Solving Issues with Unopened Microsoft Word Documents: A Step-by-Step Guide

When a document won’t open in Word, you might get an error message, a different app might launch, or the program will freeze or not open at all. Several things can cause problems with Word documents, and we’ve got all the solutions.

Instructions in this article apply to Word for Microsoft 365 , Word 2021, Word 2019, Word 2016, Word 2013, Word 2010, and Word 2007.

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Why Word Is Not Opening Documents

It’s unusual for Microsoft Word to have trouble opening files, but it does happen. In addition to file corruption, the most likely reason a document doesn’t open in Word is that your computer is set up to launch a different program when you open the file. It’s also possible that the program needs to be repaired or reinstalled.

How to Fix It When a Word Document Won’t Open

There are a few solutions depending on the problem.

Change the file association settings to make your documents open in Microsoft Word. Follow these directions if a different program (not MS Word) opens when you double-click a DOCX, DOC, or other document.
Use the Open and Repair option. If the document won’t open because it’s damaged, select the arrow next to theOpen button and chooseOpen and Repair .

Files can become corrupted when a computer crashes or loses power, or when a USB device is disconnected while a document stored on it is open.

Restore a previous version of the document. This will work if you use OneDrive or SharePoint and it has a backup of the file from when it was working correctly. To check, right-click the file and go toProperties >Previous Versions .
Unblock the file. Documents downloaded from the internet might not open correctly in Word. Right-click the file and go toProperties >Unblock >OK , and then try to open it again.
Open Word in Safe Mode and then try to open the document from there. If it works, review any add-ins installed in Microsoft Word; one or more might be to blame.
Restart your computer . If Word doesn’t launch when you try to open a document, the program might be running in the background, which a reboot will fix.
Another way to shut down Word without restarting the PC is via Task Manager . If you’re comfortable using that tool, findWINWORD.EXE in there and kill the task.
Repair the program. In Windows 11, go toSettings >Apps >Installed apps . Find the Microsoft 365 or Office installation in the list, select thethree dots , and then go toAdvanced options >Repair . If that doesn’t work, tryReset .
Reinstall Microsoft 365 or Office . This is a longer process than the repair you performed in the last step, but it could be necessary to fix the problem.
Roll back your graphics driver . If Word stopped opening documents after you updated your drivers, a bug might be causing a conflict with Word’s Protected View settings.

How to Fix It When Microsoft Word Is Not Responding

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Solving Issues with Unopened Microsoft Word Documents: A Step-by-Step Guide