File Cannot Open

Fix: Word Cannot Open RTF File Due to Low Memory or Disk Space

Chanuka Geekiyanage Sep 28, 2026 868 views

Question details

The user is unable to open an RTF file in Microsoft Word because the program returns a false error claiming there is not enough memory or disk space.

How to Fix Microsoft Word Cannot Open RTF File (Low Memory Error)

Product: Microsoft Word
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Attempting to open a previously working RTF document on a computer with sufficient system resources.
Observed behavior: Word fails to parse the file and blocks access, displaying a not-enough-memory-or-disk-space error instead of opening the document.

Before you start

Before proceeding, determine if this issue affects all RTF documents or just a specific one by attempting to open a newly created or alternative RTF file on your computer.

Solution 1Recommended

Identify and Isolate File-Specific Corruption

Test whether the issue is isolated to a single file with corrupted content and restore from a backup if necessary.

Often, this error is not caused by actual hardware limitations, but by Microsoft Word struggling to parse newly added, corrupted, or overly complex formatting within a specific RTF file.

Test other RTF files

Open Microsoft Word, navigate to 'File' > 'Open', and select a different RTF file to see if it loads successfully.

Locate an earlier version

If only the original file fails, locate an earlier backup or version of the document from before the most recent edits were made.

Recreate the affected content

Open the backup, manually recreate the newer content using plain text, and avoid pasting complex formatting that may have caused the parsing failure.

Identify and Isolate File-Specific Corruption

Formatting Warning: If you are pasting data from the web or other rich-text sources into an RTF, consider using 'Paste as Plain Text' to prevent corrupted hidden tags from breaking the file.

Solution 2

Use the Open and Repair Feature in Word

Force Microsoft Word to attempt an automatic repair on the corrupted RTF file during the opening process.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Easily Open and Edit RTF Files with WPS Office

When Microsoft Word struggles with corrupted content or displays false memory errors, WPS Office provides a lightweight, highly compatible alternative to seamlessly open, edit, and save your RTF documents without parsing failures.

1. Download and Install: Get WPS Office from the official website and complete the quick installation process.
2. Open WPS Writer: Launch the WPS Writer application, which is the equivalent to Microsoft Word.
3. Access your RTF File: Click 'Menu' > 'Open', navigate to your RTF document, and easily open it to resume your work.

Lightweight architecture that quickly opens complex files without triggering false memory errors.Fully compatible with Microsoft Office file formats, including seamless support for RTF, DOC, and DOCX.Familiar, intuitive user interface that requires zero learning curve.Completely free to download and use for your daily document processing needs.

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Word say there is not enough memory when my computer is new?

This is typically a generic error message triggered by Microsoft Word encountering unparseable, excessively complex, or corrupted content within the specific RTF document, rather than an actual hardware limitation.

How can I recover the text if the RTF file still won't open?

You can attempt to open the file in a basic plain-text editor like Notepad to extract the raw text, or you can use Word's 'Recover Text from Any File' option found in the file type dropdown menu within the 'Open' dialog box.

Does saving files as DOCX prevent this memory error?

Yes. The RTF format can sometimes bloat in file size or retain problematic formatting tags over time. Saving your documents in the modern DOCX format usually resolves these parsing issues and improves overall stability.

Document & File Issues