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WORD-CONTENTS-PROBLEM

Word Word Found a Problem With the Contents Applies to: Windows 7, Windows 10, Windows 11

What it means

Word's XML parser hit something it couldn't read inside the document's internal structure — usually corruption from an interrupted save or a bad conversion between formats.

Also seen as: We found a problem with some content in [filename], the file could not be opened because there are problems with the contents

Quick fix steps

  1. Let Word attempt automatic repair when prompted.
  2. Try File > Open > "Open and Repair" if the automatic prompt doesn't appear or doesn't fully fix it.
  3. Check for an earlier version via OneDrive/SharePoint version history or an AutoRecover copy before the corruption happened.
For the full step-by-step walkthrough, see Word Document Won't Open or Is Corrupted.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I always click "Yes" to try to recover when Word asks?
Yes, it's worth trying, since Word's automatic recovery attempt doesn't make anything worse — if it can't recover the content, you're no worse off than before.
Does this mean I should stop trusting this file going forward?
If a file repeatedly develops this issue, it's worth investigating why (a problematic sync setup, a failing drive) rather than just repairing it each time — but a one-time occurrence isn't necessarily a sign of an ongoing problem.

Other error codes

WORD-UNREADABLE-CONTENT — Word Found Unreadable Content

Word detected some form of corruption in the document when opening it.

WORD-NOT-RESPONDING — Microsoft Word Has Stopped Working / Not Responding

Word crashed or froze completely, usually tied to a specific add-in, a corrupted template, or a very large/complex document — though it can also just be a long operation (a big mail merge, a macro, repagination on a huge document) still genuinely running.

WORD-COMMAND-SEND-PROBLEM — There Was a Problem Sending the Command to the Program

Windows tried to open a Word file through another program (like double-clicking an email attachment) and Word didn't respond in time — often a leftover invisible Word process.

WORD-LOCKED-FOR-EDITING — User Does Not Have Access Privileges / File Locked

Word believes someone else already has the file open, or your account doesn't have write permission on it.