5 Fixes for “Word Experienced an Error Trying to Open the File” Error in Windows

Pankil is a Civil Engineer turned freelance writer. Since his arrival at Guiding Tech in 2021, he delves into the world of how-tos, and troubleshooting guides for Android, iOS, and Windows. Besides his new-found love for mechanical keyboards, he’s a disciplined footfall fan and loves international travel with his wife.

Fix 1: Unblock Your Word File

Microsoft Word may fail to open a documentif it has been altered by third-party software. So, modify its properties to unblock the Word file and fix it. Here’s how to do it.

Step 1:Right-click on the Word file failing to open and selectProperties.

Step 2:Under the General tab, tickUnblock. Then, hitApply, followed byOK.

Fix 2: Repair the Word Document

Microsoft Word includes a document repair feature that automatically fixesissues with your Word files. You can use it to resolve the “Word experienced an error trying to open the file” message on Windows. Here’s how:

Step 1:Open Microsoft Word on your PC. SelectOpenfrom the left sidebar and click onBrowse.

Step 2:Locate and select your Word file. Then, click thedownward arrownext to Open and selectOpen and Repair.

Microsoft Word will attempt to repair your file and open it.

Fix 3: Mark the Folder Containing the File as a Trusted Location in Word

You might encounter the “Word experienced an error trying to open the file” message while opening your documents from an untrusted folder or drive. To resolve the error, add the folder containing your documents as a trusted location in Microsoft Word.

Step 1:In Microsoft Word, selectOptionsfrom the left column.

Step 2:In the Word Options window, switch to theTrust Centertab. Then, click onTrust Center Settingson your right.

Step 3:In the Trusted Locations tab, click onAdd new location.

Step 4:Click onBrowseto select the folder containing your Word files. Then, hitOK.

Fix 4: Open Word in Safe Mode

Word’s add-ins may be acting up and preventing the app from opening your files. You can use Microsoft Word in safe mode to confirm that. To do so, hold down theCtrlkey and double-click on the Word shortcut. Then, selectYesto confirm.

After Word opens in safe mode, open your documents and see if you get any errors. If this solves your problem, it means the add-in that was causing problems got disabled. To isolate the culprit, disable all your add-ins and re-enable them one at a time.

Step 1:Open Microsoft Word and selectOptionsfrom the sidebar.

Step 2:In theAdd-instab, selectCOM Add-insfrom the Manage drop-down menu and click onGo.

Step 3:Clear all the checkboxes to disable your add-ins and hitOK.

After this, restart Word and enable your add-ins one by one. After enabling each add-in, open a document to identify the one causing the issue.

Fix 5: Run the Microsoft Office Repair Tool

If Microsoft Word fails to open documents in safe mode, run the Office repair tool as a last resort. It can automatically detect and resolve problems with your Office programs, including Word.

Step 1:Right-click on theStart iconand selectInstalled appsfrom the list.

Step 2:Scroll down to locate the Microsoft Office product on the list. Click thethree-dot menu iconnext to it and selectModify.

Step 3:SelectOnline Repairand hitRepair.

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Last updated on 04 July, 2024

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