How can I fix this Word document?

Question

I have a very strange issue in Word. I'm trying to open a certain template, which I've used many, many times before and it seems somehow corrupted. When Word tries to open it, the opening screen just hangs, then disappears. Safe mode technically opens the document, but then freezes, then crashes. This is happening for every instance of document I have using that template. All other templates and new Word documents open just fine. Opening and repairing doesn't work. Safe mode doesn't work. I have updated Windows, Office, used the repair function for Office and followed a bunch of steps on the help pages, and still nothing. I am at my wits' end as this is an important document which I need the formatting in the template for, since it's for a paperback book to upload to Amazon. I have the content safely stored, it's literally this template that's causing the issue. Can anyone help, please?

Answer 1

It is important to clarify. Many people posting use the term "template" to mean a model document in the .docx format. In Word jargon, it means a .dotx or .dotm file. I assume you are using it in that sense.

Templates in Microsoft Word

Such templates are normally not opened, rather a new document is created based on the template.

Repairing / re-installing will not help with a corrupted document or template.

If you can open it in safe mode, can you copy everything except the last paragraph mark in the template and paste into a new template?

Otherwise, do you have an older backup from your computer that would have the template before it was corrupted?

If you obtained this template from an external source can you get a new copy?

I am curious, how is it that your content is stored separately from your formatted document?

Answer 2

Hi @Lucy Felthouse 

Will Word create new documents and work normally if you copy this template to other computers? Besides, will documents created based on this template open normally on other devices?

• If you encounter the same issue on other computers, the template file may be corrupted, it is recommended to try the steps in following document to have a repair.

How to troubleshoot damaged documents in Word

• If not, I would like to suggest you update or rollback the graph driver and printer driver to have a check.

Is there any related error records in Windows Event Viewer? If so, please check the error module and share with us.

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Answer 3

Hold the <Shift> Key pressed while you open Word & the document, it surpress the execute of marcos and any other auto-executes.