10 effective ways to fix corrupted Word files

When a Word file is corrupted and cannot be opened, there are many ways to fix it, such as using the Open and Repair feature, trying another format, or using recovery software. Below are useful methods to help you fix the error quickly.

Fix when Word file is corrupted

1. Create a backup copy of the Word file

This is something I want you to really focus on. Prevention is better than cure, you should back up your Word file when it is still completely intact and upload it to online storage sites or transfer it to CD. If your Word file starts to show signs of damage, you should also back it up in case the Word file is damaged more, making it more difficult to repair and restore the Word file.

2. Try on other devices

Maybe your Word file is not damaged as you think, but your Office suite, or the Windows you are using has an error that prevents you from opening your Word file. You can copy the Word file to another computer to try, or reinstall Office suite for your computer.

3. Check your Email

If you send or receive an email from someone, a backup copy of the document file will also be stored in your Inbox or Sent Items.

4. Run the CHKDSK process

Open a Command Prompt window and run CHKDSK (check disk) on the partition containing the Word file. CHKDSK can fix some errors, and who knows, your Word file might be revived.

5. Save in other formats

The error can also come from the file format. You can save it in another format by going to Save As… and selecting other formats to save it in.

6. Try with other software

If you cannot open it with Microsoft Word, try using other Office suites. Such as Open Office (completely free Office suite), or Kingsoft Office.

7. Use Word's Repair function

Word has a feature that allows you to repair corrupted files called Open and Repair. You can open the Word program. Open the Open window and open the corrupted file with Word's Open and Repair feature.

8. Extract raw text

If your document does not have many images or complex formatting or editing, you can choose to restore the raw text of the document using the Recover Text from Any file feature.

9. Using Windows Vista Features

If you are using Windows Vista, you are in luck because this version of Windows has the ability to automatically create a backup copy of the text on the hard drive. However, the partition must be NTFS.

10. Use data recovery software

If the above methods do not help you recover your corrupted Word file, try using specialized document recovery software. Tools like Easy Office Recovery or Stellar Phoenix Word Repair can help you recover the contents of a corrupted Word file, even if the document is encrypted, formatted incorrectly, or has lost data.

Lesley Montoya

Update 25 February 2025