This File Cannot be Previewed Because of an Error

This file cannot be previewed because of an error with the Word previewer in Outlook, you may get an error when trying to preview the file. This can happen if Outlook is unable to preview the file using the Word component installed on your system.

Incorrect or invalid registry keys are the root cause of this problem. If we analyze this symptom using Process Monitor, it is observed that some registry key which is returned with access denied, generates the error message mentioned above. Now let us see what these registry keys are and how to sort this issue by manipulating them.

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

Be careful when editing registry entries, as making mistakes could adversely affect your system. Creating a System Restore point before proceeding is recommended.

1.Open the Registry Editor by pressing Windows Key + R, typing “put regedit” in the Run dialog box, and hitting Enter.

2. In the left pane of Registry Editor, navigate here:

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

If you’re using Microsoft Office 15.0 or later, you can find your installation path by going to your Start menu, then selecting “All Programs.” From there, find the folder for your Office installation (it will likely say “Microsoft Office” or something similar), and open it. In that folder, you should see a file called “Office15.” Right-click that file and select “Properties.” In the Properties window that opens, look for the “Location” field. That will tell you where your Office installation is located.

3. Right-click on Assist key and select Delete option from the above window.

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, you’ll find that Outlook can now preview Word files without any hitch.