wbk files, open them one at a time until you find the one you’re looking for, and save it right away. The name of the file may be unfamiliar, since it’s automatically generated by Word. If you don’t find the backup file listed that way, alternatively search for *.wbk Word Backup files. The backup file usually has the name “Backup of” followed by the name of the missing file. Click the backup file, and then click Open. Then navigate to the folder where you last saved the missing file. In the Files of type list (All Word documents), click All Files. Instructions for older versions of Word can be found in Microsoft’s documentation.Īfter you’ve started Word 2016, first click File > Open. Here’s a demonstration of how to search for Word’s backup files in Microsoft Word 2016. If you can’t even find the file, you may be able to find backup files that Word has saved. In the Open dialog box, click to highlight your Word document.Ĭlick the arrow on the Open button, and then click Open and Repair. If the above option doesn’t work, Microsoft has another way to try to force Word to try to repair a file. In Word, click File on the Ribbon, and then click Open.

Sometimes the file may be corrupted beyond repair, and even if the text can be repaired, you may lose formatting.

From here, you’ll need to navigate to the file you’re trying to open. When you get to the file, select the “Recover Text from Any File (*.*)” file type from the dropdown menu.Ĭlick Open, and with a little luck, Word will recover your text.

How to repair microsoft word 2016