When I open a New docx file, it has a bold 'E' on the second line, and is > 26 MB.

Question

The problem is as I said in the title. If I delete the empty line and the E from the top, I reduce the file to 13 KB, and the word counter tells me the (blank!) page has 36 words on it. If I delete by backspacing from the bottom, the file stays > 26 MB.

Zipping the file does nothing.

A facility at 'wecompress dot com' reduces it to < 900 KB, but this is still a bit much for a blank page!

I may have 'caught' this problem from a file that I recently edited; it was > 26 MB (2500 words only), and had the same problem centered around a bold 'E' on page 3.

I suspect some hidden code, but I'm no techie.

Does ANYONE have a solution?

Many thanks!

Answer 1

You're saying that if you go to Word and select Blank document then it creates a 25MB file with an E in it? Do you have any addins installed?

If you are creating your own document then show the code.

Answer 2

Hi @Derek Lactin ,

Welcome to Q&A forum!

1. What version of Office and operating system are you using?
2. When did this issue start? Have you install any third-party programs before? Such as third-party Add-ins. If so, please disable or uninstall them to have a check.
   • If you are using the Office for Windows, I would suggest you refer to JohnKorchok's suggestion to reload a new Normal file.
     Besides, it is also recomended that you try to open the files in safe mode to check this issue:
     Launch the Run box, and type "word /safe" and press enter to open Word in safe mode. And then open the file from Open tab.
   • If you are using the Office for Mac, I would suggest you try starting Mac in Safe Mode so that we can rule out third party programs interfering with Office startup:
     How to use a "clean startup" to determine whether background programs are interfering with Office for Mac

If the above do not work, please try to uninstall and reinstall your Office.

Any updates, please let us know.

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