How to Repair Corrupted MS Word Documents?

Word document is a famous word-processing program which is used to create documents like brochures, tables, tests and work assignments, etc. It is very irritating when MS Word document gets corrupted because you can’t access it until you repair it. There could be multiple reasons behind the corruption of the word document that is mentioned below:

• Word documents get corrupted due to power interruption.
• Maybe the storage device itself was damaged.
• Unsafe removal of the external hard drive if the documents are stored in them.
• Incorrect document layout and formatting.
• Repeatedly renumbers the existing pages in the document.

Methods to Repair the Corrupt Word Document

There are various methods to repair the document but we will see some most effective methods below:

Method 1: Repair Corrupt Word File using Built-in Utility

MS Word has a built-in utility itself that is capable enough to repair the Word document in most of the problems. Now see the working process of this utility step by step below:

• First, open MS Word then go to File >> Open.
• Now, locate and choose the file but do not open the file normally, just use the drop-down menu and choose Open and Repair option.

• Repairing process will be started, wait for it.

If it didn’t work then repeat the process again but this time choose Recover Text From  Any File from the drop-down menu to replace All Word Documents.

Note: This method will definitely work to repair corrupted Word document, but if the method fails then try the next method.

Method 2:>Create a Link to the Corrupted Word Document

To create the link first you have to create a blank Word document. Now see the steps below to create the blank document.

1. Open MS Word, choose the File >> New option.
2. Choose the Blank document >> Create.
3. A new document will generate, type “This is a test” in the document.
4. Now, choose the File menu >> Save.
5. Again type “Rescue link”, and then choose Save.

Now, to create a link. See the steps below:

1. Choose the text you typed in the above step 3.
2. On the Home tab, choose Copy in the Clipboard group.
3. Choose the File menu >> New.
4. Choose the Blank document >> Create.
5. Now on the Home tab, choose the arrow on the Paste button in the Clipboard group, and then choose Paste Special.
6. Choose Paste link >> Formatted Text (RTF). Press OK.

Now change the link to the corrupted document. See the steps below to change:

1. First, do right-click the linked text in the doc, point to Linked Document Object and choose Links.
2. Now, in the Links dialog box, choose the file name of the linked doc, and choose Change Source.
3. In the Change Source dialog box, choose the doc that you are unable to open, then choose Open.
4. Press OK to close the Links dialog box.

Note: The information from the corrupted document will come out if there was any recoverable data or text.

1. Now, right-click the linked text again, point to Linked Document Object, and choose Links again.
2. In the Links dialog box, choose Break Link.
3. Finally, if you receive the following message: Are you sure you want to break the selected links? Then choose Yes.

Method 3: Try a Third-Party Utility to Repair Corrupt Word File

If all the above-mentioned methods are unable to fix the Word document corruption then use a professional third-party utility that is MS Word Repair Utility. This utility is capable enough to repair corrupt MS Word doc file with accuracy and maintains data integrity and also no chance of data loss. The tool is compatible with all Windows 10 and MS Word 2016 platforms.

Conclusion

I have suggested some best techniques to repair corrupted Word document. Try those methods to fix the error. I would suggest using third-party utility because it is fast, reliable, easy to use and there is no chance of data loss using it. It’s all up to you which method you prefer.

About The Author:

Edwin Stark

Edwin Stark is a Technical Content Writer who specializes in writing about databases, e-mail recovery, and e-mail migration solutions. He loves researching and developing content that helps database administrators, organizations and novices to fix multiple problems.

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