Share this article
Improve this guide
How to Repair Corrupted docx Files [8 Simple Ways]
Opening the file in Draft Mode can help to salvage it
5 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
The docx format has been the default format for saving important Word documents for some time. But like other formats before it, there are times you need to repair your docx file because it got corrupted.
Fortunately, this is easy to do, provided you have the right information. In this guide, we will show you quick and effective ways to achieve this without breaking a sweat. But make sure youcreate a backup copy of the filebefore getting started.
How can I repair a corrupted docx file?
1. Use the inbuilt Microsoft Word Repair tool
Microsoft Word has an inbuilt open and repair tool available since MS Word 2007 that you can use to repair your files. Since it was made by the software manufacturer, it is the safest way to repair a corrupt docx document and file.
2. Use third-party recovery tools
Several third-party applications on the market are designed torecover corrupt documents. Many third-party tools have free demos but we recommend you use Stellar Repair for Word.
This tool can see thetextand repair all corrupt, damaged, or simply inaccessible files with original formatting.
The Stellar Repair for Word program is recommended by Microsoft Office experts and IT because it previews the specific repaired Word file in RAW text or machine-readable format.
After that, this file repair application authorizes you to save the repaired document at its original or certain location on your hard disk.
Stellar Repair for Word
3. Recover text from any file
If you are unable to recover the corrupted Word file, Microsoft Word also gives you the option to recover text from any file. This will enable you to recover your important data and then reconstruct it in a new Word file.
The feature will try to fetch all thetextfrom your file. If this does not work, please move on to the next solution.
4. Open in Draft Mode
Another solution you can try is opening the file in Draft mode. To do this, follow the simple steps described above.
5. Use previous versions
In Windows 7 and higher, System Restore will automatically make backups of your documents whenever a new restore point is created (usually at least once a day).
System Restore is enabled by default, but if you manually turn it off, you will not be able to recover any data using this feature.
Note that you will lose any data that was added after the last backup was created and before the corruption occurred, but at least you will have at least a part of your .docx file.
6. Open with Notepad
Opening with Notepad will ignore the document structure and pick only the plain text. You can find this plain text and then copy and paste it to a new Word document, but you will lose all formatting and images.
7. Rebuild the file header
You will have to open several uncorrupted .docx files with a file editor program to identify the header components. By comparing them with the file header of your corrupt file, you may be able to identify corruption in its file header.
You can then replace the corrupt header components with good components from another .docx file in order to fix your problem.
8. Run CHKDSK to check for file system error
If file-level corruption exists in the Word document, you can run CHKDSK from the command prompt. You may be able to fix the document and gain accessibility. Or else you would be able to understand the cause behind the issue.
With this, we can conclude this guide on how to repair a corrupt docx file. You should now be able to fix the issue for good, following the steps therein.
If you need a list of thebest Word file repair toolsto aid you, check our detailed guide for the top options available.
Feel free to let us know the solution that helped you fix this issue in the comments below.
More about the topics:Fix corrupt files,Microsoft Word issues
Milan Stanojevic
Windows Toubleshooting Expert
Milan has been enthusiastic about technology ever since his childhood days, and this led him to take interest in all PC-related technologies. He’s a PC enthusiast and he spends most of his time learning about computers and technology.
Before joining WindowsReport, he worked as a front-end web developer. Now, he’s one of the Troubleshooting experts in our worldwide team, specializing in Windows errors & software issues.
User forum
0 messages
Sort by:LatestOldestMost Votes
Comment*
Name*
Email*
Commenting as.Not you?
Save information for future comments
Comment
Δ
Milan Stanojevic
Windows Toubleshooting Expert
Before joining WindowsReport, he worked as a front-end web developer. Now, he’s specialized in Windows errors & software issues.
