This file cannot be previewed because of an error with the Word previewer in Outlook

Suppose you receive a mail with a Word file as an attachment. Now when you try to preview this .doc or .docx file, the file will be handled by the Word component installed on your system. In some scenarios, Outlook may throw the “This file cannot be previewed because of an error” message while parsing this file when it is unable to preview that Word attachment file.

The complete error message is:

This file cannot be previewed because of an error with the following previewer: Microsoft Word previewer. To open this file in its own program, double-click it.

Incorrect or invalid registry keys are the root cause of this problem. However, other issues can also cause this error in Outlook. If we analyze this symptom using Process Monitor, it is observed that some registry keys which are returned with access denied, generate the error message mentioned above.

This file cannot be previewed because of an error with the Microsoft Word previewer in Outlook

Use the following solutions if you see the “This file cannot be previewed because of an error” error while previewing the Microsoft Word file in Outlook.

1. Update Office
2. Check the File Previewing options in Microsoft Outlook
3. Open Outlook in Safe Mode
4. Modify Windows Registry
5. Repair Office

Let’s see all these fixes in detail.

1] Update Office

Make sure that you are using the latest version of Microsoft Office. Open Outlook and go to File > Office Account. Now, check for the Office updates manually.

2] Check the File Previewing options in Microsoft Outlook

Microsoft Outlook will not show the preview of the Word file if the respective previewer is not enabled in Outlook settings. We suggest you check this in Outlook. The following solutions will guide you on this:

1. Open Outlook.
2. Go to File > Options > Trust Center.
3. Click on Trust Center Settings.
4. Now, select Attachment Handling on the left side and then click on the Attachment and Document Previewers button on the right side.
5. Scroll down and locate Microsoft Word previewer. The checkbox should be selected.

If the above-mentioned checkbox is not selected, select it and click OK. Click OK again to save the changes.

3] Open Outlook in Safe Mode

We also suggest you open Outlook in Safe Mode and then see if the issue persists. If the issue is fixed in Safe Mode, an add-in might be responsible for this problem. Now, close Outlook and open it in normal mode. Start disabling add-ins one by one and relaunch Outlook after you disable each add-in. Now, preview the file. When Outlook starts showing the preview of the Word file, the add-in that you have just disabled is the culprit.

4] Modify Windows Registry

Making mistakes while manipulating the registry could affect your system adversely. So be careful while editing registry entries. Follow all the steps provided below carefully, as incorrect Registry modifications can make your system unstable. Before you proceed, we recommend you create a System Restore Point and back up your Registry. This will allow you to restore your system to a healthy state if any problem occurs.

Press Windows Key + R combination and type regedit in Run dialog box. Hit Enter after that. Click Yes in the UAC prompt. This will open the Registry Editor.

In the left pane of Registry Editor, navigate to the following path. The easiest way is to copy the below-mentioned path and paste it into the address bar of the Registry Editor. Hit Enter after that.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Office\15.0\Word\Options\Assist

Your Office version may be different, so replace ‘15.0’ above with the appropriate path.

As shown in the above window, right-click on Assist key and select Delete option. When this key is present, the issue occurs, hence we need to delete it. You can now close the Registry Editor and reboot the system.

After restarting the machine, you’ll find that Outlook should start previewing the Word files without any hitch.

5] Repair Office

If the problem still persists, the Office installation might be corrupted. We suggest you repair Microsoft Office. Run an Online Repair to repair Microsoft Office. After repairing Microsoft Office, launch Outlook and see if it starts showing the preview of Word files.

If repairing Office does not fix this issue, uninstalling and reinstalling Office can help. Completely uninstall Office from your system by using the Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant (SaRA) tool. Before uninstalling Office, make sure that you have its product key, as it will be required to reactivate the Office license after reinstalling Office.

That’s it. I hope this helps.

How do I preview files in Outlook?

You can preview files in Outlook easily. First, open the email that contains an attached file, like a Microsoft Word file. Now, click on the Word file and Outlook will automatically start showing the preview of that file.

What does no preview mean on Outlook?

No preview in Outlook means that Outlook is unable to show the preview of the selected file. This usually happens when the respective previewer is disabled in Outlook. You can check this in Outlook settings. Other causes are also responsible for this problem, like incorrect Registry keys, and the outdated or corrupted version of Office.

Related read: This file cannot be previewed because of an error.