Error message on loading Word

Question

When I click on desktop icon to load Word it loads but without automatically producing a blank document. Instead a message appears saying it cannot open the file because the file format does not match the file extension. How can I cure this?

Answer 1

Did you restart Word after changing the name of the Normal.dotm template?

Does the problem still occur if you start Word in Safe Mode by holding down the CTRL key while starting it until asked to confirm that you want to start it in that mode?

If not, see the section dealing with Add-Ins in the KnowledgeBase article "How to troubleshoot problems that occur when you start or use Word" at:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/921541

Answer 2

No problems with Excel or Powerpoint. No changes made to Word that I am aware of but when I open the application it does not automatically  create a new file. Instead the following error message appears.

Error Message is:

Word cannot open the file because the file format does not match the file extension. (C:...\New Microsoft Word Document.docx)

When I close the error message I can then click on the button to create a new file.

Did some research but most of the information I found seemed to relate to problems with accessing  pre-existing files (ie not the problem that I am experiencing).

 I tried the following suggestions that I found:

1. Close error message then click to create blank document, then File/Options/General/Startup Options/Uncheck Show Start Screen/Close Office  and relaunch. No success with this so changed it back.
2. Searched (and hopefully found) the Normal template and tried out some of the suggested changes to the name of that template and to the file ending for that template. No success with these so changed it back.

Answer 3

Hi Rose,

Based on the description that you provided, there may be a corrupted file or a misconfigured settings in the computer. Moreover, for us to fully identify the root cause, we need to get additional information. Kindly answer the following:

• Any changes made on the Word application prior to this concern?
• What troubleshooting steps have you tried so far?
• Can you send us a screenshot with the error message that you are getting? Note: Please do not include any personal information.