"The File Is Corrupt and Cannot Be Opened" in Word? Recover It Free (No Paid Tools)

Word refuses to open a document: “The file is corrupt and cannot be opened,” or “Word experienced an error trying to open the file.”

Why you don’t need a paid “docx repair” tool: the top results funnel you to paid utilities. Word has free, built-in recovery that handles most cases. Try it before spending anything.

Fix 1: Open and Repair

1. In Word: File → Open → Browse, select the file (don’t double-click it).
2. Click the arrow next to the Open button → Open and Repair.

This rebuilds the document structure and recovers most “corrupt file” cases.

Fix 2: Recover Text from Any File

If Open and Repair can’t, pull the raw text out:

1. File → Open → Browse, select the file.
2. In the file-type dropdown (next to the filename box), choose “Recover Text from Any File (.)” → Open.
3. You’ll get the text (formatting is lost, but the content is back). Save it to a fresh .docx.

Fix 3: Open a previous version / AutoRecover

• Right-click the file → Properties → Previous Versions (if File History/restore points exist) and restore an earlier copy.
• Check File → Info → Manage Document → Recover Unsaved Documents, and the AutoRecover folder (File → Options → Save shows the path).

Fix 4: Unblock and clear Protected View

If it won’t open at all: right-click the file → Properties → Unblock (for files downloaded from the internet), and try File → Options → Trust Center → Protected View temporarily disabled for the test.

FAQ

What corrupts a Word file in the first place? Microsoft notes a frequent cause: a USB/network drive disconnected while the file was open, or Word crashing mid-save. Save to local disk and eject drives safely to avoid it.

Open and Repair is greyed out. Use Recover Text from Any File (Fix 2) instead — it works even on badly damaged files.

Sources: Microsoft Support — Open a document after a file corruption error