Strange characters in Microsoft Word documents can be frustrating, but you can usually remove them with some simple steps:

1. Show Non-Printing Characters:
   • In Word, click on the „Home” tab.
   • Look for the ¶ symbol in the „Paragraph” group (it’s called the „Show/Hide paragraph marks” button).
   • Click on it to show non-printing characters.
2. Delete the Strange Characters:
   • Once you’ve turned on the display of non-printing characters, you’ll be able to see the strange characters in your document.
   • Place your cursor just before or just after the strange character.
   • Press the „Delete” or „Backspace” key to remove it.
3. Use the Find and Replace Feature:
   • Click on the „Home” tab.
   • In the „Editing” group, click on „Replace.”
   • In the „Find what” field, copy and paste the strange character you want to remove.
   • Leave the „Replace with” field empty.
   • Click „Replace All” to remove all instances of that character.
4. Change Fonts:
   • Sometimes, strange characters appear because the font used in your document doesn’t support those characters.
   • Select the text with the strange characters.
   • Choose a different font from the font dropdown menu in the „Home” tab.
5. Copy-Paste as Plain Text:
   • If you’ve copied text from a web page or another document, it might carry over strange formatting or characters.
   • Instead of pasting directly into your Word document, use the „Paste Special” feature (found under the „Home” tab > „Paste” dropdown) and select „Unformatted Text” or „Keep Text Only.”
6. Check Language Settings:
   • Occasionally, language settings can cause strange characters. Make sure your document’s language is set correctly.
   • Go to the „Review” tab, click on „Language,” and set the correct language.
7. Corrupted Document:
   • If your document is severely corrupted and you can’t remove the strange characters, you may need to consider recovering the text.
   • Open a new, blank Word document.
   • Use „Insert” > „Text from File” to insert the corrupted document.
   • This can sometimes help recover the text while leaving behind formatting issues.
8. Check for Virus or Malware:
   • In very rare cases, strange characters can be the result of malware or a virus.
   • Run a virus scan on your computer to rule out any malicious software.

If none of these methods work, you might need to consider the possibility that the document itself is corrupted beyond repair, and you may need to revert to a backup copy if available.