How to Recover Corrupted Word File? 11 Proven Ways [100% Working]

It is a frustrating news that you have to repair a corrupted Word file if you see one of these symptoms: error messages, messed up formatting and layout, Word stops responding, unreadable characters, or worst an inaccessible document. Don't worry. The main purpose of this article is to help you repair your corrupted document and restore it to the best quality. You'll find out more on how to open and repair Word documents and the Word document repair tool we are going to use.

In this article

Part 1: The Reasons That Cause Word File Corruption

Part 2: Repair Corrupted Word File Online/on Computer with File Repair Software

Part 3: 10 Common Methods You Can Try to Recover Corrupted Word File Manually

Part 1: The Reasons That Cause Word File Corruption

Before heading toward finding the solutions to repair corrupted Microsoft Word documents, you should know the reasons that result in the corruption problem. Below, we have presented the common reason behind Word file corruption.

1. Unsaved File

Sometimes, it may happen that you forget to save the Word file you have been working on for hours, and you shut down the system as well. The next time you open your computer, you may be shocked to see the corrupted document. This is something that millions of MS Word users often face around the world. Therefore, be sure to save the document every time you make changes.

2. Malware Infections

It is very common for viruses to attach to your Word documents automatically and make them inaccessible to you. It usually happens when you attach an external device to your computer or when your device is connected to the internet. Some viruses are so dangerous that they can even damage your whole system. To avoid this problem, don’t forget to install an updated antivirus utility on your system.

3. System Updates

Windows introduces periodic updates. You usually see them when you restart your computer. But they can happen while using files, including Microsoft Word. If your Windows starts updating when you are working on the Word document, it may get corrupted or missed after the completion of the system update. You can get rid of this issue by disabling the scheduled and automatic Windows updates. Instead, do it manually as and when needed.

4. System Crashes

This is an unannounced problem that often appears when different tasks on your system are being processed. In this situation, when you restart your device, you may be surprised to see some missing files, like Word documents. In particular, the files in process during the system crash are highly likely to become corrupt or inaccessible. Therefore, ensure to close all the programs you are not using. It will help you avoid the Word corruption problem greatly.

5. Hardware Problems

There can be a series of hardware issues that result in corrupting your Word files. For example, if your hard drive is damaged, it may corrupt your documents. At the same time, running processor-hungry programs on outdated hardware components can be a risky thing.

Always ensure to check for the system’s compatibility every time you install a program on your device. Moreover, make sure your device is attached to a stable power source. It is one of the frequent reasons behind the document corruption problem.

Now that you know the potential reasons why Word files get corrupted or become inaccessible at times. Let’s look at the smart methods you can follow to make your corrupted Word files completely accessible.

Part 2: Repair Corrupted Word File Online/on Computer with File Repair Software

1. An overview of Wondershare Repairit

After your Word files are corrupted, the easiest way for you is to find a Word repair tool that can help you address this problem in seconds. Wondershare Repairit is a professional tool that uses a completely safe algorithm that extracts data even from the most corrupted documents.

This tool can repair Word document and at the same time keep the initial text, images, fonts, headers, footers, and so on. It has 2 versions: Online version and desktop version, with distinguishing features of each type. Here is a table to help you choose the product.

Here I will show you how to repair Word files using Repairit for Desktop.

Wondershare Repairit - File Repair

Try It Free Try It Free

1,010,994 people have downloaded it.

• Repair damaged files with all levels of corruption, including blank files, files not opening, unrecognizable format, unreadable content, files layout changed, etc.

• Perfectly repair corrupted word .docx files without modifying the original file.

• Provide an easy fix option for text, images, font, hyperlinks, header, footer, etc.

• Support Office 365, MS Word 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010, 2007, and earlier versions.

• Support Windows 11/10/8/7/Vista, Windows Server 2003/2008/2012/2016/2019/2022, and macOS 10.10~macOS 14.

The interface is designed for any user both advanced and amateur, and the support is complete and comprehensive. If you need reports and logs, you can do that with this Word document repair tool.

2. Step by step to repair MS Word files

Before proceeding any further with this tutorial please download and install this program by accessing this link. After everything is set follow us through:

Step 1:  Launch Wondershare Repairit, in the dashboard area, it displays the file selection interface. From the "Other Types Repair" drop-down menu select the "File Repair" and click the "Add" button;

Step 2: Select a folder, and tap the "Repair" button to continue. After you have selected a file from the results table, and hold on a few seconds;

Step 3: The system shows the repaired file; you can preview it and choose to save; In the saving window that has just appeared, select a destination file by clicking the "Save" option;

If you want to learn more about how to repair Word file online，please check this guide.

Part 3: 10 Common Methods You Can Try to Recover Corrupted Word File Manually

In case, for any reason, the method above does not work for you, or you are unable to follow the steps, one of these 10 methods will absolutely solve the Word corruption problem. Let’s look into what each method has to offer.

1. Open Your Document on Another Device

If you are unable to open your Word file, never make random assumptions that your document is damaged or corrupted. A smart move will be to transfer the suspected document from your computer to another device and try opening it there. Try this method before moving towards repairing the document you think is corrupted or damaged.

2. Look for Online Copies

Most of the time, we share documents with our colleagues, friends, or other people in our circle. Therefore, if one of your documents is inaccessible, don’t forget to look for its copy in your mailbox or on any other digital platform you frequently use. In the mailbox, you can simply explore the sent box. Alternatively, you can use the email search bar to find that specific email.

3. Use the Auto Repair Feature

It is another quick way to access your corrupted Word files. You can use this feature as soon as you find the corrupted document on your device. A few steps you have to follow when using this method are listed below.

Step 1: Open a new Word file on your computer, tap on the “File” option from the top ribbon and click “Open”.

Step 2: It is time to hit the “Browse” option and look for the corrupted Word document.

Step 3: Once you find the document you want to open, hit the arrow option in front of the “Open” button to open the drop-down list.

Step 4: Now, choose the “Open and Repair” option.

Have you followed all the steps carefully? Great! Your document may hopefully be repaired successfully. Don’t forget to ensure that your document is accessible now. For this, you have to open the file you have just repaired and start working on it to see if everything goes fine.

4. Fix the Word File Header

It is a common problem millions of Word users face across the globe. The Draft mode can help you open the header of your corrupted Word document. The steps to follow in this method are given below.

Step 1: Click on “Normal” in the “View” menu, tap on the “Tools” menu.

Step 2: Now, choose the “View” tab from “Options” and select the “Draft” mode.

Apart from the above steps, you can simply replace the header of your corrupted Word file with the header of an uncorrupted document. Doing this will help you access your corrupted Word document in a matter of minutes.

5. Reformatting the Raw Text

In most cases, you can’t export your corrupted Word documents to other formats. If you are experiencing the same problem, don’t be concerned. You can simply use other text processing tools, like Notepad, to access your corrupted file. Let’s see how you can open a corrupted document with Notepad.

Step 1: Right click on the document you want to access, go to the “Open with” option, and choose “Notepad.” Alternatively, tap on “Choose another app,” as shown below.

Step 2: Once the file is opened, you can save it to the “txt” format.

This method will help you keep your content protected and make your corrupt document accessible. You can copy the content from the “txt” file and create a new Word document.

6. Make a Copy of Afflicted Document

If one of your Word files is corrupted and you can’t open it, make sure you keep its copy on a removable disk. Then, implement different techniques on it, as listed above and below of this method.

Once you have saved a copy of the corrupted Word document, you can sleep peacefully. It will help you get the previous version if something worse happens. This approach has helped thousands of Microsoft Word users globally.

7. Use the CHKDSK Command

If you want to look for corruption at the level of the file system, you can do this by simply running the CHKDSK command. If you find no problem with the file system, it means your document is corrupted. The CHKDSK command automatically repairs your inaccessible Word files. Let’s see how you can run the command mentioned above.

Step 1: Place your cursor in the Windows search bar and type “Run”. Click on it to open. Alternatively, you can press the “Windows+R” keys from the keyboard.

Step 2: Type “cmd” in a bar in front of “Open” and hit the “OK” button.

Step 3: A new black-colored window will appear immediately on your screen. Run the “chkdsk[drive[[path]filename]][/R]” command on the Command Prompt and execute it right away.

8. Save Your Document with a Different Format

It can be one of the greatest solutions to repair your damaged, corrupted, or inaccessible Word files. It involves saving your corrupt Word document into another format and then converting it back into the Word format. Let’s look at how this method exactly works.

Step 1: Open a new Word file and tap on the “File” option from the ribbon on top.

Step 2: Now, hit the “Open” option from the left bar, search for the corrupted document, and click on the “Open” button to open it.

Step 3: It is time to save your document in another format. For this, follow the steps listed below.

i) Go to the “File” menu again and hit the “Save As” option.

ii) Choose any other format you want to save your corrupted document in. For this, you can open the drop-down menu in front of “Save as type,” as shown below. Here, we have chosen the Rich Text Format.

As soon as you choose the right format, hit the “Save” button.

iii) Now, open the “File” menu again and click on the “Close” option, as shown below.

Step 4: Now, save your document back to the Word format. For this, follow the steps given below.

i) Go to the “File” menu again and hit the “Save As” option.

i) Go to the “File” menu again and hit the “Save As” option.

ii) Choose any other format you want to save your corrupted document in. For this, you can open the drop-down menu in front of “Save as type,” as shown below. Here, we have chosen the Rich Text Format.

9. Look for the Shadow Copy of Your Corrupt File

The Shadow Copy is a great feature that comes with Windows 8, 10, and Vista. It saves different versions or copies of your documents and files. It can be an effective way to repair your inaccessible Word document instantly. The steps included in this method are as follows.

Step 1: Right click on the affected Word file and tap on the “Properties” option from the list, as shown below.

Step 2: Now, click on the “Previous Versions” tab. Then, choose any version of the file you want. If your document has no previous version, you will not see anything in that box, as shown below.

Step 3: Tap on the “Restore” button and click “OK”.

10. Try Using Built-In Tools in MS Word

MS Word comes with a pre-built text converter. This feature enables you to open your corrupt document. It consists of a few simple steps, as given below.

i) Click on the “File” menu and tap on the “Open” option.

ii) Search for the document you saved in the other format, as we have saved in the Rich Text Format above. Then, hit the “Open” button.

iii) Now, tap on the “Save As” option in the File menu.

iv) In front of “Save as type,” choose the “Word Document” from the drop-down menu.

v) Rename your document and tap on the “Save” button.

Well, changing your Word document format and converting it back to the original form is one of the easiest and quickest ways to access your corrupted document. In case this method does not work for you, you can proceed with the one listed below.

Tips:

1. When you want to repair Word documents with Wondershare Repairit File Repair, please close any Word session, so this Word file repair tool programs will not interfere with each other and create conflicting situations;

2. If you are using external devices to store your documents, make sure you are always safely removing the cord when trying to disconnect it from the computer;

3. Never remove a USB while transferring a Word document form the computer, or to the computer. This could produce data corruption;

4. If you don't want to have to repair corrupted Word files you need to back up your data regularly.