Forum Discussion
roseymarkel
Jul 06, 2026Copper Contributor
Word Help
My word application kept defaulting to an old version that is no longer active. With the help of one of your technician's, I was able to erase that and sign in to my microsoft word account. However, ...
Kidd_Ip
Jul 08, 2026MVP
Your dissertation formatting loss is likely due to compatibility issues between Word desktop and Word Online/OneDrive sync:
- Restore Previous Versions in OneDrive
- Right-click the file in OneDrive → Version history.
- Select a version saved before the formatting loss.
- Open in Desktop Word
- Download the file and open it in the full Word for Windows/Mac desktop app, not Word Online.
- Word Online cannot render advanced formatting, captions, or embedded charts properly.
- Check Embedded Objects
- If charts/maps were linked from Excel or other sources, ensure those files are still accessible.
- Use Insert > Object > Links to verify connections.
- Repair Corrupted Files
- In Word: File > Open > Browse > select file > arrow next to Open > Open and Repair.
- This attempts to recover damaged XML parts (figures, captions, maps).