I opened my Word document and all the formatting is messed up. The fonts changed, spacing is wrong, and images moved. How do I fix it?
Formatting changes usually happen because the document was opened on a computer that does not have the same fonts installed, or because of compatibility mode differences between Word versions. First, check if the document opened in Compatibility Mode — look at the title bar. If it says Compatibility Mode, go to File, Info, Convert to upgrade it to the current format. For font issues, if the original fonts are not installed on your computer, Word substitutes them with default fonts which changes spacing and layout. Check what fonts the document uses: go to File, Info, and look under Related People or Properties for font information. Install the missing fonts or select all text with Ctrl+A and apply a font you have. For images that moved, right-click each image, select Layout Options, and choose In Line with Text or Fix Position on Page. To prevent this in the future, embed fonts in the document: go to File, Options, Save, and check Embed Fonts in the File. This increases file size but ensures the document looks the same on every computer.
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