office 2013 cannot open word files

Anonymous
2012-10-30T04:49:26+00:00

I have upgraded from windows 7 to windows 8 and now I am unable to open .doc files with word 2013 preview. I have uninstalled and installed again but have yet to figure it out.Any help would be great.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For home | Windows

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

0 comments
Answer accepted by question author
Anonymous
2013-01-30T11:53:31+00:00

Hi Anee,

Thank you for posting in Microsoft Community. As per the issue description you are unable to open only.DOC file from Word 2013.

I would need more information to assist you with the issue:

  1. Are you able to open files saved in .DOCX format?
  2. The files that you are unable to open, are these files created on the system or did you download these files from internet or emails?

Follow the steps mentioned below and check if it helps:

·         Open Word document.

·         Click on File< Options< Trust Center< Trust Center Settings< Protected View

·         Under Protected View group uncheck all the three options.

·         Click Ok twice. Close and open any Word document and check if it works fine.

I hope the above suggestion helps. If you need further assistance on this particular issue or any other Office related issues let us know and we will be glad to assist you.

Thank you.

Was this answer helpful?

0 comments

55 additional answers

Sort by: Newest
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Anonymous
    2014-03-04T10:24:20+00:00

    In addition I would be *very* happy if the error messages were meaningful. In the case of files blocked because they come from the Internet, I would *really* like a message such as "file has been blocked because it has been downloaded from internet; if you think the file is safe, unblock it by ...."instead of "try to use the text repair utility". This also applies to many microsoft products, where most messages would be more simply said "it does not work, you probably made an error" with the same level of information. I'm thinking among others about Internet Explorer when it cannot open a page.

    Wish you a happy day anyway :-)

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  2. Doug Robbins - MVP - Office Apps and Services 323.6K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2014-02-12T22:58:10+00:00

    If you send me one of the problem files, I will investigate the issue.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  3. Anonymous
    2014-02-12T17:58:26+00:00

    Hello everyone!

    I'm having the same problem. I can't open doc files with Office 2013 (I can open docx files tho) and I have the same issue with Excel...

    I tried everything, disable protected view, managing reliable locations, running on safe mode to see if there is a problem with add-ins, file block settings, etc, etc, etc. Nothing works.

    I still get the same dialog box "the file is blocked by the author" and then "the file may be damaged" or something like that with EVERY single "doc" and "xls" files regardless of the location or origin.

    What can I do??

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  4. Suzanne S Barnhill 279.4K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2013-09-23T03:35:46+00:00

    Opening Word in Safe Mode is just a diagnostic to establish that the problem is with the Normal template, the Registry, the printer driver, or add-ins. Since add-ins are the most common cause of problems, Anula has told you how to deal with these. If Word works without the add-ins, then you can add them back one at a time till you find the one that causes the problem.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments