SharePoint Document Issues

How to Fix and Prevent Corrupted SharePoint Documents

Rana Garcia Sep 30, 2026 870 views

Question details

Users need to fix and prevent Microsoft SharePoint documents from becoming corrupted, displaying scrambled text, or losing table formatting during collaboration.

How to Fix and Prevent Corrupted SharePoint Documents

Product: Microsoft SharePoint
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Multiple users are collaborating on or simply viewing documents stored in SharePoint, leading to unexpected file corruption and formatting damage.
Observed behavior: The document displays scrambled text, missing or duplicated words, and broken table formatting, often occurring repeatedly even when active editing is not taking place.

Before you start

Before attempting any fixes, advise all collaborators to close the affected document to stop real-time synchronization and prevent the corrupted state from overwriting older backups.

Solution 1Recommended

Restore a Known-Good Version Using SharePoint Version History

Use the built-in Version History feature in SharePoint to roll back the document to a previous state before the text or formatting became corrupted.

SharePoint automatically saves iterations of your files as changes are made. When an unexpected synchronization bug scrambles your text or damages tables, restoring an earlier version is the fastest and most reliable way to recover your data without manual reformatting.

Locate the corrupted file

Navigate to the SharePoint Document Library where the affected document is stored.

Access Version History

Hover over the document name, click the three-dot menu (Show actions) next to it, and select 'Version History' from the dropdown list.

Identify a healthy version

Review the list of saved versions based on the date and time before the corruption was reported. Click the timestamp of an older version to view it.

Restore the document

Once you confirm the older version is intact, click the drop-down arrow next to its timestamp and select 'Restore'. This will create a new current version using the healthy file.

Backup Best Practice: Always download a local copy of the currently corrupted version before restoring, just in case you need to manually extract uncorrupted recent additions later.

Solution 2

Check Out the Document to Prevent Co-authoring Glitches

Lock the document for exclusive editing to bypass real-time AutoSave synchronization bugs that scramble text and tables.

Solution 3

Open a Microsoft 365 Support Ticket

Administrators should escalate persistent tenant-specific synchronization bugs directly to Microsoft for investigation.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Experience Stable Document Editing with WPS Office

If SharePoint and Microsoft Office synchronization bugs continue to corrupt your complex documents, consider switching to WPS Office. It provides a lightweight, highly stable environment for creating, editing, and collaborating on documents without the heavy overhead that causes formatting glitches.

1. Download the software: Visit the official WPS website and download the free WPS Office suite for your operating system.
2. Install and launch: Run the installer, open WPS Office, and sign in to access cloud storage and collaboration features.
3. Open your documents: Import your existing .docx files directly into WPS Writer to enjoy stable, glitch-free editing.

Seamlessly highly compatible with Microsoft Word (.docx), Excel (.xlsx), and PowerPoint (.pptx) formats.Stable performance for documents with complex tables and dense formatting.Familiar user interface ensuring zero learning curve and smooth migration.Free, lightweight application that doesn't consume excessive system resources.

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my text get scrambled when collaborating in SharePoint?

Text scrambling and table damage are often caused by synchronization glitches during real-time co-authoring. When multiple instances of AutoSave attempt to merge changes simultaneously, it can sometimes result in formatting errors and duplicated text.

Can I recover my data if the SharePoint document is completely unreadable?

Yes, you can recover it using SharePoint's Version History feature. It automatically saves previous iterations of your document, allowing you to easily view and restore an earlier, uncorrupted version.

Does this document corruption issue affect specific file types or users?

While most commonly reported in complex Word documents with dense tables, synchronization bugs can occasionally affect any heavily formatted file. It is recommended to test if the issue isolates to specific Office desktop versions or specific tenant configurations.

How can I prevent unexpected formatting changes when others open the document?

You can utilize the 'Check Out' feature in your SharePoint document library. This locks the document for exclusive editing, temporarily disabling real-time co-authoring conflicts and protecting your complex formatting from sync bugs.

Document & File Issues