# "Windows Cannot Open This File...." **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 30, 2009, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-cannot-open-this-file/515753 "2009-10-30T18:21:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-cannot-open-this-file/515753/1 "2009-10-30T18:21:20Z")
I just now tried to access some important saved (I thought) files and I got this message, so I clicked on Web Search, but got no results. It is an “RTF” file. Any ideas how I can recover these? Thanks Quasi ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-cannot-open-this-file/515753/2 "2009-10-30T18:28:28Z")
> [@Quasimodem](#): > > I just now tried to access some important saved (I thought) files and I got this message, so I clicked on Web Search, but got no results. It is an “RTF” file. > > Any ideas how I can recover these? > > Thanks > > Quasi rich text format, works or office should be able to open them. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-cannot-open-this-file/515753/3 "2009-10-30T18:30:53Z")
Well, try opening some software that will read an RTF file (pretty much any word processor) and see if that works. Sounds like the file lost its extension and Windows does not know what program to open it with. You could also just rename the file such as: name.rtf Windows would then open it with whatever program is associated with RTF files on your PC (whatever word processor you use). ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-cannot-open-this-file/515753/4 "2009-10-30T18:31:42Z")
It should be a [Rich Text Format](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rich_Text_Format) document, and most word-processors should be able to handle it, particularly Microsoft Word. ---
**Author:** ![Fake\_Tales\_of\_San\_Francisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8491ac/32.png) [@Fake\_Tales\_of\_San\_Francisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fake_Tales_of_San_Francisco)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-cannot-open-this-file/515753/5 "2009-10-30T18:40:05Z")
Right click on the file and try ‘open with’. If there aren’t any programs there for you to select, there should be a way to choose a default program in that list (I know there is in Vista, I honestly can’t remember if it’s done the same way in XP). Wordpad, which comes default with Windows can open RTF files, if you don’t have any other software installed. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-cannot-open-this-file/515753/6 "2009-10-30T18:45:28Z")
> [@Fake\_Tales\_of\_San\_Francisco](#): > > Right click on the file and try ‘open with’. If there aren’t any programs there for you to select, there should be a way to choose a default program in that list (I know there is in Vista, I honestly can’t remember if it’s done the same way in XP). Wordpad, which comes default with Windows can open RTF files, if you don’t have any other software installed. Fixed via remote in about 2 min 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-cannot-open-this-file/515753/7 "2009-10-30T18:46:13Z")
Problem solved. Thanks **drachillix**!🙂 Q ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-cannot-open-this-file/515753/8 "2009-10-30T19:41:33Z")
Okay, sorry, but now I am finding some important stuff labeled DOCX, and when I saw it was encrypted, I tried to unencrypt it by downloading Mircosoft File Converter, but although it’s converted the files to 2007 macro and Office I STILL can’t open/see the files. These WERE RTF files. What’d I do worong this time? Sorry! Q ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-cannot-open-this-file/515753/9 "2009-10-30T19:59:19Z")
Downloading trial version of Office 2007 Pro now… ---
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2009, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-cannot-open-this-file/515753/10 "2009-10-31T00:22:22Z")
> [@drachillix](#): > > Fixed via remote in about 2 min 🆒 You’re a good man, drach. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2009, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-cannot-open-this-file/515753/11 "2009-10-31T11:01:19Z")
I’m not sure if this helps given you talk about .rtf files, but .docx means a Microsoft Word 2007 file.