minor damages in the Word file.
Here are the steps to follow:
The Trust Center settings deal with the security and privacy aspects of any Microsoft program.
Given below are the steps to change the Protected View Settings in MS Word.
Step 1: Launch MS Word and click New > Blank document.
Step 2: Go to File > Options.
Step 3: In the Word Options window, select the Trust Center tab. Then, click on the Trust Center Settings button.
Step 4: Select the Protected View tab and uncheck all options under the Protected View Settings. Then, click OK to save the changes.
If restarting MS Word and attempting to load the affected Word file again does not resolve the issue, it’s advisable to explore other available options to address the error.
Change these settings to default settings by following the steps given below.
Step 1: Press Win + R to launch the Run Command dialog box. Then, type ‘dcomcnfg’ and hit the OK button.
Step 2: Expand Component Services from the Navigation Pane. Then, expand Computers and right-click on the My Computer icon > Select Properties.
Step 3: Select the Default Properties tab and make the following changes:
Default Authentication Level: Connect
Default Impersonation Level: Identify
Click OK to save the changes.
To fix the issue “The file is corrupted and cannot be opened in Word”, the easiest way out would be to repair your MS Office. It is a quick and efficient method that needs little to no expertise. Here is what needs to be done.
If none of the previously mentioned methods succeed in resolving the error, you may consider utilizing a reputable third-party tool to repair your corrupt Word files. The Kernel for Word Repair Tool is highly recommended for recovering data from your damaged MS Word files.
Download and install the application in your computer system and follow these simple steps to recover your corrupt MS Word files.
Step 1: Launch Kernel for Word Repair tool.
Step 2: Click Add File(s) option to navigate to the folder containing the corrupt MS Word files. Select the files and click Open.
Step 3: Click Repair Files(s).
Note: You can remove unnecessary files by selecting the files and choosing the Remove/Remove All options.
Step 4: Select a destination folder to save the recovered MS Word files. Then, click OK. Click Repair again to start the recovery process.
Step 5: The tool processes the files for recovery, wait until the process gets completed.
The recovered files get saved to the specified location.
In the blog, we have discussed the top methods to fix the issue “The file is corrupted and cannot be opened in Word”. From normal Word corruption problems to severe issues, our methods are viable but manual approaches are sometimes ineffective with the higher degree of errors corrupting the documents and making them permanently inaccessible.
For such cases, our advice would be to opt for Kernel for Word Repair that makes your document recovery and fixing corruption issues easy and simple. Take the trail today and see how its ease to use interface is a boon for non-tech-users and its quick recovery algorithms are a must to try to counter your Word problems instantly.
Even after many attempts, Word kept showing this error. Definitely going to try these solutions. Thank you!
Kernel for Word Repair is an easy-to-use software, even for a beginner. I was quickly able to recover all the files.