Author:
Randy Alexander
Date Of Creation:
3 April 2021
Update Date:
26 June 2024
Content
This wikiHow teaches you how to corrupt a file so your Microsoft Word document cannot be opened.
Steps
Method 1 of 4: Use an online file corruption tool
.
- Click the menu Finder near the top left corner of the screen.
- Click Preferences (Custom).
- Click the card Advanced (Advanced). This option has a gear icon.
- Check the box "Show all filename extensions" (Show all file extensions)
- Click the red circle in the upper left corner to close the window.
Find files other than Word or text documents. You can start with a file that cannot be opened in Word, such as an image (.jpeg, .gif, .png) or a sound clip (like .wav, .mp3, .ogg). We will use this file to create a damaged dummy Word document.- Since you will damage the file, check it to make sure it is an unimportant document. You can also make a copy of the file before changing the extension if you want to keep the original file.
Click the file to select it, and then press ⏎ Return. Right-click the file and select Rename. The file name will be highlighted in blue, which you can edit.
Replace the existing extension with the tail .docx. If you are working with the file file.webp, replace the ".webp" extension with .docx.
Press ⏎ Return. A dialog box will appear for you to confirm your decision to change the file extension.
Click Use.docx (Use.docx). The file will be saved with the extension.docx. If you try to open the file in Word, an error message appears indicating that the file is damaged.
- If you want to hide file extensions in the Finder, go back Finder> Preferences> Advanced and uncheck the box "Show all filename extensions."
Warning
- Don't use a file you might need later, as corrupted files are often difficult to recover. Don't forget to create dummy files or use a copy of the original document.
- Use extreme caution if you want to corrupt the file in response to assignments sent over the internet at school or university. Schools are getting more strict with this trick, and some subjects can even give you zero points in the act of damaging the material. Read your school's rules for this matter carefully before you plan to proceed.
