Document Won't Download or Looks Wrong

When you go to download a contract and the file won’t save, opens as the wrong type, or looks broken when you open it, the cause is usually one of a few specific things. Work through the matching symptom below. Each one ends with what to try and, when the cause is a known issue, when to bring in support rather than keep retrying.

You click download and nothing happens, or the download starts and immediately fails.

Likely causes and fixes:

• You’re downloading the wrong version. A contract holds several documents: the latest round, finalized versions, and (once signed) the executed file. If one option produces nothing, open the download dialog and pick a different version. The executed file only exists after the contract is signed. See Download and Share a Contract for which version is which.
• A browser extension or pop-up blocker is intercepting the download. Try again in a private/incognito window, or temporarily disable extensions. Pactly serves the file as a direct attachment, so an aggressive blocker can swallow it silently.
• A shared link opens blank. A link you sent points at a specific document that may not be available to the recipient, or the link has expired. Re-share from the contract rather than resending the old link. Download and Share a Contract covers re-sharing.

If the download still fails for every version and in a clean browser window, contact support with the contract reference and the version you were trying to download.

The file downloads, but your computer treats it as a plain text file or drops the .docx / .pdf extension, so it won’t open in Word.

This is a known issue, not something you can reliably fix yourself. It happens when a contract’s stored file name has been cleared, so Pactly can’t attach the correct extension to the download. It affects the download only; the underlying document is intact.

What to try:

• Rename the file after downloading. Add the correct extension (.docx for an editable document, .pdf for a signed/executed file) and reopen it. A file that downloaded as a text file is almost always a correctly-formatted Word document that simply lost its extension.
• Try a different version from the download dialog. The executed (signed) file is a PDF; the working document is a .docx. One may carry the right name even if another doesn’t.

The document downloads and opens, but spacing, fonts, numbering, or filled-in values look off.

Likely causes and fixes:

• The document was generated from a template with a formatting issue. Broken spacing, stray placeholders, or values landing in the wrong spot usually trace back to the template, not the download. See Generate a Contract for how generated documents pull in values, and check the template if every contract from it looks the same way.
• A dropdown value didn’t fill in as expected. If a clause that depends on a selected option is missing or wrong, the option label may be out of sync across the form, property, and template. The Option Sync Trap explains why and what to keep aligned.
• Word is showing tracked changes or comments. What looks like broken formatting is sometimes redlines or comments from negotiation. Turn off Track Changes display in Word, or accept/reject changes, to see the clean document.

If the formatting is wrong only on one contract and isn’t explained by the template or tracked changes, contact support with the contract reference and a screenshot of what you’re seeing.

If none of the above resolves it, contact support at [email protected] or use the Contact Support button in the web app. Include the contract reference, which version you tried to download, your browser, and a screenshot of the problem. For known download bugs, support can correct the contract record directly; if the same contract regresses afterward, report it again so support can re-apply the fix.

• Troubleshooting
• Download and Share a Contract
• Generate a Contract
• The Option Sync Trap