"I have a document, but when I open it, Word tells me it is unable to read this document and suggests I use the text recovery converter. How do I use it?" As a built-in feature in Microsoft Word, most people don’t know what Text Recovery Converter is, not to mention how to use it and other related knowledge. Our guide will describe this feature and tell you how to use it to recover text from damaged or corrupted documents and files.

Part 1: What Text Recovery Converter Is

What is Text Recovery Converter in Microsoft Word for Mac/PC? It is a crucial feature built into Microsoft Word. It rescues text from damaged or corrupted documents and restores unreadable files to readable documents to minimize data loss. This feature may recover critical information even when things go wrong. This feature is particularly useful when:

A Word document crashes while saving it.

You see an error when opening a file.

The file opens in MS Word but displays unreadable content or blank pages.

Microsoft Word Text Recovery Converter primarily works for documents. It can extract text, but the formatting and tables may not be preserved perfectly. Furthermore, it works for non-document files, including HTML and more.

Keep in mind that this feature recovers only text but not images. However, it is still an essential step before trying other advanced file recovery tools.

Part 2: How to Recover Word with Text Recovery Converter

The method to open files with Text Recovery Converter is a little different, depending on the version of MS Word you are using. We demonstrate the procedure on Windows and Mac respectively below:

How to Open a File with Text Recovery Converter on PC

Step 1. Open MS Word on your desktop.

Step 2. Go to the File tab on the top ribbon.

Step 3. Locate and click the Open menu and choose Browse.

Step 4. When the File Explorer window appears, go to the folder that stores the corrupted file and select it.

Step 5. Click and expand the All Files option, scroll down and choose Recover Text from Any File.

Step 6. Next, hit the Open drop-down option and choose Open and Repair.

Step 7. Now, you can save and copy the text in your file.

How to Open a File with Text Recovery Converter on Mac

Step 1. Open the Word app from your Applications folder.

Step 2. Click the File menu and choose Open from the menu bar.

Step 3. Navigate to the location where the corrupted file is stored and select the file.

Step 4. Pull down the Open option and select Recover Text.

Step 5. Next, click on the Open button.

Step 6. When prompted, hit Yes on the alert dialog.

Part 3: More Options to Recover Documents Without Text Recovery Converter

As mentioned previously, the free built-in feature has several downsides. It is unavailable for all corrupted or damaged files. Moreover, it can only extract text from documents. That makes the success rate pretty low. We share more options to recover and repair your documents.

How to Recover a Document with Google Docs

Step 1. Access Google Drive in your browser or the desktop client.

Step 2. Sign in with your Google account.

Step 3. Click New and choose File Upload.

Step 4. Select the damaged document and click the Open button.

Step 5. After the file is uploaded, open it in Google Drive.

Step 6. Go to the File menu and choose Save as Google Docs.

Step 7. Next, click the File menu, choose Download, and pick Microsoft Word.

Step 8. Set a proper destination and download the file.

Step 9. Now, you can open it in MS Word and check if the online Text Recovery Converter alternative solution recovers it.

How to Recover a File Using Data Recovery

The free Text Recovery Converter can only fix files with basic damage. Moreover, it cannot recover images, forms, and tablets from your documents. Fortunately, there are a few data recovery tools. Apeaksoft Data Recovery, for example, can help you recover damaged files, documents, photos, videos, emails, and more.

How to Recover Files Without Text Recovery Converter

Step 1. Scan your files

Launch the best data recovery software after you install it on your PC, when Text Recovery Converter is unavailable. There is another version for Mac users. Go to the Hard Drive Recovery tab on the sidebar and select the target drive. If you need to recover documents from external drives, switch to the USB/SD Card Recovery tab. Click the Start Scan button to begin scanning your drive.

Step 2. Preview documents

When the quick scan finishes, the software will perform a deep scan automatically. Then, go to the Type List tab and select the desired file types, like Documents. You can also quickly locate specific files using the Filter tool. Preview the recoverable files and file information. For example, you can recover deleted videos with it.

Step 3. Recover files

At last, check the boxes next to the desired files and click the Recover button. Choose a proper destination folder and confirm it to save the documents to another location. When it is done, you can navigate to the location and open your files.

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