Word found unreadable content in …. Do you want to recover the contents of this document?Word (.docx)
The file … cannot be opened because there are problems with the contents.Word (.docx)
Excel cannot open the file because the file format or file extension is not valid.Excel (.xlsx)
We found a problem with some content in …. Do you want us to try to recover as much as we can?Excel (.xlsx)
PowerPoint found a problem with content in …. PowerPoint can attempt to repair the presentation.PowerPoint (.pptx)
Recovered .docx from a USB drive or data-recovery tool won't openWord (.docx)
Document opens blank (or with garbled characters) after a crash or forced shutdownWord (.docx)
Attachment arrives corrupted / won't open after being emailedAny Office file
How to recover text from a corrupted .docx (free methods first)Word (.docx)
Word experienced an error trying to open the file.Word (.docx)
We're sorry. We can't open [file] because we found a problem with its contents. Details: Unspecified error — Location: Part: /word/document.xml, Line: 0, Column: 0 (also Line: 2)Word (.docx)
The Office Open XML file cannot be opened because there are problems with the contents. Details: The name in the end tag of the element must match the element type in the start tag. (Sibling detail messages: "XML parsing error", "An XML declaration is only allowed at the start of the document" — Location: Part: /word/document.xml, Line: X, Column: Y)Word (.docx)
Document opens but displays random symbols, squares, or gibberish characters instead of textWord (.docx)
[Compatibility Mode] in the title bar — features greyed out, formatting shifts, document won't save as a normal .docxWord (.docx)
A .docx downloaded from Google Docs/Drive fails in Word: "The Open XML file cannot be opened because there are problems with the contents" or "Word experienced an error"Word (.docx)
A .docx exported from Apple Pages (or Scrivener/another Mac app) won't open in Word — "can't be opened", "problems with the contents", or Word reports the file is damagedWord (.docx)
Word crashes or freezes when accepting tracked changes, opening the Reviewing Pane, or opening a heavily-revised documentWord (.docx)
Mail merge documents corrupting: "Word found unreadable content" every time the merged file reopens, Word crashes opening the merge main document, or "Word was unable to open the data source"Word (.docx)
We found a problem with some content in 'filename.xlsx'. Do you want us to try to recover as much as we can? If you trust the source of this workbook, click Yes.Excel (.xlsx)
Excel was able to open the file by repairing or removing the unreadable content. Removed Records: Formula from /xl/calcChain.xml part (Calculation properties) / Repaired Records: Cell information from /xl/worksheets/sheet1.xml partExcel (.xlsx)
Removed Part: /xl/pivotTables/pivotTable1.xml part with XML error / Removed Part: /xl/pivotCache/pivotCacheDefinition1.xml — PivotTables stripped after Excel repairs the fileExcel (.xlsx)
Removed Part: /xl/vbaProject.bin part. (Visual Basic for Applications (VBA)) — macros vanished from a macro-enabled workbookExcel (.xlsx)
Errors were detected while saving 'filename.xlsx'. Microsoft Excel may be able to save the file by removing or repairing some features. To make the repairs in a new file, click Continue.Excel (.xlsx)
'filename.xlsx' is locked for editing by 'another user'. Open 'Read-Only', or click 'Notify' — when nobody actually has the file openExcel (.xlsx)
Saved as CSV and lost everything — other sheets gone, formulas turned to values, leading zeros stripped, long numbers showing as 1.23457E+12Excel (.xlsx)
Excel says 'we found a problem with some content' / 'unreadable content' when opening a file downloaded from Google Sheets; charts or formulas removed after repairExcel (.xlsx)
Excel file shows 0 KB / zero bytes after a crash, power loss, or interrupted transfer and won't openExcel (.xlsx)
PowerPoint found unreadable content in Presentation.pptx. PowerPoint can attempt to repair the presentation. If you trust the source of this presentation, click Repair.PowerPoint (.pptx)
PowerPoint couldn't read some of the content in .pptx — repaired and removed it.PowerPoint (.pptx)
Part of the file is missing. / The presentation cannot be opened because a part is missing or invalid.PowerPoint (.pptx)
This program was not created in PowerPoint and cannot be opened. (also: PowerPoint found a problem with content — repair prompt on a Keynote export)PowerPoint (.pptx)
PowerPoint found a problem with content in .pptx (on a file downloaded from Google Slides) / Cannot open pptx downloaded from Google SlidesPowerPoint (.pptx)
The image part with relationship ID rId2 was not found in the file.PowerPoint (.pptx)
One specific presentation half-loads then PowerPoint hangs, shows 'Not Responding', or crashes — every other file opens fine.PowerPoint (.pptx)
The 'AutoRecovery save of .pptx' produced after a crash won't open, demands a repair, or crashes PowerPoint when repairing.PowerPoint (.pptx)
A document stored in OneDrive or SharePoint suddenly won't open after syncing — Office reports unreadable content or "the file is corrupt and cannot be opened", even though it worked yesterdayAny Office file
A file in OneDrive shows 0 KB / "0 bytes" — the document was overwritten with an empty file during sync, or Explorer suddenly lists a document as 0 bytes and it won't openAny Office file
Dropbox created a "(conflicted copy)" of your document, or a file saved in Dropbox now opens corrupted / won't open at all in Word or ExcelAny Office file
"The Open XML file [name].docx cannot be opened because there are problems with the contents or the file name might contain invalid characters" — or "Word experienced an error trying to open the file" — on a document downloaded from Google Drive or exported from Google DocsWord (.docx)
After a blue screen, forced shutdown, or power cut, a file keeps its normal size but won't open — and Notepad/Notepad++ shows it's full of NUL characters (zeros) or blank squares instead of contentAny Office file
Documents copied from an SD card or Android phone to a PC won't open — Word/Excel report the files are corrupted, or files that were fine on the phone are unreadable after the transferAny Office file
"Word cannot start the converter mswrd632.wpc" or "Cannot load Word for Windows 6.0 files" when opening an old .doc file — typically one dug out of a 2000s-era backup CD, ZIP disk, or old hard driveWord (.docx)
A Word document opens as random symbols and gibberish characters — or Word pops up "File Conversion: select the encoding that makes your document readable" and NO encoding in the list makes it readableWord (.docx)
A document received through WhatsApp or Telegram won't open — "Can't open file", a corrupt-file error in Word/Acrobat, or Telegram's "File download could not be completed"Any Office file