Docx Files might not show icons due several reasons. Outdated Windows and False registry configurations are prime examples of what could cause you to face such an issue. Before digging deep into the solutions, it is advised to learn the causes for future measures.

Fix: Docx files Not Showing Word Icon Windows 10/11 - 1

.Docx files not showing icons

After a thorough investigation, we have gathered the below-mentioned factors to be the main reason we are facing this error.

  • Outdated Windows- It is advised to keep your computer’s operating system up-to-date. Microsoft comes out with new updates every now and then that usually fix minor bugs like the one in question.
  • Incorrect Default application- Inside the windows settings, you can manually add or remove default applications. It is possible that some other application is selected to open the .Docx Files by default.
  • False registry configuration- Windows registry is a database that stores information about all applications it deals with. It is possible that the Windows registry is falsely configured, causing this issue.
  • Corrupt Office Installation- Your office installation might be forged; reinstalling or re-registering the Microsoft office suite can help us in such cases.

Without further ado, let’s move on to the solutions.

1. Set Word as Default for “.Docx” files

Windows allows users to set default applications for all formats. It is possible that the application configured to handle the “.Docx” files is not Microsoft Word. Follow these steps to set word as default for “.Docx” Files:

1.1 Windows 11

  1. Press the Windows key to open the windows start menu and click on the Settings icon.
  2. Click on Apps.
  3. Now, Click on Default Applications. Setting Microsoft word as default for “.Docx” files
  4. Locate Microsoft Word in the list, and click on it to open. Setting Microsoft word as default for “.Docx” files
  5. After that, Locate the “.Docx” subheading and click on Choose a default. Setting Microsoft word as default for “.Docx” files
  6. Select Word and click on Ok .

Once you have selected Word as the default app for “.Docx ” files. Check if the files open appropriately

1.2 Windows 10

  1. Press the Windows key and Click on the settings icon as shown in the image below. Setting Microsoft word as default for “.Docx” file
  2. Click on Apps . Setting Microsoft word as default for “.Docx” file
  3. Click on the Default Apps option present in the left panel.
  4. Scroll down, Click on Choose Default Apps by type . Setting Microsoft word as default for “.Docx” file
  5. In the list, Locate “.Docx”
  6. Click on

2. Delete Icon Cache

Icon Cache can be found inside your computer’s C: Directory; there is a possibility that your icon cache database is corrupt. We are going to rebuild the icon cache; follow these steps:

  1. Press Windows + R keys simultaneously to open the run dialog box.
  2. Type Cmd in the Run dialog box search box to open the command prompt.
  3. Paste in the following text to delete the icon cache. 1) cd /d %userprofile%\AppData\Local 2) del IconCache.db
  4. Once Done, Reboot your Computer

3. Reconfigure the Registry editor

It is possible that the entries that handle files are possibly corrupt or misconfigured, follow these steps to reconfigure the registry editor:

  1. Open the windows start menu by pressing the Windows key; in the start menu, search bar type Registry editor and open it. Re-configuring the registry editor
  2. Click on Yes to allow.
  3. Before making any changes to the registry, follow these steps to create a backup as a safety measure.
  4. In the registry editor, click on the Files tab in the navigation menu.
  5. Click on Export and choose a save location. Re-configuring the registry editor
  6. Click on the All radio button and select All files, as shown in the image below. Re-configuring the registry editor
  7. Click on the Save button .
  8. Wait for a while until it finishes backing up. After that, continue with the rest of the steps to reconfigure your registry editor.
  9. Now Press the Windows key on your keyboard to open the windows start menu, search for CMD, and open the command prompt as an administrator.
  10. Paste the following command in the command prompt terminal REG ADD HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT.docx\OpenWithList\Wordpad.exe
  11. Once done, Paste the following command REG ADD HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT.docx\Word.Document.16\ShellNew /v NullFile
  12. Now, lastly, Paste this command and exit out of the registry editor. Re-configuring the registry editor REG ADD HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT.docx /ve /d Word.Document.16

Once done following the above-mentioned procedures, Restart your computer . Once restarted, check if the issue is fixed; if not, continue to the next step.

5. Repair Microsoft Office

Your office installation might be corrupt due to several reasons. Follow these steps to repair the Microsoft office installation on your computer.

  1. Press the Windows key to open the windows start menu. In the windows start menu search bar, type Control Panel and open it.
  2. Click on Uninstall a program. Repairing the Microsoft office
  3. Locate Microsoft Office and make right-click on it. Repairing the Microsoft office
  4. Click on Change . Repairing the Microsoft office
  5. Proceed with repairing Microsoft office.

Once the Microsoft office has been repaired, Reboot your computer.

How to Fix “Printer is in an error state” Issue?

The error “ WinRAR Error: Next Volume Is Required ” usually appears when you’re extracting a multi-part RAR archive and WinRAR can’t find (or can’t correctly identify) the next file in the sequence . This often happens when a volume is missing , stored in a different folder , or renamed in a way that breaks the archive’s expected order .

Fix: Docx files Not Showing Word Icon Windows 10/11 - 2

In this guide, we’ll go over the most reliable fixes confirmed by affected users, along with what each method is doing behind the scenes so you can choose the right one for your situation.

Important: To extract multi-volume archives, you should always start extraction from the first file in the set. This is usually file.part1.rar , or (in older sets) the main .rar file that comes before .r01 , .r02 , and so on.

1. Download and Place the Missing RAR File

WinRAR needs all parts of a multi-volume archive to complete extraction. This error usually appears when one of the volumes in a set like .part2.rar , .r01 , .r02 , .001 , and similar naming formats is missing . Downloading the missing volume and placing it in the same folder as the other parts allows WinRAR to continue extracting normally .

  1. Look at the error message or review the list of archive parts in the folder.
  2. Identify which volume is missing (for example, part2.rar , .r02 , .001 , etc.).
  3. Go back to the website or source where you downloaded the archive.
  4. Locate and download the exact missing file using the same naming format as the others.
  5. Make sure the new file name matches the pattern of the rest. Example: If you have file.part1.rar and file.part3.rar , the missing one must be file.part2.rar .
  6. Move the downloaded missing volume into the same folder as the other archive parts.
  7. Confirm that all parts are in a single folder before extracting.
  8. Right-click the first file in the series (usually part1 or the main .rar file) and select Extract Here or Extract to Folder .
  9. WinRAR should now detect all volumes and continue extraction normally .

2. Manually Browse & Select the Next Volume

Use this method only if the next volume already exists , but WinRAR is failing to detect it automatically. This can happen due to incorrect naming , the file being in a different location , or a temporary file access issue. Manually browsing helps WinRAR locate the correct volume and resume extraction without interruption .

  1. Right-click the first file in the series (usually .rar or part1.rar ) and select Extract Here or Extract to Folder .
  2. When WinRAR cannot find the next volume, it will show the “ Next Volume Is Required ” message.
  3. A small window will appear, allowing you to manually select the next volume .
  4. Use the file explorer window to locate the folder where the other archive parts are saved.
  5. Select the next part based on the naming order (example: select file.part2.rar after file.part1.rar ).
  6. Make sure the selected file matches the naming format of the archive (no extra characters like (1) and no mismatched numbering).
  7. WinRAR will resume extraction using the selected volume .
  8. If additional volumes are missing or stored separately, WinRAR may prompt you again. Repeat the same process until extraction completes.

3. Rename the RAR files in Order

WinRAR relies on a proper naming sequence (such as file.part1.rar , file.part2.rar , file.part3.rar ) to extract multi-volume archives. If a file is named incorrectly, contains extra characters, or is out of order, WinRAR may fail to locate the next volume and show this error. Renaming the files correctly helps WinRAR follow the sequence and extract the archive without interruptions .

Note: Renaming only changes the file name , not the file contents. The goal is to restore the correct sequence so WinRAR can detect the next volume.

  1. Go to the folder where all the RAR files are saved.
  2. Make sure all parts of the archive are present and stored in the same folder .
  3. Check how the parts are currently named . Common patterns include:
file.part1.rar, file.part2.rar, file.part3.rar
file.rar, file.r01, file.r02, file.r03
  1. Look for files that don’t match the expected numbering pattern (for example, file.part01.rar , file.part1(1).rar , or unrelated names).
  2. Rename each file so it follows the same order without extra characters or mismatched numbering. Example:
Incorrect: file.part1.rar, file.part3.rar, file.part2(1).rar
Correct: file.part1.rar, file.part2.rar, file.part3.rar
  1. Make sure the text before the number is exactly the same for all files.
  2. Only the last part number should change.
  3. Right-click the first file in the series (usually part1.rar or the main .rar file) and select Extract Here .
  4. WinRAR should now recognize the sequence and continue extraction normally .

If you still get the same prompt: the archive set is likely incomplete (a part was never downloaded or was removed), or one of the volumes is corrupt and must be re-downloaded from the original source.