05.04.2020

Opening Old Microsoft Word Files Mac

Apr 01,2020 • Filed to: Solve Mac Problems • Proven solutions

Open XML Format. When you create a document or template in Word, Word automatically saves the document or template in the Open XML Format. This file format differs from the format used by Word 2004 for Mac or earlier and Word 2003 for Windows or earlier. I had a similar failure with some very old (circa 1996) Microsoft Word files. Normally, older Word files directly open in the latest version of Word. However, as with my very old AppleWorks files. Opening legacy docs in MS Word Authored by: ascanio on Jan 03, '12 11:29:17PM You had interspersed and deleted text in the file because it was saved with the 'fast save' option (usually default at the time). Microsoft's Conversion Options. Microsoft offers users of older versions of Word three options to enable them to open, view, edit and save DOCX files. Feb 21, 2020 Microsoft Word cannot be opened because of a problem. Check with the developer to make sure Microsoft Word works with this version of Mac OS X; As Microsoft Word is widely used among people, owning some basic Word troubleshooting is recognized as an essential skill. Today you're going to learn three tricks in solving Word not opening on Mac.

“I was trying to use MS Word but it crashed unexpectedly. Now my Microsoft Word will not open on my Mac and I don’t know what to do. I keep on trying to open different files but every time it crashes after a few seconds. How can i fix it?”

Just like any other software program, MS Word is also susceptible to issues. You will find unlimited queries on forum sites asking “why won’t my Word document open on my Mac”. Most of the people have no idea why their Microsoft Word stopped working randomly. If you are also facing a similar situation, then you will have to look for an appropriate solution that can fix this issue.

This article describes how to prevent files from automatically opening when you start Microsoft Excel. More information. When you start Excel, all the files that are located in the XLStart folder are automatically opened. Open files from the File menu. 365 Word for Office 365 PowerPoint for Office 365 Publisher for Office 365 Access for Office 365 Excel for Office 365 for Mac Word for Office 365 for Mac PowerPoint for Office 365 for Mac. Do this: Select File Options Save, and then select the Don’t show the Backstage when opening or saving files.

In this article, we are going to discuss the potential fixes that can resolve the Microsoft Word not working issue.

Part 1. Why Won’t Microsoft Word Open on Mac Computer?

As the MS Word is a widely used program, a malfunction could get tragic real soon. Before you get to solutions, it is essential that you go through the reasons of this problem first. The common causes of these issues are.

  • Inappropriate Shutdown or system crash
  • Shift + Delete and the file is deleted permanently from the device.
  • Formatted drives
  • Damaged and corrupted files
  • Virus or malware attack

Unless you have a brief idea about what caused the problem, you won’t be able to steer away from the common errors. The user's listed common symptoms that lead to the ”word won’t open on my Mac” issue are given below:

  • The application keeps closing without any warning.
  • MS Word encounters an unknown issue and needs to close.
  • Erase, Install, or re-install factory version of OS X
  • MS Word file can’t open due to an error.
Related: Further read and get 8 specific solutions to 'Word Keeps Crashing Mac'.

When you face a situation like this, don’t pain and look for solutions on the internet. If you are lucky, then you’ll come across real fixes soon. Otherwise, you might have to struggle to find an ideal fix.

Freeze the top row. On the View tab, click Freeze Top Row. When you do this, the border under row 1 is a little darker than other borders. Freeze the first column. Freeze the top row and the first column. Freeze as many rows or columns as you want. Unfreeze rows or columns. Microsoft excel for mac os. Dec 06, 2010  If you find yourself asking “How do I freeze panes in Excel 2008 for the Mac?” and can’t freeze panes because the option is gray / greyed-out, ghosted, or whatever you call it, here’s your answer: Use “Normal” view, not “Page Layout” and Freeze Panes will work fine. (Use the “View” menu.) P.S.

Part 2. How to Fix 'Microsoft Word Not Opening Mac'?

Opening Old Microsoft Word Files Mac Free

With so many versions and updates on MS Word, it can get hard to simplify the solutions that would work for all versions. But, here is a summarized list of solutions that can work when Microsoft Word is not opening on Mac. All these methods are useful and easy to carry out. So, give them a try one by one.

Solution 1. Remove Word Preferences to Open Frozen Word

Sometimes, it is the random words combination or special characters that lead to such issues. It can be resolved if you follow the steps below.

  1. Open library and type Library in the Go to the Folder and hit the Go button.
  2. Look for a folder which says “Preferences”. This folder contains the preferences file you set for the MS Word program.
  3. Open the folder, search for a file named- 'com.microsoft.Word.plist' and move the file to the desktop. Now, try opening the Word file and see if the problem still persists. If it does, then move the file to its original location and move on to the next step.
  4. Exit every Microsoft program running on your Mac and click on the Word option in the Apple Menu. Tap on the “Preferences” option from the list.
  5. Choose the File Locations option and select the “User templates”.
  6. Locate the file which saved as Normal and moves it to the desktop.

Solution 2. Open and Repair Microsoft Word

Everyone knows how to open Microsoft Word on Mac but we are not talking about just opening and closing the files. You can also repair the MS Word files with the following steps.

  1. Start MS Word and click on the File menu. Choose the Open option and it will open up a dialog box where you can select the Word file which needs repair.
  2. While you are selecting the file, at the right bottom side of the window, choose the Repair option and click on the Ok button.

The Mac utility will automatically repair the not opening Word file and you will be able to use it now.

Solution 3. Run Disk Utility to Repair Word

Besides the above methods fail, you can also run the Disk Utility to repair the Word file if the Microsoft Word is not opening on your Mac computer.

  1. Inside the Go menu, choose the Utilities option and start the Disk Utility program.
  2. Make sure that you choose the Primary hard disk of your Mac and then click on the “First Aid” tab.
  3. You will get a pop-up option which asks you to run First Aid on the drive. Hit the Run option and the Disk Utility will repair the Disk volume errors and permissions issues.

When the process finishes, click on “Done” and check whether the problem is fixed or not. There are maximum chances that the problem will be resolved. But if MS Word is still not responding correctly to commands, then there is one 100% guaranteed solution left to recover your Word Documents.

Solution 4. Recover Not Opening Word Files on Mac

Download Microsoft Word For Mac

While you are trying to repair the drive and Word files, it is common that the solutions don’t work as expected and the files get deleted from Mac. Here is the perfect solution if getting stuck in such circumstances without any recovery option.

The best tool available for Word file recovery on the internet is Recoverit Word Recovery software. This software is capable of recovering various kinds of deleted or lost data. For example, Word documents, PowerPoint, Excel files, PDF, photos, videos, songs, audios, and many more. It is a faster, easier, and 100% secure data recovery tool with the highest recovery rate in the market.

Watch the Video for Mac DOC Files Recovery

Now, let's have a look at the simple steps on Word document recovery. You only need to launch the Word file recovery software and do a few clicks.

Step 1: Select a location storing the Word file

To recover the not opening document caused by accidental deletion, you need to select the drive where the data files are lost. Then, click the 'Start' button.

Step 2: Scan the Word location for files

Typically, the software will run an all-around scan and search for the lost and deleted files on the entire drive. If you perform an emptied trash recovery or HFS+ data rescue, you can even try the deep scan mode.

Step 3: Preview and recover Word documents

Opening Old Microsoft Word Files Mac Download

When the scan completes, the files will be listed on the screen. The software will sort out the files according to format to make the search easier. You can select multiple files at a time and have a preview at them.

Part 3. Tips Against 'Microsoft Word Won't Open on Mac'

If you don’t want to go through this problem, then you should have to take care of a few things. This way, you will be successful in avoiding the Microsoft Word won't open on Mac issue in the future. So, here are some tips that you need to follow:

  • Avoid relying on automated tools to clean up the cache or redundant files on your Mac. These tools often end up deleting the important files on the device.
  • In case you use the Command Line to delete a file, be careful as a single mistake can lead to bigger issues.
  • Never format a drive before creating a backup otherwise you might end up losing important files.
  • Stay focused while partitioning the drives on your Mac. Improper partitioning can lead to corruption of data files stored on the drive.
  • Avoid rushing commands on the MS Word. If you pass on multiple commands at once, then Word might get confused and the file might become inaccessible due to some random mistake.

Even a little mishandling can lead to major working issues in MS Word. So, instead of worrying about how you can rescue the data, try keeping the data safe on the first hand.

Now you know how to open Word on Mac along with the process of repair. And if you are facing a dilemma and the want to recover Word files, then you can always think of using Recoverit Data recovery software.

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Mar 18,2020 • Filed to: Recover & Repair Files • Proven solutions

Time and again, we come across the WPS file while working on the Windows Operating System. However, not many of us are aware of what these files really are. There are many users who have associated themselves with the Windows Operating System for long without caring to garner any knowledge about the WPS file. In the given article, we shall discuss all the possible methods that can prove to be useful when it comes to accessing a WPS file in Microsoft Word. For the ones who are lacking knowledge about the WPS file, we shall first try and understand what the WPS file really is. Following which, we shall list out the methodologies that can prove to be useful when it comes to opening the WPS file in Microsoft Word.

Part 1 What is the WPS File?

To begin with, one needs to understand that the WPS file format is quite similar to the DOC format. However, while being a text document, it is created with the Microsoft Works Word Processor, and doesn’t come with the advanced formatting options and macros that are otherwise included in the Word document. Users should note that while most versions of Microsoft Word can open a WPS file along with Microsoft Publisher, but the format has been discontinued since 2006, and further replaced with the standard MS Word DOC format.

So, what is the use of WPS file then? Users must note that the WPS file format is used by Microsoft Works Word Processor Files. The files with the WPS extension contain word processing documents that have been created by the Microsoft Works Software suite. While containing richly formatted text along with images, the WPS file format also includes clipart and tables. There is the inclusion of a C++ library, which is called ‘libwps’ and it allows reading and writing of WPS documents. The library also allows for the functioning of applications that include ‘OxygenOffice’ and ‘NeoOffice’ that allow for the opening and editing of a WPS file.

Part 2 How do I open the WPS File in Word?

For the users looking to access their WPS file in Word, the methodologies have been discussed in this section. In order to assist users, Microsoft offers a free file which is named as ‘WorksConv.exe’ and is compatible with Microsoft Word 2000 and later variants. This helps you access all the WPS file formats, which Microsoft Works 6.0-9.0 documents. For the ones who are looking to access a primitive version of the WPS file, which could include a WPS file that has been created with Microsoft Works 4.0 or 4.5, there is another free file being offered by Microsoft called the ‘Wks4Converter_en-US.msi’ file which has ease of compatibility with Microsoft Word 2000 or later.

We recommend that users install both the above listed files if they are looking to open a WPS file in Microsoft Word. However, an additional note for our users which is that Microsoft Word 2013 is capable of opening Microsoft Works 6.0 to 9.0. However, the default feature in Word 2013 doesn’t mean that one doesn’t have to download and install the ‘Wks4Converter_en_US.msi’ file, especially if they are looking to open Microsoft Works 4.0 or 4.5 documents.

So, here are the steps to access a WPS file in Word:

1) Ensure that above listed files have been downloaded;

2) Start the process by closing all the Microsoft Word Windows that were previously opened;

3) You are now required to double-click the ‘WorksConv.exe’ file and follow the prompts in order to complete the installation. Similarly, double-tap the ‘Wks4Converter_en-US.msi’ file, and following its prompts, complete its installation too.

4) Once both the files have been downloaded with the help of prompts, you can open Microsoft Word in order to open the WPS file.

5) Once you are within the MS-Word interface, tap ‘File’, and then tap on ‘Open’. If you do not come across a File Menu, click the Microsoft Office button that appears in the top left of the Word Window, and then tap on Open.

6) Please note that the users working on Word 2013 are required to select ‘Computer’, followed by ‘Browse’ after starting by clicking on the ‘Open’ option.

7) Once you have accessed the Open Window, within the ‘File of Type’ drop down menu, or the unlabeled drop-down menu that appears next to the File name text field, you should come across multiple options; ‘Works 4.x (.wps), ‘Works 6-9 Document (.wps), or ‘Works 6.0 (.wps).

8) Users are then required to choose the file version which they are trying to open in Word. For the ones who aren’t really sure of the version of their WPS file, it’s best to go for ‘Works 6-9 Document (.wps) option.

9 )The final step includes browsing to the location of the WPS file you are looking to open, selecting the file, and tapping the ‘Open’ button.

While users can successfully open the WPS file, there is also the option to save all the hassle by simply converting the opened WPS file into a Word File. The steps for the same have been listed below.

1) Once the WPS file has been opened and modified; simply click File and tap ‘Save As’. For the ones who do not come across a File Menu, you can tap the ‘Microsoft Office Button’ that appears in the top left of the Word Window, and then tap on ‘Save As’.

2) Once you have accessed the ‘Save As’ window, choose the location where you wish to save the file.

3) Rename the file as per your choice, and while saving the WPS file, make sure to select ‘Microsoft Word (.doc) format from the drop-down menu.

4) Tap on ‘OK’ or ‘Save’ when you are done with the saving.

Accessing a WPS file in Word is not difficult if one has the correct methodology to follow. Once the required files have been installed, you can repeatedly open your WPS file in Word without any hassle. However, if you are looking to open the WPS file in different locations or systems, we recommend that you go for conversion of the WPS file to Word file using the above steps.

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