Is the Word document not opening but keeping showing the error message 'Word experienced an error trying to open the file'? Don't worry and you are not losing the file. Follow this guide, you'll learn what the error is, causes, and solutions to fix the 'Word experienced an error' issue on your own. For a quick Word file recovery and repair, Stellar file repair software is here to help.
Applies to: Microsoft Word 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010, etc.
"My Word document won't open. How do I fix the 'Word experienced an error trying to open the file' error on my own? I'm using Microsoft Word 2019, by the way."
Did your computer pop up the error message "Word experienced an error trying to open the file" while opening a Word 2019/2016/2013 file? Don't worry. Follow this guide for help.
This error mostly occurs to Microsoft Word and Excel users when they try to open an MS Word or Excel document file. The complete error message is:
Word experienced an error trying to open the file.
Try these suggestions.
So what caused this error, and how to fix this issue? Let's see.
Fix Word experienced an error immediately - 5 methods:
Prerequisite - Here are some tips that you should first follow to get your device ready:
The most efficient way that you can try is to turn to a Word recovery and repair tool for help. EaseUS Fixo Document Repair software can quickly scan and repair corrupted or unopenable Word files in Windows 10/8/7. This file repair tool can fix corrupted Word, Excel, PPT, and PDF files in various file formats.
You can first watch this tutorial video to familiarize yourself with the detailed steps:
If you find it easier to read the steps instead of watching videos, you can read it down here:
Step 1. Download and launch Fixo on your PC or laptop. Choose "File Repair" to repair corrupted Office documents, including Word, Excel, PDF, and others. Click "Add Files" to select corrupted documents.
Step 2. To repair multiple files at once, click the "Repair All" button. If you want to repair a single document, move your pointer to the target file and choose "Repair". You can also preview the documents by clicking the eye icon.
Step 3. Click "Save" to save a selected document. Select "Save All" to save all the repaired files. Choose "View Repaired" to locate the repaired folder.
Source from https://support.microsoft.com/
Step 1. Right-click the problematic Word file that won't open, and select "Property".
Step 2. On the General tab, click "Unblock" and select "OK".
After this, try to reopen your Word file and see if the problem still exists.
Step 1. Open the Word application on your computer.
Step 2. Go to "File" > "Options" > "Trusted Center" > "Trust Center Settings...".
Step 3. Click "Protected View", uncheck the next three options, and click "OK".
Step 4. Save the changes and close the Word application.
Then, you can reopen the Word document when it has a "Word experienced an error trying to open the file" error. It should be open by then.
Source from: https://support.microsoft.com/
Step 1. Open the Word application on your computer.
Step 2. Go to "File" > "Options" > "Trusted Center" > "Trust Center Settings...".
Step 3. Click "Trusted Locations" > "Add new location".
Step 4. Click "Browse" to navigate the path where you saved your Word files and check "Subfolders of this location are also trusted". Click "OK" to save changes.
After this, close Word and open the file that contains the "Word experienced an error trying to open the file" error. You may now be able to access the content inside the document now.
When a Word file becomes unopenable, you can try to use Text Recovery Converter to fix a corrupted Word file that won't open with an error message.
Step 1. Open the Word application, go to "File" > "Open" > "Browse".
Step 2. Select the Word file that won't open.
Click "Recover Text from Any File (*.*) from the drop menu next to the File name column. Click "Open".
Step 3. Wait patiently. When the Word application displays and shows the content of the unopenable Word file, save it as a new file.
As the error message addressed, the reason why the Word document won't open could be:
Pick a proper solution as listed in the article and follow to make your Word file openable and accessible again in Windows 10/8/7.
If you are trying to open a .docx or .doc file but continuously get denied with the error message 'Word experienced an error trying to open the file', don't worry. It is possible to resolve the problem.
All you need is to stop using the Word file and disable background programs, especially some cleaning tools. Then follow the above-recommended methods for help. If you need to fix damaged Word documents, EaseUS file repair software is here to help.
Also, the best way to protect essential files and data is to create a backup in advance. When the file goes wrong, you can always restore it from the backup immediately.
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