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In Word for Windows desktop, choose the encoding when you open a text file through the Encoded Text conversion prompt, or when you save a document as Plain Text. These are separate workflows. Word uses Unicode by default when saving if you do not choose an encoding.
Choose an encoding when opening a text file
Use this workflow for a non-Word text file that displays garbled characters. The controls below apply to Word for Microsoft 365, Word 2024, Word 2021, Word 2019 and Word 2016 on Windows desktop, as described in Microsoft’s text-encoding instructions.
- In Word, select File > Options > Advanced.
- Scroll to General and select Confirm file format conversion on open.
- Close the text file and reopen it. In the conversion prompt, select Encoded Text.
- In the File Conversion dialog, select Other encoding, then choose the encoding you believe the file uses.
- Check the preview. If the text is readable, continue opening the file. If not, try the encoding expected by the program that created it.
The confirmation setting can prompt for non-Word formats generally. Turn it off again in File > Options > Advanced > General if the extra prompt becomes intrusive.
If the preview still looks wrong
Do not assume every display problem is an encoding mismatch. Microsoft notes that a preview made up mostly of boxes or dots can mean the font needed to display the characters is not installed. Check the font as well as the selected encoding.
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Save a plain-text file with a chosen encoding
To export a Word document for another program, preserve an original copy first: plain-text conversion discards Word formatting and some document features.
- Select File > Save As.
- Set Save as type to Plain Text and save the file.
- In the File Conversion dialog, choose Windows (Default), MS-DOS or Other encoding, then select a specific standard if needed.
- Review the preview and any warning about unsupported characters before confirming.
Choose the encoding required by the receiving program rather than guessing. A narrower legacy encoding may not represent every character in a Unicode document. Word marks unsupported characters in red; allowing character substitution may use approximate alternatives, while characters with no equivalent can become question marks or other out-of-context characters.
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Line breaks for programs that do not wrap text
If the receiving program expects hard line breaks, Word’s conversion options let you insert them and choose CR, LF, or both. Check the receiving program’s expected line endings before saving.
What changes when you choose an encoding
Microsoft says Word saves as Unicode if you do not choose an encoding standard. Unicode accommodates characters used by most commonly used languages; a target program may nevertheless require a particular legacy encoding. The practical choice is compatibility with that program versus whether the chosen encoding can represent all the text.
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Encoded text is not a full-fidelity Word document. Text formatted in the Symbol font and field codes are removed, and plain text does not preserve the document’s layout or formatting. Microsoft’s encoding guide describes the conversion warnings and preview.
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The encoding-selection steps above are specifically documented for Windows desktop. Microsoft’s Word for Mac save guidance explains how to save as Plain Text (.txt) and warns that plain text does not reliably preserve formatting, layout or other document features. It does not document the same encoding-selection dialog, so the Windows menu steps should not be assumed to apply to Mac.
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The reviewed guidance does not establish an encoding-selection workflow in Word for the web. Microsoft explains that some formats and features are limited in the browser and recommends opening a file in the desktop app when a feature is unavailable. Use Word desktop for the documented encoding workflow; see Microsoft’s browser and desktop comparison.
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