Share this article
Improve this guide
How to recover and fix corrupted ODT files
6 min. read
Updated onOctober 4, 2023
updated onOctober 4, 2023
Share this article
Improve this guide
Read our disclosure page to find out how can you help Windows Report sustain the editorial teamRead more
Key notes
ODT is thefile formatfor OpenOffice andLibreOffice Writerdocuments. When an ODT document is corrupted, an error message might pop up statingThe file .odt is corrupt and therefore cannot be opened.
Consequently, users can’t usually open corrupted ODT files by clicking onFile>Open. Is one of your Writer’s documents corrupted?
If so, check out the resolutions below and fix those corrupted ODT files in no time.
How can I solve ODT file corruption issues?
1. Look for a Backup Copy
First, note thatLibreOffice Writerincludes anAlways create backup copyoption. So you might find a backup copy of the corrupted document if theAlways create backup copyoption is selected.
This is how you can open the ODT document backups in Windows.
2. Repair ODT documents with third-party software
While there is no shortage of tools that can repair Microsoft Office files, the OpenOfficeformatsare not so popular. Hence there are only a few third-party utilities for fixing corrupted ODT files.
Hetman Office Recovery is one such tool that compensates for the entire market with its powerful and comprehensive repair and recovery functions.
This software provides native file support for Microsoft’s popularformatssuch as DOCX, DOC, XLS, XLSX, but also for ODT, ODS, PDF files, and more.
In fact, versatility is a quintessential characteristic of Hetman Office Recovery and it does justice to its reputation by seamlessly working with all types of platforms, devices, storage media including all SSD, HDD, USB pen drives, NAS and all versions of FAT and NTFS.
Moreover, not even damaged devices can stand a chance against this powerful ODT recovery tool.
Through sophisticated disk analysis algorithms, Hetman Office Recovery will help you retrieve and access ODT files (and others) from formatted, repartitioned, corrupted, inaccessible, worn, and physically unstable disks and partitions.
Let’s quickly look at itskey features:
⇒Get Hetman Office Recovery
3. Update LibreOffice or OpenOffice
The latest LibreOffice or OpenOffice applications might still open only slightly corrupted ODT documents. So check that you’re utilizing the most updated LibreOffice orOpenOffice suites.
To update the office suite, clickHelp>Check for updates. The window shown directly below will tell you if there’s a more updated suite. If so, press theDownloadoption to get the setup wizard for it.
4. Insert the corrupted file into a blank document
This is another trick that might open corrupted ODT documents in Writer. The Writer includes anInsertmenu from which you can select to insert a file in a blank document.
Thus, selecting to insert a corrupted file might open it within a blank document. To do that, open a blank document, clickInsert>Fileand select the corrupted ODT file.
5. Fix ODT files with the Repair OpenOffice Writer Document utility
To fix a corrupted ODT file, check out the Repair OpenOffice Writer Document utility. That’s a web tool you can open onthis page.
Press theChoosebutton to select an ODT file. Then you can pressSecure Upload and Repairto fix the ODT.
6. Convert the ODT to a ZIP File
This isn’t exactly a fix for a corrupted ODT. However, you might still retrieve the document by converting it to a ZIP. The ZIP archive can include a content.xml file, which retains the document text alongside XML formatting statements.
This is how you can open the context.xml file for an ODT file:
So that’s how you can open and fix corrupted ODT documents. Some of the above tips might also come in handy for recovering corrupted OpenOffice ODB, ODS, ODP, and ODG files.
Do you know any other workarounds? Feel free to share your experience by reaching for the comments section below.
More about the topics:LibreOffice,windows 10 fix
Matthew Adams
Windows Hardware Expert
Matthew is a freelancer who has produced a variety of articles on various topics related to technology. His main focus is the Windows OS and all the things surrounding it.
He is passionate about the tech world, always staying up-to-date with the latest and greatest. With an analytical view, he likes problem-solving, focusing on errors and their causes.
In his free time, he likes to read and write about history and tries to always develop new skills.
User forum
0 messages
Sort by:LatestOldestMost Votes
Comment*
Name*
Email*
Commenting as.Not you?
Save information for future comments
Comment
Δ
Matthew Adams
Windows Hardware Expert
He is passionate about everything surrounding Microsoft’s OS, focusing on troubleshooting guides & tips for everyday problems.
