I forgot how to do something in MS Word - text coding

[gunhilltrain]

I haven't worked on anything since November, and I left some stories unfinished. Now that I'm back, I don't remember how to change the text coding. I used to use plain text, UTF-8, but the documents now appear on my screen not as text, just symbols. I know I'm missing something simple here, I used to do this many times, but now I can't figure it out. I got a new computer just before I stopped in November. The documents seemed okay then.

 

[IWroteThis]

Check your font. Fonts like Wingdings are all symbols.

 

[EmilyMiller]

I haven't worked on anything since November, and I left some stories unfinished. Now that I'm back, I don't remember how to change the text coding. I used to use plain text, UTF-8, but the documents now appear on my screen not as text, just symbols. I know I'm missing something simple here, I used to do this many times, but now I can't figure it out. I got a new computer just before I stopped in November. The documents seemed okay then.

No idea, but just wanted to say it’s nice to see you here again

 

[jsmiam]

A series of questions: excuse the devil’s advocate ones

1. Are they .doc or .docx files?
2. Is Microsoft word opening up on the new computer, or something else?
3. If Microsoft word is what opened:
   1. See above comment, do control-a to select all text and change the font to Ariel for starters. (Too lazy to fix what autocorrect did there. There’s probably no font for Sebastian or king triton. )
   2. Are you being nagged for registering or logging in to use word?
4. If not ms word opening up
   1. Open MS word and use file/open from inside word. It might do a better job of detecting the file type if something somehow went wrong

Send screenshots to help diagnose.

 

[gunhilltrain]

A series of questions: excuse the devil’s advocate ones

1. Are they .doc or .docx files?
2. Is Microsoft word opening up on the new computer, or something else?
3. If Microsoft word is what opened:
   1. See above comment, do control-a to select all text and change the font to Ariel for starters. (Too lazy to fix what autocorrect did there. There’s probably no font for Sebastian or king triton. )
   2. Are you being nagged for registering or logging in to use word?
4. If not ms word opening up
   1. Open MS word and use file/open from inside word. It might do a better job of detecting the file type if something somehow went wrong

Send screenshots to help diagnose.

Thank you for your help.

1. As far as I can tell, it's a Word Text document. I don't see any indication of whether it's a doc. or docx. file.
2. It's opening up on the new computer. Originally, it looked okay in Courier, but now it doesn't.
3. I tried changing to back to Courerier, but that didn't work.
4. I'm not being nagged to register Word.
5. I am trying to open it within Word.

I found these instructions online, and I tried changing the coding to UTF-8 of the entire document in the code dialogue box, but that didn't work. It must have something to do with the file type?

https://www.google.com/search?q=wor...CCLACAfEFp8G1r2FsveY&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

There are several different sets of instructions on how to do it

 

[gunhilltrain]

No idea, but just wanted to say it’s nice to see you here again

Thanks! It has been a while.

 

[EmilyMiller]

Thanks! It has been a while.

Have to admit I checked your posting history a couple of times. Stalker tendencies obv

 

[gunhilltrain]

Would this questionuestion be better placed in the Tech Support forum?

 

[gunhilltrain]

Have to admit I checked your posting history a couple of times. Stalker tendencies obv

That's okay, I look at people's posting history too.

 

[gunhilltrain]

Have to admit I checked your posting history a couple of times. Stalker tendencies obv

Now all I have to do is figure out this little glitch.

 

[jsmiam]

Do you use File explorer / Windows explorer to navigate your lists of files? (Probably I bet)

Right click on one of them and choose “properties”. On that screen it will, nearish the top say specifically, “type of file”. (Or maybe there’s no type, which will be part of the answer).

Let us know what it says?

Later:
Here’s the next step in advance, if (1) you’re sure you used Microsoft word on the old computer, and (2) if there is not a file type: If your old computers word version was super old like 2003, from File Explorer on the new computer, right click and choose rename (or if windows 11, right click, then “more options”, then rename so the name ends in .doc

If newer, rename so the name end in .docx

And if one fails try the other. But mainly, everything above “later” is all you really need to do, for now.

 

[gunhilltrain]

Do you use File explorer / Windows explorer to navigate your lists of files? (Probably I bet)

Right click on one of them and choose “properties”. On that screen it will, nearish the top say specifically, “type of file”. (Or maybe there’s no type, which will be part of the answer).

Let us know what it says?

Later:
Here’s the next step in advance, if (1) you’re sure you used Microsoft word on the old computer, and (2) if there is not a file type: If your old computers word version was super old like 2003, from File Explorer on the new computer, right click and choose rename (or if windows 11, right click, then “more options”, then rename so the name ends in .doc

If newer, rename so the name end in .docx

And if one fails try the other. But mainly, everything above “later” is all you really need to do, for now.

Thanks. I can get as far as attempting to rename the file with a .docx extension. I keep getting a dialogue box that says "Convert file from," and it has options like "encoded text" and "plain text." None of these seems to make a difference, and the file is still a ".txt" file. I have noticed that if I try to convert to different fonts beyond Courier, which is what I usually use, the text will come back, although the formatting needs a lot of work. For example, there are extra line spaces between paragraphs, up to fifteen of those. I select all of the text, and then change the font. Corbel is one font that does that, although there are several others. At least I have all of the text that way, although it needs extensive work.

 

[jsmiam]

Well, something is better than nothing.

New question, to take things in a different direction. Do you just wrote a story, no bold, no italics, no funky formatting, then copy and paste into the lit submission window anyway?

I’m asking because it sounds like trying to keep things simple backfired a bit. If the above is true just write in word, save as word (doc or docx, must accept the default, forget about text), choose not to worry about bold and italics, and you may never have to convert utf8 again. Avery few people have the list of issues you’ve been contending with all these years. What took you down the path in the first place of not just using word the standard way?

 

[gunhilltrain]

Well, something is better than nothing.

New question, to take things in a different direction. Do you just wrote a story, no bold, no italics, no funky formatting, then copy and paste into the lit submission window anyway?

I’m asking because it sounds like trying to keep things simple backfired a bit. If the above is true just write in word, save as word (doc or docx, must accept the default, forget about text), choose not to worry about bold and italics, and you may never have to convert utf8 again. Avery few people have the list of issues you’ve been contending with all these years. What took you down the path in the first place of not just using word the standard way?

Some of the older files had the "UTF-8" stick, and they remain readable, formatting and all. I've tried to copy this one into a blank document, but it doesn't seem to be working. I had no trouble with these files until I got the new computer near the end of last year, with, I assume, Windows 11. There is some lack of consistency here that I can't figure out.

 

[jsmiam]

I’m puzzled, I admit. I’ll be immodest and call myself a power user of word, and I’ve never once had to convert character sets in my life with respect to word. To be fair, I’m US only and never have to share elsewhere.

Random things to try:
Try “paste as text” into word from the .txt files. Easiest way is click the down arrow on the paste button, not the button itself and choose paste special, and one of the choices will be paste as text.

For fun, create a new document. Save it accepting word default to it’ll make it. Docx file. That should close/open predictably.

When you change fonts, are you first doing “select all” so the whole doc is highlighted?

And of course, do experiments on copies of the file you experiment with.

 

[jsmiam]

Just for the heck of it, I messed around with using Microsoft word for plain text .txt file types.

I think I understand more now the issues you’re having. It is inconvenient and cumbersome to use Microsoft word for plain text files. You get an extra dialog box every time you save and exit, and if you absent minded choose the wrong choice, you’ll have converted the .txt file into to a word document.

I’ll repeat what I said earlier: life will be simpler and easier for you if you just use .docx Microsoft word files.

But if you insist:
- Always use windows default when you first make a file. (I’m assuming you’re in the US?). https://www.extendoffice.com/images/stories/doc-excel/word-to-excel/doc-convert-word-to-excel-4.png
- always remember to choose “yes” to the warning about “may contain features that are not compatible with plain text format”. https://www.techyv.com/sites/default/files/users/reythareyne/untitled.JPG
- I could t upload my own Screenshots. The ones here are the same as what I wanted to post.

Back on my soapbox:
- If you don’t use ms word for other reasons, if you save all your files in text format (as opposed to using features built into word, formatting, page numbers, bullets, etc.) , don’t pay money for word. Use open office for free. (it has spell check too, and will actually feel familiar to you since you’re accustomed to word 2013, I’m guessing)
- let’s say you like walnuts. Yes, You can crack them open by putting them on your driveway, and driving over them with your car. That’s a somewhat humorous (in my own mind that is) analogy to using ms word to only save text files. Saving as docx would be easiest, but using open office for free instead of paying for word would be nice too

 

[gunhilltrain]

Just for the heck of it, I messed around with using Microsoft word for plain text .txt file types.

I think I understand more now the issues you’re having. It is inconvenient and cumbersome to use Microsoft word for plain text files. You get an extra dialog box every time you save and exit, and if you absent minded choose the wrong choice, you’ll have converted the .txt file into to a word document.

I’ll repeat what I said earlier: life will be simpler and easier for you if you just use .docx Microsoft word files.

But if you insist:
- Always use windows default when you first make a file. (I’m assuming you’re in the US?). https://www.extendoffice.com/images/stories/doc-excel/word-to-excel/doc-convert-word-to-excel-4.png
- always remember to choose “yes” to the warning about “may contain features that are not compatible with plain text format”. https://www.techyv.com/sites/default/files/users/reythareyne/untitled.JPG
- I could t upload my own Screenshots. The ones here are the same as what I wanted to post.

Back on my soapbox:
- If you don’t use ms word for other reasons, if you save all your files in text format (as opposed to using features built into word, formatting, page numbers, bullets, etc.) , don’t pay money for word. Use open office for free. (it has spell check too, and will actually feel familiar to you since you’re accustomed to word 2013, I’m guessing)
- let’s say you like walnuts. Yes, You can crack them open by putting them on your driveway, and driving over them with your car. That’s a somewhat humorous (in my own mind that is) analogy to using ms word to only save text files. Saving as docx would be easiest, but using open office for free instead of paying for word would be nice too

I think I've tried most of these. I mentioned elsewhere that this is getting beyond my skill set. I think I started writing the document in mid-2025, but I was using ancient software. I think my version of Word actually came off a disk (2014?), and then one didn't need a subscription. The version from the disk was supposed to be indefinite, and it did outlast the hardware it was installed on.

 

[jsmiam]

It’s not all bad. The path of least resistance is to accept Microsoft word, use it as intended and save your stories as full word documents, not text files, and you’ll never have to worry about utf8 or character encoding again. Microsoft word isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, it’s been around 30 or so years. (Neither is libre office, which is the more correct way to say “open office” (they’re not exactly the same any more), but old habits die hard.

 

[gunhilltrain]

It’s not all bad. The path of least resistance is to accept Microsoft word, use it as intended and save your stories as full word documents, not text files, and you’ll never have to worry about utf8 or character encoding again. Microsoft word isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, it’s been around 30 or so years. (Neither is libre office, which is the more correct way to say “open office” (they’re not exactly the same any more), but old habits die hard.

I had several people put together the text I had written, so I can reconstruct the formatting I had done. I had always used text files with UTF-8 coding (I learned about character coding several years ago). Seemed to be working fine until I tried to move a file to a different computer. I had a Dell that I had been using since about 2014 (well beyond its lifespan) and another Dell before that, going back to about 2006. Not sure what is different now, but I did something wrong.

 

[jsmiam]

I had several people put together the text I had written, so I can reconstruct the formatting I had done. I had always used text files with UTF-8 coding (I learned about character coding several years ago). Seemed to be working fine until I tried to move a file to a different computer. I had a Dell that I had been using since about 2014 (well beyond its lifespan) and another Dell before that, going back to about 2006. Not sure what is different now, but I did something wrong.

It’s tough to visualize exactly what’s happening.

In this article, https://support.microsoft.com/en-us...ve-files-60d59c21-88b5-4006-831c-d536d42fd861 there’s a section titled “Choose an encoding standard when you open a file”. That’s a setting that sticks around.

Possibly, that setting or behavior was different in you older version. Give it a try perhaps.

If you’re interested, send me a pm and I’ll give you my email address, mail me the file, and I’ll see if I can glean any more.

There is some small chance (but probably not) that one of windows’ “dumbed down” default settings to hide file types, could be causing more confusion. Your true file name could possibly be something like “story123.txt.doc”, but only “story123.txt” is visible. But like all my other attempts at answers, that too is a guess. My earlier comment about right clicking the file is one way to see the true file extension with zero doubt. I suspect you already did that though.