Word does not open. Why won't my microsoft word document open?

Having problems opening a file? The file might be saved in a format that Word doesn't support on your device. Find your device and view the table to see if this is an issue.

Note: This article only applies to mobile devices. If you're having trouble opening a document in Word on your computer, open the document after the file corruption error occurs.

File type

Opening and Editing

Open for read only

Word Documents (DOCX)

Binary Documents (DOC)

Word Templates (DOTX)

Binary Templates (DOT)

OpenDocument Text (ODT)

(convert to DOCX format for editing)

File in PDF format(PDF)

Web pages (MHT, MHTML)

Simple text files(TXT)

Works 6–9 (WPS) documents

File type

Opening and Editing

Open for read only

Word Documents (DOCX)

Binary Documents (DOC)

(convert to DOCX format for editing)

Word Templates (DOTX)

Binary Templates (DOT)

Macro-enabled document (DOCM)

(convert to DOCX format for editing)

Files protected by IRM technology

OpenDocument Text (ODT)

(convert to DOCX format for editing)

(convert to DOCX format for editing)

Rich Text Files (RTF)

Word XML, Word 2003 XML, or other XML files (XML)

Document in HTM or HTML format

Web pages (MHT, MHTML)

Plain text files (TXT)

(convert to DOCX format for editing)

Works 6–9 (WPS) documents

File type

Opening and Editing

Open for read only

Word Documents (DOCX)

Binary Documents (DOC)

(convert to DOCX format for editing)

Word Templates (DOTX)

Binary Templates (DOT)

Macro-enabled document (DOCM)

Files protected by IRM technology

OpenDocument Text (ODT)

(convert to DOCX format for editing)

Password protected files (password to open)

Password protected files (password to change)

Rich Text Files (RTF)

Word XML, Word 2003 XML, or other XML files (XML)

Document in HTM or HTML format

Web pages (MHT, MHTML)

Plain text files (TXT)

(convert to DOCX format for editing)

Works 6–9 (WPS) documents

Macros are saved for DOC and DOCM formats. Macros cannot be changed or saved.

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We wrote quite a lot about how to work with documents in MS Word, but we almost never touched on the topic of problems when working with it. We will look at one of the common mistakes in this article, talking about what to do if Word documents do not open. Also, below we will look at the reason why this error may occur.

So, to solve any problem, you first need to find out the cause of its occurrence, which is what we will do. An error when trying to open a file may be due to the following problems:

  • The DOC or DOCX file is corrupted;
  • The file extension is associated with another program or is incorrectly specified;
  • The file extension is not registered in the system.
  • If the file is damaged, you will see a notification when you try to open it, as well as an option to repair it. Naturally, you need to agree to restore the file. The only problem is that there are no guarantees for correct recovery. In addition, the contents of the file may not be fully restored, but only partially.

    Incorrect extension or link with another program

    If the file extension is specified incorrectly or is associated with another program, the system will try to open it in the program with which it is associated. Therefore the file “Document.txt” The OS will try to open in “Notepad”, the standard extension of which is "txt".

    However, due to the fact that the document is actually a Word document (DOC or DOCX), although incorrectly named, after opening it in another program it will not be displayed correctly (for example, in the same “Notepad”), or it will not be opened at all, since its original extension is not supported by the program.

    Note: The icon for a document with an incorrectly specified extension will be similar to that in all files compatible with the program. In addition, the extension may be unknown to the system, or even absent altogether. Consequently, the system will not find a suitable program to open, but will offer to select it manually and find a suitable one on the Internet or app store.

    There is only one solution in this case, and it is applicable only if you are sure that the document that cannot be opened is really an MS Word file in DOC or DOCX format. All that can and should be done is to rename the file, or rather its extension.

    1. Click on the Word file that cannot be opened.

    2. Right-click to open the context menu and select "Rename". This can be done by simply pressing a key. F2 on the selected file.

    3. Remove the specified extension, leaving only the file name and a period after it.

    Note: If the file extension is not displayed and you can only change its name, follow these steps:

  • In any folder, open a tab "View";
  • Click on the button there "Options" and go to the tab "View";
  • Find in the list "Extra options" paragraph “Hide extensions for registered file types” and uncheck it;
  • Click the button “Apply”.
  • Close the Folder Options dialog box by clicking "OK".
  • 4. Enter after the file name and a period "DOC"(if you have Word 2003 installed on your PC) or "DOCX"(if you have more than a new version Word).

    5. Confirm the changes.

    6. The file extension will be changed, and its icon will also change, which will take the form of a standard Word document. Now the document can be opened in Word.

    In addition, a file with an incorrectly specified extension can be opened through the program itself, and it is not necessary to change the extension.

    1. Open a blank (or any other) MS Word document.

    2. Press the button "File" located on the control panel (previously the button was called "MS Office").

    3. Select an item "Open", and then "Review" to open the window “Conductor” to search for a file.

    4. Browse to the folder containing the file you are having trouble opening, select it and click "Open".

      Advice: If the file is not displayed, select the option "All files *.*", located at the bottom of the window.

    5. The file will be opened in a new program window.

    The extension is not registered in the system

    This problem only occurs on older Windows versions, which from ordinary users Now hardly anyone uses it at all. These include Windows NT 4.0, Windows 98, 2000, Millenium and Windows Vista. The solution to the problem with opening MS Word files for all these OS versions is approximately the same:

    1. Open "My computer".

    2. Go to the tab "Service"(Windows 2000, Millenium) or "View"(98, NT) and open the “Options” section.

    3. Open a tab “File Type” and establish an association between the DOC and/or DOCX formats and Microsoft program Office Word.

    4. Word file extensions will be registered in the system, therefore, documents will open normally in the program.

    That's all, now you know why an error occurs in Word when you try to open a file and how you can fix it. We wish you no longer encounter difficulties and errors in the operation of this program.

    The most common reason that you cannot open word document or exel on your computer, as practice shows, this lack of programs is necessary for this.

    Programs for opening Word and Excel files are called the office suite. Checking its availability is very simple:

    • Right-click on an empty area on your desktop.
    • Select "Create"
    • If the window that appears does not have the “Word Document” or “Exel Table” option, I congratulate you. You have found the reason why you cannot open these documents. You do not have the office suite installed

    As you may have guessed, to solve the problem you need to install this same office package. The most common - Microsoft Office(paid).

    Download and install the package. Now you can open Word and Excel files without any problems

    If the office suite is already installed, but word does not open

    In this case, there are several possibilities for the problem to arise. I will list the most common options and ways to solve them.

    Damaged file

    In this case, unfortunately, you are unlikely to be able to do anything. If you were sent a file by mail, ask to resend it. It is unlikely, but possible, that the file was damaged in transit. It's easy to check - try opening 2-3 other files. If no problems arise, the problem is most likely in the file itself

    Explorer error

    Try opening the start menu and find in the list of programs the one you use to open such documents. Launch the program. Select File > Open in the program window, and specify the path to the document. In some cases this helps.

    Outdated software

    Quite a common problem. Look at the package office programs installed for you. If this is Microsoft Office 2003, or God forbid Microsoft Office 98 / Office XP, look at the calendar. It's time to update. If you don’t want to buy an office suite from Microsoft, use the free analogues that we cited above.

    It's broken

    In rare cases, a crash occurs within the office suite itself. It’s very easy to check - if now you can’t open documents that you previously opened without problems, the reason may be in the package itself. Completely remove it, if you don’t know how to do it correctly, use this guide: pa, and install the package again.

    Write in the comments if you managed to solve the problem with opening Word or Excel files. If there was any reason other than those described in this article, share the solution in the comments. This will help people who find themselves in a similar situation.

    Error opening Word file. There is a solution. Word error when trying to open a file

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    I decided to write a short post regarding everyone’s favorite Word program.

    And we'll talk about the error of opening a file in Word, which I'm already fed up with. I decided to deal with it today. And this is what I came to. So, when receiving files in Word format, everything was downloaded normally and displayed on the computer.

    But when opening the files, a Word error popped up when trying to open the file. How can we solve this Word error?

    Error opening Word file. Word, error when opening a file. Step by step solution...

    Open Word. At the top left click “File”

    then go to “Settings”, look for “Trust Control Center” in the list that opens. Click on it.

    Then a new tab opens, where we look for “Protected View”, click on this button. After all these manipulations, a window will open in which we need to uncheck the first three lines; there are four lines with checkboxes.

    The three lines are:

    • Enable protected browsing for files from the Internet;
    • Enable Protected View for files in potentially unsafe locations;
    • Enable Protected View for Outlook attachments.

    We remove the checkboxes from the above restrictions, save the settings and open the file that we did not open. It should be opening now.

    Remove protected browsing

    In my case, it was, of course, possible to disable only the first restriction, that is, “Enable Protected View for files from the Internet,” since I received the file from the etxt.ru service via the Internet, but in order not to return again to the Trust Center in Word, I advise you to uncheck all three boxes for protected views.

    By the way, at etxt.ru, copywriters earn good money.

    So, to summarize: open Word/File/Options/Trust Center/Trust Center Settings/Protected View/Uncheck the first three checkboxes.

    The window with the initial text “Word error when trying to open the file...” will no longer pop up.

    Error when opening a Word file - now you know how to fix it! Good luck with Word.

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    How to open a word document?

    Word is one of the most popular text editors. Mainly to open a doc document that reads text editor, no effort is required from the user. However, there are times when the document does not open. The reasons for this may be different, so in this article we will look at them in detail.

    Also in the article you can find information on how to open documents in doc format and other text formats using similar text editors from Microsoft.

    How to open a text document using word

    If word does not open documents

    One of the main reasons why a word text editor refuses to open a particular document is file corruption. The damaged file can be recovered using the built-in recovery feature. To do this, you need to open a text editor and go to the “File” tab, then “Open” and select “Open and Restore” from the pop-up menu.

    This method is considered very effective, however, it does not guarantee the recovery of the entire text. Part of the file may still not

    subject to restoration.


    5. Confirm the changes.


    6. The file extension will be changed, and its icon will also change, which will take the form of a standard Word document. Now the document can be opened in Word.


    In addition, a file with an incorrectly specified extension can be opened through the program itself, and it is not necessary to change the extension.

    1. Open a blank (or any other) MS Word document.


    2. Press the button "File" located on the control panel (previously the button was called "MS Office").

    3. Select an item "Open", and then "Review" to open the window “Conductor” to search for a file.


    4. Browse to the folder containing the file you are having trouble opening, select it and click "Open".


      Advice: If the file is not displayed, select the option "All files *.*", located at the bottom of the window.

    5. The file will be opened in a new program window.


    The extension is not registered in the system

    This problem occurs only on older versions of Windows, which hardly any ordinary users currently use. These include Windows NT 4.0, Windows 98, 2000, Millenium and Windows Vista. The solution to the problem with opening MS Word files for all these OS versions is approximately the same:

    1. Open "My computer".

    2. Go to the tab "Service"(Windows 2000, Millenium) or "View"(98, NT) and open the “Options” section.

    3. Open a tab “File Type” and establish an association between the DOC and/or DOCX formats and the Microsoft Office Word program.

    4. Word file extensions will be registered in the system, therefore, documents will open normally in the program.

    That's all, now you know why an error occurs in Word when you try to open a file and how you can fix it. We wish you no longer encounter difficulties and errors in the operation of this program.

    On a PC, not paying attention to warnings that at some point, for various reasons, a failure may occur, as a result of which the operating system will crash or software. The file may also become damaged and you will not be able to open it again.

    Surely many have encountered a situation where an important document was created using an office application Microsoft Word, but when the need arose to open it, a message appeared in front of the user, informing that the file was damaged and could not be opened. If a lot of effort was put into creating it and it has any value, such a message can trigger a heart attack.

    To protect your health and not worry once again when such a notification occurs, it is better to familiarize yourself with the recommendations on how to open a damaged

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