To resolve the 'Word cannot open the existing file (Normal.dotm)' error, reset the Normal.dotm file, use Open and Repair, and disable add-ins.

Open file with text recovery converter on Word (2019/2021) Actually, users using Word 2019 and 2021 versions enjoy the Open and Repair option to fix Word corruption issues.

Microsoft has announced that Word for Windows will now save new files to OneDrive or preferred cloud storage automatically.