XML Parsing error opening work document

Question

Hi, I've got a couple of documents that have somehow got an XML parsing error and won't open. I've tried opening as text only to save the text but it still won't work. I've also tried extracting them as a .zip but this also won't work. Any advice?

Thanks,

Joanne

Answer 1

Please try to open the file in a different device, sometimes the problems are only related to one device, if the problem persist, try to open it with Notepad, you can also try to use right click, properties, then versions and see if you have any other available

Answer 2

Sometimes Word can work more of a broken file when importing:

1. Create a new blank doc.
2. Insert > Object > Text from File (older UI: Insert File).
3. Browse to the damaged doc and insert. This can bypass certain structural errors and pull in recoverable text/sections.

If the document lives in OneDrive/SharePoint, restore an earlier, uncorrupted version. This is sometimes the fastest path when recent edits aren’t critical or after you salvage text from the broken copy.

Answer 3

Hi! Have you tried the repair option in Word?

1. In Word: File > Open > Browse.
2. Select the damaged file once (single-click).
3. Click the down arrow on Open and choose Open and Repair. This invokes Word’s internal recovery routines and often fixes moderate corruption without manual editing.

If Open and Repair fails, try to at least salvage plain text:

1. File > Open > Browse.
2. In the Files of type (or All Files) dropdown, pick Recover Text from Any File (.).
3. Open the damaged doc. You’ll lose formatting, graphics, and non-text objects, and you may see binary junk at the start/end, delete that before re-saving. Still, it’s often enough to recover your words.