I can’t open .docx files on iPhone 14pro

Is your situation consistent with that of Deepak Jayarajan? 

We anticipate reporting this issue to the development team soon, so we need more information to investigate this problem. 

Could you please try creating a new Word document in OneDrive and then open the document again using the Word application? 

Please also try transferring this document to Windows or a Mac and see if it can be opened normally. This will help us determine whether the file corruption is due to the recent iOS update. 

Lastly, could you attempt to move the document to another location using 'On My iPhone' to see if it can be opened there? This will help us identify if the issue is related to a change in the system path.

Thomas

Hi,

I’ve had the same issue on an iPhone12 Pro Max, but this happened a week ago on a prior version of iOS, and updating to 17.7 and iOS 18 did not correct the error.

Tapping the files results in a plain screen with the file name and size displayed with the option to share the file to other apps.- unfortunately word if not listed in the apps or actions available. The word app cannot open files stored on the iphone locally (backed up on iCloud Drive), received via the mail app or stored in the notes app but can open cloud based docx files in Onedrive and Dropbox. This is also happening with xlsz files and excel but ppt files open from the PowerPoint app.

None of the solutions above helped resolve this problem.

I’ve re-installed the app multiple times, force-restarted the phone and reset the phone’s settings with no resolution.

Please let me know if there’s any way to resolve this.

Thanks,

Deepak

Hi Thomas,

Thank you for your advice.

I've tried everything you suggested. The issue is that I can't even open a .docx file through the MS Word app. When I try to open the app and open the .docx file from the Files app, all .docx files appear dark and I can't open them.

This problem has only occurred recently. Everything was working fine before.

Hi Andrew Stadnyk1,

Thanks for your post in Microsoft Community.

Are you encountering any error messages when opening Word? Could you share a screenshot of the complete error message with us? 

I just tested on iOS 18.0 with Word version 2.89 (24090210), and everything is working fine.

You can try following the steps mentioned by Tommy(#81) to reinstall Word and see if that resolves your issue.

I hope the information above is helpful to you, and I look forward to your reply!

Best Regards,

Thomas C - MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

Hi Andrew,

Thank you for reaching out to us with your question. I'm happy to help you with your issue.

It looks like you'd like to resolve the problem where you can't open docx files on your iPhone 14 Pro, even though MS Word and iOS are up to date. Here are some steps you can try to fix this issue:

1. Reinstall Microsoft Word:
   • If the Word app is not functioning correctly, try deleting and reinstalling it.
   • Press and hold the Word app icon, tap Delete App, and then reinstall it from the App Store. After reinstalling, try opening the .docx file again.
2. Open the File from OneDrive:
   • If your .docx file is stored in OneDrive, make sure the OneDrive app is also updated. Try opening the file directly from OneDrive rather than downloading it to your iPhone.
3. Try a Different App:
   • If Word still isn’t working, you can try opening the file using the Files app or another word processor like Google Docs.
   • Tap the file in your email or storage, and select Open in Files or another compatible app.
4. Check File Permissions:
   • Make sure the .docx file is not restricted. If the file was shared with you, check that you have the necessary permissions to open it.

I hope these steps help you resolve the issue with opening .docx files on your iPhone 14 Pro. If you have any other questions or need further assistance, please let me know. I'm always here to help.

Best regards,

Tommy