Word Found Unreadable Content: Try Top Fixes in 2025

One of the worst nightmares of a student is opening and finding that their thesis Word file is all messed up and contains unreadable content. The common reasons why this problem occurs are sudden shutdowns, system crashes, and more.

This is truly a frustrating situation that can be tackled with various recovery methods. In this article, we will learn about the causes of the “Word found unreadable content” problem and look at the best fixes with guides.

Part 1. Reasons Behind Why Did Text Become Unreadable in Word?

The “Word found unreadable content in DOCX” problem causes your Word file to be full of broken and missing pages, content, formatting errors, and more. Therefore, users need to learn about the root reasons why this issue occurs in the first place. We'll provide you with some of the main motives behind this error in the following:

1. File Corruption: If you suddenly shut your device or lose power, the file can get corrupted instantly, causing the “unreadable content in Word” error to occur.
2. Software Glitches: Sometimes, your device may experience random glitches that can cause your Word file to turn into unreadable content.
3. Outdated Word Software: An outdated version of Word can interfere with the newer version of the Word files and ruin its formatting.
4. Encoding or Format Issues: There are times when your file might not support the proper encoder format, thus leading the Word to not process it fully.
5. Malware and Bugs: In case you downloaded a malicious file or media, it might infect the Word file, altering its formatting.

Part 2. [Quick Fixes] Resolve Word Found Unreadable Content

After understanding the main reasons behind the “Word DOC unreadable content” error, we can look for reliable and relevant solutions to resolve them. In the following, we listed down the 6 best repairing methods that can fix your problem with ease:

1.Try the Direct Repairing Option in Word

MS Word is equipped with its own repairing feature that can directly resolve any underlying cause the file is experiencing. When you open a document to find the text illegible, it can be restored using the open and repair option. Moreover, it is beneficial as a quick and automated method that doesn’t require any third-party software. Now, let’s look at the following steps on how to retrieve the contents of the file:

Step 1. Open MS Word on your device, click the “Open” tab from the left-side panel and choose the “Browser” option under the “Other Locations” section.

Step 2. Now, select the unreadable Word file, access the menu of “Open,” and select the “Open and Repair” option to see if the problem is resolved or not.

2.Disable Read-Only Attribute Across Word File

The read-only attribute prevents the file from modifications and might make it seem inaccessible. Therefore, disabling it is the best choice as it allows users to regain full control over their content. This seamless procedure also ensures that the document can easily be edited, saved, and repaired without any hassle. We've provided you with a guide in the following on how to disable this option:

Step 1. Head to the file location where the unreadable file is located on the File Explorer, and right-click on it to open a drop-down menu. Choose the “Properties” option from the menu to access a small dialogue box.

Step 2. In the “General” tab of this box, uncheck the “Read-Only” option in the “Attributes” section and hit “Apply.”

3.Turn Off Protected View Settings in Word

Word’s Protected View is designed to ensure that nothing remains unchecked that can potentially harm your files, like a virus or malicious code. At times, this option also restricts some files from opening that you can avoid by disabling it. Follow the given steps and learn how to ensure both the safety and usability of your files without restricting them:

Step 1. First, access the MS Word software “Options” on your device, click the “Trust Center” tab from the left side, and press the “Trust Center Settings…” button to proceed.

Step 2. On the new “Trust Center” window, choose the “Protected View” tab and uncheck the “Enable Protected View for Files Originating from the Internet” option. Next, click the “OK” button to see if the “Word found unreadable content in DOCX” problem is resolved or not.

4.Try Recovering Text from Any Feature

Users can try extracting the Word file’s content and turning it into another format to resolve the “Word found unreadable content” error. This method is useful when all other standard methods fail to recover your file while preserving the original formatting of the document. To understand how the method can be performed, read the following instructions:

Instructions. Initiate the steps by locating the “Open” tab on the document software and clicking “Browse” to access all your files. Now, click the unread file, and from the extended menu of the “All Word Documents” option, choose any other format and open it to review the file.

5.Repair Microsoft 365 on the Computer

As discussed, outdated software might cause Word to become unreadable and non-responsive. That is why making regular update checks of your Microsoft 365 is recommended. Updating the system not only resolves the problem but also gets rid of corrupted components. Thus, learn how to fix illegible text in Word with the given steps:

Step 1. Upon clicking the “Start” Windows icon from the bottom left corner, open the “Settings” window and click the “Apps” option.

Step 2. After that, in the “Apps & Features” tab, scroll and right-click the “Microsoft 360” software option, and press “Modify” to proceed.

Step 3. When a small “How Would You Like to Repair Your Microsoft 365 and Office Programs” opens, choose “Quick Repair,” and hit the “Repair” button.

6.Repairing Through Effective Third-Party Tool

When everything fails, and nothing seems to be resolving the “Word found unreadable content in docx” issue, try an effective third-party file repairing tool. Repairit is the solution to your needs as it can help users fix any damaged and unreadable Word files. The AI seamlessly identifies the root cause and retrieves every blank area, missing format, and lost writing of the unreadable file.

Furthermore, it carefully parses the corrupt Word document’s data and resolves any damaged segments. You can preview the whole document at the end to ensure everything is accounted for. Other than that, Repairit is also capable of handling other file formats, such as Excel, PowerPoint, iWork files, and more.

Key Features

1. Seamless Repair: Repairit is capable of providing users with an advanced repairing feature that restores text, images, fonts, and other components of the Word file.
2. ZIP File Restoration: You can even recover 1GB of ZIP files that can be previewed in a separate hierarchical format.
3. Compressed Files: With this tool’s advanced repair technology, users can fix compressed damaged files within seconds.

Stepwise Guide on How to Repair Corrupted/Unreadable Word Files

Let’s dive into the following comprehensive steps on how to fix illegible text in Word using this file repair software:

Step 1. Install and Access the File Repair Feature

Download and install the file repair tool on your device, open the main interface, and head to the “More Types Repair” tab. From under the “Corrupted File Repair” section, click the “File Repair” feature to start the process.

Step 2. Import the Corrupted and Unread Word File

When the next screen opens, press the “+Add” button and insert the unreadable Word file(s) from the opened dialogue box.

Step 3. Start the Repair Process

After the files are imported in the “Unrepaired File(s)” tab, go to the bottom left corner and hit the “Repair” button to start the recovering process.

Step 4. Preview and Save the Repaired Word File

Once the repairs are completed, open the “Preview” screen and go through every content and formatting of the file to ensure its readability. When satisfied with the results, click the “Save” button to download it on your device.

HOW TO REPAIR WORD DOCUMENT ONLINE

The potential solutions of repairing corrupted Microsoft word file online free.

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Bonus Part. Recover Important Lost Word Files with Ease [Try Now!]

Upon addressing the “Word found unreadable content” issue, it is important to consider scenarios where important files are accidentally lost. In such cases, consider using a reliable data recovery tool like Wondershare Recoverit. It supports the retrieval of over 1,000 file types, including documents and multimedia.

Along with that, you can recover data from various devices, such as hard drives and even crashed computer systems. Beyond standard recovery, its advanced scanning technology scans your system to locate and restore lost files with precision. When the scan is complete, you can easily browse the list of recoverable files.

Key Features

1. Preview Files: Users can preview their files before restoring them, as it helps them select only the necessary files for recovery.
2. Devices Support: The software is compatible with Windows and macOS, which ensures seamless recovery across devices.
3. Batch Recovery: It lets you retrieve multiple Word files at once without effort when dealing with large data losses.

Detailed Guide to Recover Important Lost Word Files Using Recoverit

Follow the comprehensive steps below to learn how to recover your lost important files with the help of Recoverit:

Step 1. Access Recoverit on Your Preferred PC

To inaugurate the task, launch this tool on your device and navigate to the “Hard Disk Devices and Locations” section from the main interface. Then, pick a location from the “Quick Access” area or choose a hard drive from the “Hard Disk Drives” section to begin the process.

Step 2. Find Your Lost Files on Your Device

Going ahead, the tool will begin a thorough search to detect all absent and deleted files from your chosen folder or drive. If the results seem challenging due to the large volume of data, you can improve them by using filters. By doing this, you can utilize the “Search File” feature to quickly locate files by specifying the type of file.

Step 3. Recover and Export Your Lost Files

Upon reviewing the files and confirming they are the correct ones, proceed to collect them with the software. Afterward, press the “Recover” button to get back your lost data, and select a secure location to save the restored files.

Conclusion

To conclude the whole article, users can find easy and reliable solutions to fix the “Word found unreadable content” problem by knowing the main reasons. It provided an array of the top six methods that can retrieve every line, format, and heading in the Word file.

Among various reasons, one says that amongst the file repair, it can get lost as well. To cater to that, try using the Wondershare Recoverit, which offers deep scan, filtration options, and more to recover your documents.