File (*. doc or *. rtf) a window appears with an error message "The document could not be read. It may be damaged." .

Reason for the error

This error occurs if the document you are opening is damaged. “Damage” is usually associated with the figures and tables of the file, or with text formatting elements (especially if the “weight” of the file exceeds 300 KB).

Ways to recover a damaged file

1. Open the file using the Open and Restore menu:

– close the error message window by clicking the button OK;

– open the menu File – Open…;

– in the window Opening a document find the damaged file (the folder will open My documents);

– select a file without opening it;

– at the bottom right, click the mini arrow button (to the right of the button Open);

– select the item from the drop-down menu Open and restore;

– if the file can be restored, it will be opened and displayed in the document workspace;

– a window will appear Show corrections with a message “When opening a corrupted file, the following corrections were made. To save these changes, save the file". Below, in a scrollable list, all found errors and corrections will be shown (end of table cells, pictures, paragraph properties, table properties);

– close the window Show corrections;

– save the file.

2. Open the file using a backup converter

Converter Text recovery, if installed, is in the dropdown list File types(to the left of the button Cancel) in the window Opening a document. It is represented in this list by the line Recovering text from any file (*.*).

After saving the recovered file – the next time you try to open it – a message may appear "The table in the document is damaged". This error may be caused by a corrupted table in the current document.

To restore the contents of a table, select it and select the menu Table –> Convert –> Table to Text… –> Convert to Text –> OK.

The contents of the document and table can be restored by closing the document and opening it again using the command Open and restore in the window Opening a document(menu File –> team Open…).

After restoring the file, you should correct the damaged tables in the document.

If errors in the document remain after recovery, examine all tables for the presence of cells or rows that contain too long text. It is also possible that an incomplete table was created or imported in the document.

Notes

1. Before restoring a document, create a copy of it.

But what should those users do if their document was damaged due to certain circumstances? In this article I will look at what types of damage there are, as well as how to restore damaged Word file.

What types of damage are there?

Damaged Word documents behave unexpectedly. This may be caused by damage to the document itself or the template, which is taken as the basis for all other types of documents. Damage manifests itself in the following forms:

1. The page numbering of the document is incorrect.
2. Recovering page breaks in a document.
3. The document displays unreadable characters when opened.
4. Incorrect formatting and structure.
5. PC freezes after launching a file.
6. Application crashes when attempting to open content or other unexpected behavior.

Advice! Unexpected document behavior may be due to other factors, such as corruption of the Word program itself or the utility package Microsoft Office, opening a document with an earlier version of Word, infection operating system virus. To see otherwise, check how Word works with other documents.

Word file recovery

A damaged document may or may not open. We will build on this. As an example, I'll use trial version Word 2016, which is included with Office 365 Home.

Advice! If one of the methods does not help, proceed in order to the next one.

If the document opens

Work with the document and template settings. I will consider solving the problem step by step. If the error is not isolated and occurs in every created file, read this first.

Forced recovery

Try to force restore the damaged file:

If it doesn't work, restart your PC and proceed to the next step.

Double conversion

Let's convert the file to another format, and then return it to its previous state:

1. Go to “Word” → Open → Browse → select the damaged file and click “Open”.
   
2. Click File → Save As → Select the file type to save as Rich Text Format (.rtf).
   
3. Close the file and open it again. Convert it back to a “Word Document” (.docx) using the same method.
   

Advice! If the problem persists, you can try converting to other formats. When converted to .txt text format, all pictures, diagrams and formatting are lost. Remember this.

Copy to new document

Select the contents of the file except the last paragraph and copy it to another document. If your document has section breaks, copy text between the breaks. To avoid inserting breaks when copying text, turn on the draft mode of the new document:

Removing corrupted content

For cropped documents that do not display all of the content, you can switch to another mode and remove the corrupted data. Determine the page on which the file is truncated and remember the contents of that page. Then:

1. Switch to Draft or Web Document mode.
2. Scroll the content to the point where it is cut off.
3. Select and delete the next paragraph or object.
4. Switch back to Markup mode and check if the document is displayed in full.
5. Delete content in this way until it is completely displayed in Page Layout mode.
6. After the manipulations have been completed, save the document.

Changing the template

Relevant if you have switched to a new one Microsoft version Office, and all old documents are damaged. First, determine which template is being used:

1. Open Word, and on the File menu, click Options.
   
2. Select “Add-ins”, at the bottom in “Manage”, select “Word Add-ins” and click “Go”.
   
3. If “Normal” is displayed in the “Document Template” field, follow the instructions further; if there is a different template, go to step 9.
   
4. To rename the template, close Word.
5. Go to Explorer and enter the command in the line: %userprofile%\appdata\roaming\microsoft\Templates

   If the document does not open

   When a document gives an error when opening directly, we will try to open it using the built-in capabilities of Word.

   Opening using Draft mode

   To get started, launch Word:

   1. Go to “File” - “Options”.
   2. Open "Advanced", go down to the "Show Document Contents" section and check the box next to "Show placeholder frames for pictures".
      
   3. Scroll down further to the “General” section. Check the box next to “Allow document to be opened in draft mode.”
      
   4. Apply the change and click OK.
   5. Restart Word, choose File → Open and run the corrupted file.

   Using the converter

   When using a converter:

   • document formatting is not saved;
   • drawings, diagrams and others graphic elements are not saved.

   Go to Word and open the damaged file using “Recover Text from Any File” as shown in the image below.
   

   Recovery using third-party services

   Eat online service online.officerecovery.com. You can use it to try to recover files:

   1. Upload a damaged file to the site.
   2. Wait for the file to be processed and downloaded to your PC.
   3. Check the functionality of the document.

   Another program is called RecoveryToolboxforWord. The principle of use is similar.

   If you have any questions while reading the article, ask them in the comments. Also use to contact the administration.

In some cases, Word crashes and the data is not saved. But there are cases when the text is saved, but the Word document does not open because the contents have been damaged. In any case, there is a high probability of restoring the document while preserving the contents.

What are the types of damage?

Damage can be caused by a variety of factors; to rule out most of them, it's worth checking how the program works with other intact documents.

This must be done to eliminate errors in the operation of the application itself and its packages. It is also recommended to check your PC for virus programs.

In addition, when opening it is worth considering the version of the application. So, for example, when opening a file created in a new version of Word, an earlier one will fail and the document will be displayed as damaged.

Damage may be accompanied by:

• wrong numbering pages;
• restored breaks pages;
• incorrect structure and formatting;
• unreadable signs in the text;
• freezing computer after attempting to open it;
• emergency closing programs when trying to open.

Any atypical behavior of the application or the document itself when opening is considered to be the cause of damage.

Ways to recover Word files

All damaged files are divided into two groups: those that can be opened and those that cannot. And each case has its own ways to solve the problem.

Forced recovery

To forcefully restore a damaged Word file, you must:

This will help restore a broken Word document. But this rarely works for large amounts of text with complex formatting.

Double conversion

Converting to and from another format may resolve the issue. To do this you should:

Comment! If translated into txt format, then all pictures, graphs and diagrams will not be saved.

Copy to new document

If the file opens, then you need copy all text except for the last paragraph. The text from page break to page break also needs to be copied.

Then you need to paste the copied element into new document and save.

Advice! To prevent breaks from being transferred, you need to switch to the Draft view.

Removing corrupted content

If the entire amount of information is not displayed, then it is necessary to delete damaged fragments in another mode. This is done as follows:

• open damaged element;
• switch view of the Draft or Web document;
• view the text and delete paragraph after the break;
• switch back mode and check the correctness of the displayed text;
• repeat deletion until the content is displayed correctly;
• save changes.

Changing the template

If after updating Word all files become damaged, you need to change the template. First of all, you need to determine the template to use:

Restore default settings

Microsoft has a special fix that will independently install the initial settings and fix all problems on the computer. You need to download it or run a new version, and then follow the instructions.

The program can solve many problems and errors on your computer. You only need to select the area where the failure occurred.

Using the “Draft” mode

This method is suitable if Word does not open the document. To run a damaged file you need to:

We use a converter

Word has a built-in “Converter” function. backup copies" To use it you need:

Backup

Microsoft Word automatically creates backups. And if the source is lost or damaged, you can use it. To find a copy you need:

In some cases, the names of the source and copy may not match. Then it is recommended to focus on the date of change.

We use online services

There are many services on the Internet that can recover a Word document, for example, online.officerecovery.com and recoverytoolbox.com. They all work according to the same algorithm, to take advantage of their functions you need to:

• upload the required document to the service;
»;
• wait until the restoration is completed;
• download and check.

Recovery programs

The most popular program- Recovery Software. Suitable for recovering any type of data. She has 11 tools that are aimed at different cases loss of information.

It is capable of recovering broken images, lost data deleted from storage media, sections of hard disk and damaged documents.

Business Solutions

If using an online recovery service is not possible, you can download one of the following utilities:

In addition to the ability to recover information at home, they also provide unlimited capabilities for recovering large numbers of files, professional support and many other options useful to corporate users.

Video guide to using the OfficeRecovery Online service

“I had a rather long text I was working on, turned my computer on the other day and the Word file the text was in would simply not open. Tried a number of things to open it but none worked. That's why I bought your Recovery Tool. Recovery for Word did open the text but not the entire document. I still have to retype a good portion of it, but at least the software did recover most of it. So it did save me some time.”

“I am impressed with Recovery for Word. You folks did a GREAT job! Office forums told me it would take too long for anyone to spend time with it. And 4 other recovery programs said there was not enough data to be able to fix it.

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About OfficeRecovery for Word Online

OfficeRecovery for Word Online recovers damaged Word documents (.doc, .docx, .docm, .rtf).

Supported Word versions:
2010, 2007, 2003, 2002, 2000, 97, 95, 6.0 and Word for Mac 5.0

The recovered data is saved into a new Word document.

After file recovery is complete, you can evaluate the demo results and register for free receipt results or purchase them immediately. If the file could not be recovered, you can order its analysis by our experienced team of specialists.

Examples of use

Recovery service damaged files MS Word can be used when a Word file does not open in Microsoft Word and you see errors or warnings while opening.

In order to quickly recover damaged doc, docx or rtf file, upload the word document to our cloud service recovery using the form on this page.

It is important to note that if the recovery process is successful, you will end up with a ready-to-use Word document. You can get a fully recovered file by choosing paid or free paid options.

Standard features:

• Support all files modern versions, including 2007, 2003, 2002, 2000 and 97
• Basic Word recovery support for Macintosh files
• RTF (rich text format) support
• Restore text and formatting
• Restore tables
• Restore bulleted lists
• Recover embedded graphics (pictures are placed at the end of the recovered document)
• Restore diagrams and drawing objects
• Restore headings and footnotes
• Restore fields from URL
• Restore OLE objects
• For Word 2007 and 2010, the following OLE objects are restored:
  • Package
  • Bitmap images
  • Microsoft Equation 3.0
  • Microsoft Graph Chart
  • Microsoft PowerPoint 97-2003 Slide
  • Microsoft Visio Drawing
  • Microsoft Works Spreadsheet
  • Objects of any OpenDocument types
  • WordPad Documents
• Formatting is restored according to styles, headings and footnotes, fields and bookmarks are restored
• Password-protected files are recovered if the password is known (Word 2003, 2002, 2000 and 97 documents only)

Description of file recovery using OfficeRecovery for Word Online

Corrupt word documents are files that have suddenly become unusable and cannot be opened with using Microsoft Word. There are a number of reasons why a word file can become corrupted. And in some cases it is possible to fix and restore damaged doc (Word 2003, 2000, 97, 95, 6.0), docx (Word 2007, 2010), rtf file.

If your doc, docx or rtf document suddenly becomes corrupted or cannot be opened in the program in which it was created, do not despair! You don't need to buy expensive anymore software to recover only one corrupted word file. OfficeRecovery for Word Online presents you with a new online service that will help you recover damaged Word documents instantly. All you need to do is simply download the damaged doc, docx or rtf file using a browser, evaluate the quality of the recovery demo results and choose the solution that suits you best.

OfficeRecovery Online for Word supports Microsoft Word 2010, 2007, 2003, 2002, 2000, 97, 95, 6.0 and Word for Mac. The recovered data is saved in rtf format.

OfficeRecovery for Word Online offers free and paid options to get complete recovery results. The free option means that full results can be obtained absolutely free within 14-28 days. All you need to do is simply subscribe for free results after the word file recovery process is completed. If you need to get a recovered doc, docx or rtf file immediately, instantly, you need to choose a paid option instead of a free one.

What to do if there is no recovery data identified in your word file? You can request a non-refundable analysis of your file by our experienced technical team. In some cases, data recovery is only possible manually.

Have you ever encountered a situation where a .doc or .docx file could not be opened due to an error? Or completely lose a document on which a lot of hard and painstaking work has been done? Probably, most PC users have encountered such a situation, and if not, then an article on this topic will still be interesting for them, since you need to be prepared for anything.

So, let's look at several ways to restore lost or damaged Microsoft file Word.

How to recover text from a damaged Word document

If the document is damaged, the user may encounter the following error:

If you have checked and ensured that you have permission to access the document and the disk, and are sure that there is enough space and memory on the disk, then the next step is to use the built-in Word functions restoration in order to return the text of the document.

To do this:

• Open Word and select the File / Open / Browse tab

• Find the file you want to open and select Recover text from any file from the pop-up menu. Click Open.

Sometimes, despite the recovery process, the file may remain damaged even if the file is successfully restored and opened. Formatting will be lost.

Another way to recover

If the above method does not work, Microsoft has provided another way to recover the Word file. To do this, go to the File / Open tab.

In the window that opens, select your document.

Click the Open button and select the “Open and Repair” option.

If you see the message when opening a document, you should install latest version programs.

Restore a backup copy of your Word document

If it is not possible to even find the file, you can try to detect a backup copy of the file created by Microsoft Word. This can be done as follows.

Select File/Open/Browse.

Go to the folder where the lost file was located. In the file type selection window, select “All files (*.*).” Usually the backup file is called “Backup…” + file name. Select and open such a file.

If it was not possible to detect a backup copy of the file in this way, then enter in the box Windows search- *.wbk (backup file format - Word Backup files). But in this case, the names of the backup files will not necessarily match the name of the lost file. Try opening *.wbk files one by one until you find the one you need.

Find and restore an autosaved copy of a file

If backing up files Microsoft documents Word is not configured on your computer, try restoring the document from autosave files.

Autosave files can be checked in the following folder:

• C:\Users\ Name User \AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Word

The name of the autocopy file will begin with “Autocopy...” and will be in *.asd format. Just click on the autocopy of the file and it will open as a Microsoft Word document.

Programs for recovering Microsoft Office documents

If none of the proposed functions bring the desired result, then try to recover the lost file using any of the programs Microsoft package Office can be one of the many programs for recovering deleted documents.

Fortunately, the choice today is huge. The only advice is to choose a simpler program that specializes in recovering files in the Microsoft Office package format. Since image and document files are often used to recover different algorithms, and, accordingly, the quality of restoration may vary significantly.

As an example we can consider Hetman Office Recovery. Already from the name you can understand that the program specializes in file recovery Microsoft format Office. To recover your Word file, simply download and run the program, and use it to scan the disk on which the document was lost.

As a result of scanning, the program will display the found documents with original names. You can view their contents in the window preview. For recovery the desired file Just tick it and click the “Next” button.

Have a great day!