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
- 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.
- Click FROM YOUR COMPUTER. It's under "Select the file to corrupt." This opens your computer's file browser.
- Select the Word document and click Open. The name of the file will appear under "Select the file to corrupt."
- Click CORRUPT FILE. This uploads the file and corrupts it.
- Click DOWNLOAD YOUR CORRUPTED FILE. You'll see this option once the file is ready.
- Name the file and click Save. This downloads the corrupted file to your computer.
- 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
- Open Notepad for Windows. You'll find it in the Start menu in a menu called Windows Accessories.
- Click the File menu and select Open. The file browser will appear.
- 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.
- Select the document and click Open. A bunch of gibberish will appear in the Notepad window.
- You can use any Word document you wish—the content doesn't matter since nobody will be able to open the file.
- Delete several lines of text. Seven or eight lines should be enough.
- Click the File menu and select Save As. The "Save As" window will appear.
- Select All Files from the "Save As Type" menu. It's at the bottom of the window.
- Name the file and click Save. This version of the file is now corrupt.
- 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
- Make sure file extensions are visible. File extensions are not shown by default. Here's how to enable them now:
- Open the Windows search bar and type file options.
- Click File Explorer Options in the results list.
- Click the View tab at the top of the window.
- Remove the check mark from "Hide extensions for known file types" under "Advanced Settings."
- Click OK.
- 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.
- 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.
- Right-click the file and select Rename. This highlights the file name, which means it's now editable.
- Replace the current extension with .docx. For example, if you're working with a file called file.jpg, replace ".jpg" with .docx.
- Press ↵ Enter. You'll see a pop-up asking if you're sure you want to rename the file.
- 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.
- 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
- Make sure file extensions are visible. File extensions are not shown by default. Here's how to enable them now:[1]
- Open Finder
- Click the Finder menu near the top-left corner of the screen.
- Click Preferences.
- Click the Advanced tab (it's the one with the gear).
- Check the box next to "Show all filename extensions."
- Click the red circle at the top-left corner of the window to close it.
- Open Finder
- 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.
- 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.
- Click the file once to select it and press ⏎ Return. The file name should now be highlighted in blue, which means its' editable.[2]
- Replace the current extension with .docx. For example, if you're working with a file called file.jpg, replace ".jpg" with .docx.
- Press ⏎ Return. You'll see a message asking you if you're sure you want to change the file extension.[3]
- 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.
- 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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