If you are in a hurry and just need the text from a damaged file, try this hack: The “Unzip a Word File ” hackĭata recovery can be a time-consuming task. If the repair does not work and you have tried changing the extension, there is a work-around that should enable you to extract the text from the file. Remember to save the file before closing it or the repair will be lost. If the file is repairable, Word will repair and open it.Select Open and Repair from the drop-down list. Click the small arrow on the right side of the Open button.Under File Name, browse to and select the file.You can repair a file while opening it by following this procedure: Open and Repair a Corrupted Word document (You might also want to try docm, dotx, or dotm.) Try changing the extension from docx to doc or vice-versa to see if it will open. Sometimes people type in the wrong extension when saving a file. If the file will not open, it may have an incorrect file extension, or it may be corrupted. Tip: Always write down the password somewhere, even if you think you will remember it. Try searching online… there are programs available that can sometimes recover the password. You will have to get the password from the author of the file. Is this your own file but you forgot the password? Well, you are out of luck unless you have an unencrypted version in a backup file or attached to an email. If a pop-up window appears asking for a password, you will not be able to open the file without first entering the correct password.Ī Word document password is encrypted so you won’t be able to crack it. Try these troubleshooting steps if you can’t open a docx file with Word or after installing the compatibility pack, and you need to recover your data. Sometimes you cannot open docx files even if you have the correct version of Word (or the compatibility pack or viewer) installed. If you don’t want to download the free trial, see How to Open docx files Without Word. If you don’t have one of the newer versions of Word installed, you can download the Microsoft Word free trial, then use it to open the docx file. If you still can’t open the document, read the troubleshooting tips on this page for help. I do not have Word installed ( link opens new page)ĭo you already have Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, or 2013 installed? Just double-click the file icon to open and edit the file.I have a previous version of Word installed ( link opens new page).These instructions work for docx and docm files, but you will not be able to open dotx and dotm files unless you are running Word 2007, 2010, or 2013.Ĭlick the statement that best describes your set up.

Microsoft office 2004 open docx