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<H2>FAQ: What to do if AbiWord fails to open or convert a document</H2>

First, please check the following three points, in the order that seems most logical in the particular circumstances:

1. Search bugzilla to confirm that there is not a known bug or RFE addressing the document format you are trying to load.

2. Ensure the document is valid, not corrupt:

• Can other word processors open the file?
• Was the file corrupted on download?
• Was the file corrupted by some other means (transferring from floppy / digital camera)?
• Is it corrupt on the originating site?
• Was the file actually saved in the format you expect?

3. Confirm that AbiWord supports the document file format and *version* you are trying to load, and, if so, do you have the necessary plugin installed?

• Was your document saved in a *version* of a format which AbiWord supports? For example, is your document saved as one of the latest Microsoft Word (R) documents or was it saved as a Word Perfect (R) document from the early 80s? If so our importer may not (fully) handle it yet &mdash; please consider filing a bug anyway (after checking to make sure it will not be a duplicate), but mark it as a request for enhancement (RFE).
• AbiWord importers are usually built as plugins so as not to bloat the core word processor. If you need support for a particular file format, please ensure you have the corresponding plugin and that it has successfully loaded. See =tools->plugins= for currently loaded plugins.
• See the Plugin Matrix for a starting point as to which file formats are supported.

Finally, if after you have verified that the document is in a format supported by AbiWord, is not corrupted, and there is no relevant bug report or RFE, the problem is not resolved, file a new bug in bugzilla.

Help the developers by attaching a sample document, and monitor the bug occasionally to see if a developer needs any additional information. _Actually, if you include your email address when you make the bug report (or add your email address for a cc), you will be notified of any changes made to the bug report._

See [[1]] for more information about reporting bugs.

Of course, if you are a programmer and can fix the problem yourself ...

To translate an Abiword file to Text, see FaqAbiWordNativeFormatToText.

Contributors

• Main.MattWilkie - 17 Dec 2003
• Main.PerditionC - 21 Dec 2003
• Main.JesseW - 06 Jul 2005