Word turns text into random unintelligible characters

Try below:

1. Check the font in use
• Select the affected text → look at the font in the ribbon.
• If it says Aptos (or another cloud font), try changing it to a standard font like Calibri, Arial, or Times New Roman.
2. Install missing fonts
• Go to Settings → Personalization → Fonts.
• Search for Aptos (or the font your document is using).
• If missing, install it from Microsoft Store or re‑enable Cloud Fonts in Microsoft 365.
3. Clear the font cache
• Close Word.
• Delete the font cache file:

C:\Windows\ServiceProfiles\LocalService\AppData\Local\FontCache

• Restart Windows — the cache will rebuild.
1. Repair Office
• Go to Control Panel → Programs → Microsoft 365 Apps → Change → Online Repair.
• This reinstalls missing fonts and fixes corrupted Office components.
2. Check for updates
• In Word: File → Account → Update Options → Update Now.
• In Windows: Settings → Windows Update → Check for updates.
3. Encoding fix (if imported files)
• Open the file in Word → File → Options → Advanced → Confirm file format conversion on open.
• Reopen the file and choose the correct encoding (UTF‑8 usually works).