Blank word document on iphone

Question

Blank word document on iphone

Sam G 0

I recently opened a document on my Iphone, only to find it blank. I am able to use the read aloud function in Word on my phone with the blank document. When I open the same document on my computer, I can see everything. How can I fix this?

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Answer 1

Norah-L 10,660 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hello Sam G,

Since Read Aloud can still read the document and the content appears normally on your computer, the text has probably not been deleted. Word on the iPhone seems to be having trouble displaying that particular document.

Please try the options below and check whether the issue continues:

In Word on the iPhone, switch between Mobile View and Print Layout. Tap the Mobile icon near the top of the document to change views.
Check the file type on your computer. If it is an older .doc, .odt, or macro-enabled .docm file, save a new copy as a standard .docx file, then open that copy on the iPhone.
Close Word completely, reopen it, and open the document again from OneDrive or the Files app rather than from the Recent list.
Update Microsoft Word from the App Store and restart the iPhone.

If the document is still blank, sign out of Word and sign back in. As a final step, reinstall Word, but first make sure the document is safely stored on your computer or in OneDrive.

Please let me know how it goes after trying these steps, and I'll be glad to continue looking into it with you.

Norah-L 10,660 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-09-16T08:16:15.5666667+00:00

Hi Sam G,

Just checking in to see if you’ve had a chance to try the suggested steps.

Please feel free to share any updates.
Sam G 0 Reputation points

2026-09-16T19:48:53.3166667+00:00

I have tried all of the suggestions and nothing is working. I have found that it only affects documents I have written on my computer while, other documents that I have copied from somewhere else show up.
Norah-L 10,660 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-09-17T06:17:55.46+00:00

Dear Sam G,

Thank you for the update. Since this only affects documents created on your computer, the issue may be related to the formatting or document template being used there.

As a test, please create a new blank document on the computer, type a short sentence using a standard font such as Arial or Calibri, and save it as a new .docx file. Then open that test file on your iPhone.

Please also let me know whether the computer is running Windows or macOS, which version of Word you are using, and whether the affected documents were created from a blank document or a particular template. This will help narrow down whether the issue is connected to Word’s default template or to specific formatting.