Word docs will not open

Question

Word docs do not open, A message shows a dialogue box is open which I cannot find!

Answer 1

An open dialog box often (but not always) places an icon on the taskbar. That's how to find it.

Answer 2

Hi, let me help you.

Does it also happen only when you open the Word application and open a blank document?

Answer 3

Try these steps in order:

1. Check for a hidden dialog box.
   • Press Alt+Tab to cycle through open windows.
   • If Word has a hidden prompt behind another window, bring it to the front and close or respond to it.
2. Start Word in Safe Mode.
   • Press Windows + R.
   • Type winword /safe and press Enter.
   • If Word opens in Safe Mode, the problem is commonly caused by an add-in or template.
3. Disable Word add-ins.
   • In Word, go to File > Options > Add-ins.
   • Select Go.
   • Clear all add-ins.
   • Restart Word and test opening a document again.
4. Reset the Normal template.
   • Open File Explorer.
   • Go to %appdata%\Microsoft\Templates.
   • Rename or delete Normal.dotm.
   • Start Word again.
5. Repair Office.
   • Open Control Panel.
   • Go to Programs > Uninstall a program.
   • Select Microsoft Office or Microsoft 365, then choose Change.
   • Run Quick Repair first.
   • If that does not help, run Online Repair.
   • Warning: Online Repair reinstalls Office.
6. Open the file from inside Word.
   • Start Word first.
   • Select File > Open and browse to the document.
   • This can work when double-clicking a file does not.
7. If a specific document is damaged, try repair for that file.
   • In Word, select File > Open > Browse.
   • Select the file.
   • Select the arrow next to Open > Open and Repair.

If the issue only happens when double-clicking Word files in File Explorer, file association may be wrong. In that case:

• Open Control Panel > Programs > Default Programs.
• Under Set a default for a file type or link type, set Word document types to open with Word.

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References:

• Word cannot be opened - Microsoft Q&A
• Double-clicking an Office file fails to open it in the correct Office program
• Open a document after a file corruption error
• Word not opening - Microsoft Q&A

Answer 4

Exit all Office apps and Run a online repair. Check this below page by Microsoft for instructions:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/lifecycle/repair-an-office-application

First note that it include reinstallation so also verify that your Office license is associated with your account at https://account.microsoft.com/services .