When Word opens a text file and shows a File Conversion box, it’s asking which text encoding the file uses. If you pick the wrong one, accented letters, symbols, and non-English text turn into gibberish like Café or ’. To fix it, choose Other encoding, select Unicode (UTF-8), and check the Preview box until the text looks right, then click OK. UTF-8 is correct for most files made in the last decade. If you already opened the file with the wrong encoding, close it without saving and reopen it.
How to choose the right encoding when opening a file
- Open the file in Word. When the File Conversion dialog appears, look at the Preview.
- If the text looks wrong, select Other encoding.
- Choose Unicode (UTF-8) from the list. Check the preview again.
- If it still looks wrong, try Western European (Windows), Unicode, or the language the file was written in, such as Cyrillic (Windows) or Japanese (Shift-JIS).
- Click OK when the preview is readable.
Fix a file that already opened with garbled text
- Close the document without saving. Saving locks in the broken characters.
- In Word, go to File > Options > Advanced.
- Scroll to General and check Confirm file format conversion on open. Click OK.
- Go to File > Open > Browse, select the file, and click Open.
- If Word asks which converter to use, choose Encoded Text. Then pick the right encoding as shown above.
With that option on, Word always asks how to open non-Word files, so you can pick the encoding every time.
Choose the encoding when saving a text file
- Go to File > Save As > Browse.
- In Save as type, choose Plain Text (*.txt) and click Save.
- In the File Conversion dialog, choose Other encoding > Unicode (UTF-8). Check Allow character substitution only if you’re saving in an older encoding that can’t hold every character.
- Click OK.
Saving as UTF-8 keeps accents, emoji, and non-English text intact when you open the file in other apps or share it.
Common garbled text and what it means
| You see | Should be | Try |
|---|---|---|
| Café, résumé | Café, résumé | Unicode (UTF-8) |
| ’ or “ | ’ or “ (curly quotes) | Unicode (UTF-8) |
| Squares or question marks | Symbols or another language | The file’s language encoding, or a font that supports it |
| Spaces between every letter | Normal text | Unicode (UTF-16) |
If the text is readable but shows boxes
Boxes can also mean the font doesn’t include those characters, even with the right encoding. Select the text and change the font to one with wide language support, like Segoe UI, Arial, or Microsoft YaHei for Chinese.
Frequently asked questions
Why does Word keep showing the File Conversion box?
It appears when you open plain text files, or all non-Word files if Confirm file format conversion on open is turned on. Turn that option off in File > Options > Advanced if you don’t need it.
Which encoding should I use?
Unicode (UTF-8) works for almost everything and is the standard on the web and in most apps.
Can I fix encoding in a .docx file?
Word documents store text in Unicode, so encoding problems usually come from text pasted in from somewhere else. Re-copy the text from the original source, or open the original file with the correct encoding.
Does this work on a Mac?
Yes. Word for Mac shows a similar File Conversion dialog. To force it, go to Word > Preferences > General and select Confirm file format conversion on open.
Kermit Matthews is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with more than a decade of experience writing technology guides. He has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Computer Science and has spent much of his professional career in IT management.
He specializes in writing content about iPhones, Android devices, Microsoft Office, and many other popular applications and devices.