5 Methods to Repair Corrupted Word File Online/on Computer

Abrupt System Shutdown: MS word file gets corrupted if the user abruptly powers off the system. It terminates the document forcefully, thus damaging the file by leaving it partially written.

Virus Attacks: Virus or spyware attack is yet another common reason that triggers such a problem. Different types of malware can make your file inaccessible or unreadable.

Change in metadata: The document gets damaged if the header or any other meta component of the file has been removed or corrupted. To resolve this error, you can opt for third-party tools like Wondershare Repairit.

Corrupt Storage: A corrupt storage unit or system’s drive can also tamper with the quality of documents, further leading to damage.

Modification in the file extension: A change in the file extension also triggers this problem and makes the document inaccessible. If you forcefully modify the file’s extension, the application might not recognize the file and face trouble while encoding the document.

Multiple file conversions: The overuse of file converters and multiple file conversions of the document from one format to another affects the data, leading to file corruption.

Launch the application on your Windows PC. Navigate to the “File Repair” in the "More Types Repair" section and click “Add” to upload the corrupted word file.

This will take you to the browser window from where you can visit the location where the document is saved. It allows you to upload multiple documents at once. If you try to load the incompatible format, the tool will inform you by generating the relevant prompt.

Once you choose the word files, the application will start uploading them and display the progress on the screen.

As soon as the files are uploaded, you can easily check the details of the document, including name, size, location, and more.

Click on the “Trash” icon adjacent to the file if you have uploaded the document by mistake.

It’s time to begin the file repairing process. Take your cursor to the bottom and click “Repair” to get started.

The application will then scan all your word files and fix all kinds of major and minor issues related to them.

Additionally, it will display the progress of the file repair process on the screen. The tool also lets you know about the files that are completed or waiting to get repaired, or being scanned.

The tool will also notify the users when the process is completed successfully. It generates the relevant prompt indicating the total number of files repaired.

If the file is excessively damaged and the application is unable to repair word document, then it informs you about the same by prompting a pop-up message.

Once the tool is done with the File Repair process, you can then preview the results to check whether the error has been resolved or not. Click on the “Preview” option and see the results before saving any document.

Now, click on the “Save” button to export repaired files one by one. You can also opt for the “Save All” option to cut down the extra time and to export all documents at once.

After that, select the target location where you want to save the documents.

The tool will automatically export the documents to the specified location and display the progress on the screen.

Launch Microsoft Word. Go to the View tab and select “Drafts.”

Tap the “File” menu and click on “Options” and then “Advanced.”

There, you need to locate the “Show Document Content” section. Click on it and select the “Show Picture Placeholders” and “Use draft font in Draft and Outline Views.”

Now, scroll down to the “General” tab and clear the checkbox saying “Update Automatic Links at Open.” Select Ok and close the Word options window.

Go to the menu and select “View” and then “Draft”. Now, all documents will open in the Draft Mode. Close the window.

Now, relaunch the MS word application and select the “File” tab and click Open.

Navigate to the corrupted word document and open it.

Wait for a while. The application will either repair the word document or display the error message.

Open the word application and select the “File Menu.” Click “New” and choose the “Blank Document” and then “Create.”

Now, go to the “Insert” tab and select Insert Object> Text from File.

Locate the damaged document in the Insert dialog box and then tap “Insert” to recover corrupted word file.

Open Word and select the “File” menu.

Click on the “New” and choose “Blank Document” and tap on “Create”. Save it with the name like “Link to Document.

Enter some text like “Link to document” in the newly created file. Select all the text and copy it by right-clicking and selecting “Copy”.

Open the New Blank Document and click on the drop-down menu under the “Paste” option. Choose “Paste Special” or press Alt + Ctrl + V.

Select the “Paste Link” radio button in the Paste Special window and click on the “Formatted Text (RTF)” and tap “Ok.”

Now, right-click on the text in the document and select “Linked Document Object” and then “Links.”

Choose the file name of the linked document and tap on the “Change Source” in the Links dialog box. After that, select the word document that you are unable to access and then select “Open”. Click “Ok” to close the link dialog box.

Now, right-click the linked text and select the “Linked Document Object” and then tap on the “Links.”

Select “Break Link” and click on “Yes” when the pop-up message appears on the screen.

Go to the File Explorer and open the folder where you have stored the damaged file.

Right-click the corrupted file and choose “Open with”.

Now, select “Notepad” as a tool to open it.

Wait until the Notepad opens the document.

Power-off: Never power off the system or application if the file saving process is still in progress. Let it complete correctly and then shut down the PC or leave the MS word application.

Backup: Always maintain a backup of all your word files on a separate external drive to safeguard the essential information.

Antivirus: Install the best antivirus software on your computer to protect the files from being corrupted or damaged.

Modifications: To avoid unnecessary modifications, make important word files as “Read Only.”Do not change the file into different formats over and over again to save the information.

Battery Backup: Make sure that the system has a battery backup to avoid unexpected shutdown.