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How to Corrupt a Word File

This wikiHow teaches you how to corrupt a Microsoft Word document so it cannot be opened. Go to https://corrupt-a-file.net in a web browser. Corrupt-a-File is a free tool that will corrupt any document you upload.
Method 1 of 4:

Using an Online File Corrupter

  1. How to Corrupt a Word File Picture 1How to Corrupt a Word File Picture 1
    Go to https://corrupt-a-file.net in a web browser. Corrupt-a-File is a free tool that will corrupt any document you upload.
  2. How to Corrupt a Word File Picture 2How to Corrupt a Word File Picture 2
    Click FROM YOUR COMPUTER. It's under "Select the file to corrupt." This opens your computer's file browser.
  3. How to Corrupt a Word File Picture 3How to Corrupt a Word File Picture 3
    Select the Word document and click Open. The name of the file will appear under "Select the file to corrupt."
  4. How to Corrupt a Word File Picture 4How to Corrupt a Word File Picture 4
    Click CORRUPT FILE. This uploads the file and corrupts it.
  5. How to Corrupt a Word File Picture 5How to Corrupt a Word File Picture 5
    Click DOWNLOAD YOUR CORRUPTED FILE. You'll see this option once the file is ready.
  6. How to Corrupt a Word File Picture 6How to Corrupt a Word File Picture 6
    Name the file and click Save. This downloads the corrupted file to your computer.
  7. How to Corrupt a Word File Picture 7How to Corrupt a Word File Picture 7
    Try opening the file in Word. If you have Word on your computer, double-clicking the file should attempt to open it in that app. You'll see an error saying there's a problem with the content. Click Okay to proceed, and then Word will try (and fail) to repair or recover the content.
Method 2 of 4:

Using a Notepad for Windows

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    Open Notepad for Windows. You'll find it in the Start menu in a menu called Windows Accessories.
  2. How to Corrupt a Word File Picture 9How to Corrupt a Word File Picture 9
    Click the File menu and select Open. The file browser will appear.
  3. How to Corrupt a Word File Picture 10How to Corrupt a Word File Picture 10
    Select All Files from the drop-down menu. It's at the bottom-right corner of the file browser—the one set to Text Documents (*.txt) by default.
  4. How to Corrupt a Word File Picture 11How to Corrupt a Word File Picture 11
    Select the document and click Open. A bunch of gibberish will appear in the Notepad window.
    1. You can use any Word document you wish—the content doesn't matter since nobody will be able to open the file.
  5. How to Corrupt a Word File Picture 12How to Corrupt a Word File Picture 12
    Delete several lines of text. Seven or eight lines should be enough.
  6. How to Corrupt a Word File Picture 13How to Corrupt a Word File Picture 13
    Click the File menu and select Save As. The "Save As" window will appear.
  7. How to Corrupt a Word File Picture 14How to Corrupt a Word File Picture 14
    Select All Files from the "Save As Type" menu. It's at the bottom of the window.
  8. How to Corrupt a Word File Picture 15How to Corrupt a Word File Picture 15
    Name the file and click Save. This version of the file is now corrupt.
  9. How to Corrupt a Word File Picture 16How to Corrupt a Word File Picture 16
    Try opening the corrupted file in Word. If you have Word on your computer, double-clicking the file should attempt to open it in that app. You should see an error message saying there is a problem with the content. Click Okay to proceed, and then Word will try (and fail) to repair or recover the content.
Method 3 of 4:

Changing File Extensions in Windows

  1. How to Corrupt a Word File Picture 17How to Corrupt a Word File Picture 17
    Make sure file extensions are visible. File extensions are not shown by default. Here's how to enable them now:
    1. Open the Windows search bar and type file options.
    2. Click File Explorer Options in the results list.
    3. Click the View tab at the top of the window.
    4. Remove the check mark from "Hide extensions for known file types" under "Advanced Settings."
    5. Click OK.
  2. How to Corrupt a Word File Picture 18How to Corrupt a Word File Picture 18
    Find a file that isn't a Word or text document. You'll want to start with a file that can't be opened in Word, such as an image file (e.g., .jpeg, .gif, .png) or a sound clip (e.g., .wav, .mp3, .ogg). You'll be using this file to make a fake corrupted Word document.
    1. Since you'll be corrupting the file, be sure to choose one you don't care about. You can also make a copy of the file before changing its extension if you wish to preserve it.
  3. How to Corrupt a Word File Picture 19How to Corrupt a Word File Picture 19
    Right-click the file and select Rename. This highlights the file name, which means it's now editable.
  4. How to Corrupt a Word File Picture 20How to Corrupt a Word File Picture 20
    Replace the current extension with .docx. For example, if you're working with a file called file.jpg, replace ".jpg" with .docx.
  5. How to Corrupt a Word File Picture 21How to Corrupt a Word File Picture 21
    Press ↵ Enter. You'll see a pop-up asking if you're sure you want to rename the file.
  6. How to Corrupt a Word File Picture 22How to Corrupt a Word File Picture 22
    Click Yes. The file is now saved as a .docx file. If you try opening the file in Word, you'll see an error that says it's been corrupted.
    1. If you want to hide file extensions again, return to the View tab in File Explorer Options and check the "Hide extensions for known file types" box.
Method 4 of 4:

Changing File Extensions on a Mac

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    Make sure file extensions are visible. File extensions are not shown by default. Here's how to enable them now:[1]
    1. Open Finder
      How to Corrupt a Word File Picture 24How to Corrupt a Word File Picture 24
      .
    2. Click the Finder menu near the top-left corner of the screen.
    3. Click Preferences.
    4. Click the Advanced tab (it's the one with the gear).
    5. Check the box next to "Show all filename extensions."
    6. Click the red circle at the top-left corner of the window to close it.
  2. How to Corrupt a Word File Picture 25How to Corrupt a Word File Picture 25
    Find a file that isn't a Word or text document. You'll want to start with a file that can't be opened in Word, such as an image file (e.g., .jpeg, .gif, .png) or a sound clip (e.g., .wav, .mp3, .ogg). You'll be using this file to make a fake corrupted Word document.
    1. Since you'll be corrupting the file, be sure to choose one you don't care about. You can also make a copy of the file before changing its extension if you wish to preserve it.
  3. How to Corrupt a Word File Picture 26How to Corrupt a Word File Picture 26
    Click the file once to select it and press ⏎ Return. The file name should now be highlighted in blue, which means its' editable.[2]
  4. How to Corrupt a Word File Picture 27How to Corrupt a Word File Picture 27
    Replace the current extension with .docx. For example, if you're working with a file called file.jpg, replace ".jpg" with .docx.
  5. How to Corrupt a Word File Picture 28How to Corrupt a Word File Picture 28
    Press ⏎ Return. You'll see a message asking you if you're sure you want to change the file extension.[3]
  6. How to Corrupt a Word File Picture 29How to Corrupt a Word File Picture 29
    Click Use .docx. The file is now saved as a .docx file. If you try opening the file in Word, you'll see an error that says it's been corrupted.
    1. If you want to hide the file extensions in Finder, return to Finder > Preferences > Advanced and remove the check mark from "Show all filename extensions."
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