An integrated threat protection solution designed to detect, investigate, and respond to cyber threats across Microsoft 365 services.
Try these steps in order:
- Unblock the file
- Right-click the Word file on the desktop and select Properties.
- If there is an Unblock button, select it, then select OK.
- Try opening the file again.
- If this affects multiple files, use a trusted location
- Move the affected Word files into one folder.
- Open Word.
- In Word 2010: File > Options.
- In Word 2007: Office button > Word Options.
- Select Trust Center > Trust Center Settings.
- Select Trusted Locations > Add new location.
- Choose the folder that contains the files, then select OK twice.
- Try opening the file again.
- Repair Office file associations
- Select Start.
- Type Control Panel and open it.
- Go to Programs > Programs and Features.
- Select the Office product, then select Change.
- Select Quick Repair > Repair.
- If the file still does not open correctly, manually associate the file type with Word:
- In Control Panel, go to Programs > Default Programs.
- Under Set a default for a file type or link type, enter the Word file type and set Word as the default app.
- Open Word first, then open the file from inside Word
- Start Word.
- Select File > Open.
- Browse to the desktop file and open it.
- If Office was upgraded from Windows 7 to Windows 10 and this is Office 2013
- Open a Word 2013 app.
- Go to File > Account > Update Options > Update Now.
- After the update, Office should be version 15.0.4745.1002 or later.
- If the file has restricted permissions
- Open the document normally in Microsoft 365.
- If access is denied, the account being used may not have permission to open it.
- If the file uses an information protection policy that the installed Office version does not support, update Office to the latest version or open the file using Office for web.
- How to resolve the problem "Word experienced an error trying to open the file" when opening a Word 2007/2010 file (Easy Fix Article)
- Double-clicking an Office file fails to open it in the correct Office program
- Errors opening Office files after upgrading from Windows 7 to Windows 10
- Open a file that has restricted permissions