3 Ways to Fix “The File is Corrupted and Cannot be Opened”

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5 years ago

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Summary: This article includes the best ways to solve the file is corrupted and cannot be opened error and the free data recovery software–Bitwar Data Recovery Software to recover lost documents.

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Those who use Microsoft Word or Excel are very familiar with “The File is Corrupted and cannot be opened” error. This is a prevalent error with Microsoft Office files; it usually occurs if you try to open an old data with the brand new updated version of MS Office.

Like you have saved an MS Word file with Word 2007, and recently you have updated your MS Office to version 2016. Now, if you try to open that existing file with the new Office 2016, you may face the said error.

Unfortunately, this is a prevalent and challenging issue to deal with; numerous users have reported such matters to the Microsoft forums after updating their MS Office and asked for help, online.

Don’t Miss: 4 Efficient Ways to Recover Unsaved Word Document Without Obstacles

Table of Contents

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Part 1: General Solutions to Fix “The File is Corrupted and Cannot Be Opened” error

If you happened to encounter such an error, don’t be scared. The appearance of “The File is corrupted and cannot be opened” error message does not mean that the said file is corrupted or damaged in any way.

Mostly, it means that the particular file is just inaccessible due to the change of settings with Microsoft Office. So, there are a few possible ways you can fix this issue with your Office files. Have a look below!

Method 1: Change the Settings of the Protected View

Well, the very first method you can try to fix “The File is Corrupted and cannot be Opened” error, is to make changes in the settings of the Protected View. The procedure is straightforward and a high chance that this procedure will work in your favour.

Step 1: Open the Microsoft Office file in question. It can be a Word file or an Excel file or even a PowerPoint application.

Step 2: Now, look for the File menu and click on Options.

Step 3: In the Options window, click on the last tab called Trust Center.

Step 4: Now, go to the Trust Center Settings, and new windows will appear.

Step 5: In the new windows, select the Protected View option.

Step 6: After that, uncheck all the available options and click OK.

Step 7: Finally, restart the application.

Possibly, you will be able to access the said Microsoft Office file, now.

Method 2: Change the Component Security Settings to Default

Another option is to change the settings of the Component Services back to default. It is also a straightforward procedure to fix this Microsoft Office issue, so please read the steps below:

Step 1: Press Win logo key + R and then type dcomcnfg to launch Component Service.

Step 2: After opening the window, navigate to Console Root and then expand Component Services and also expand My Computer. Then, make a right-click on My Computer and click on Properties.

Step 3: In the Properties tab, click on Default Properties.

Step 4: There, you need to set the Default Authentication Level to Connect and Default Impersonation Level to Identify.

Step 5: Lastly, click OK to confirm the changes.

This is another way of fixing “The File is Corrupted and cannot be opened” error.

Method 3: Unlock the Word or Excel File

If you have received the error prompt “The File is Corrupted and cannot be Opened”, you can try to unlock the Word or Excel file.

Step 1: Locate your Word or Excel file with said error.

Step2: Right-click on it and choose Properties.

Step 3: Look for the Unlock button in the General Tab. Click on it to unlock the file.

You can now check whether the said error is persisted or not.

Part 2: Recover Microsoft Office Files using Bitwar Data Recovery

Sadly, it is possible that any of the corrupted or damaged Word & Excel file can be fixed within the above methods, however, if your word document or Excel spreadsheet was lost due to accidental deletion, disk formatting or any other possible reasons, please use Bitwar Data Recovery Software to restore the document files.

The software has a straightforward and user-friendly interface that provides easy recovery steps that help users to get back the deleted/formatted Word, Excel, PowerPoint, RTF, Text, and any other office document files.

Follow the steps below to retrieve Microsoft Office Files from Mac or Window:

Step 1: Download and install Bitwar Data Recovery on your disk, after installation, launch it.

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Step 2: Now, as for the location of the Office file, you have to Choose the Partition where it is located. Then, click Next.

Step 3: Then, choose the Quick Scan option and hit Next to proceed.

Step 4: Now, you have to select the File Types. You will have several options like photos, documents, audio, video, etc. But you need to choose Document to proceed.

Step 5: A list of the found files will appear, and you have to make double-click or either turn to the Preview tab to have a good look at the needed data.

Step 6: Lastly, click on the Recover button below to retrieve the files.

Remember these steps: Select the partition > Choose a scan mode > Select the file types you want to recover > Scan and Preview. After that, recover to the drive that doesn’t contain your lost files. These steps can help you get back most of the data, not only document data but also photos, videos, audios, archive files, emails, etc.

Go and Fix it Now!

Although it is a prevalent MS Office error, it disturbs the users pretty devastatingly. The detailed procedures are beneficial to fix the internal settings of the file and revert it to a working condition. However, whenever the error occurs, apply the methods above to fix “The File is Corrupted and Cannot Be Opened” error.

Besides, if you have any data lost due to mistaken operations, try to use Bitwar Data Recovery Software to get back those needed files to prevent permanent data loss.