EndNote Error: An attempt was made to access an unnamed file past its end

Want to know what EndNote has to offer? Try our  free  series that guides you through the entire process. Read more here.

Please try to insert citations in a new, blank Word document.

If the same error does NOT occur in the new, blank Word document, please perform the steps in this support article : EndNote: problematic field codes causing jumping cursor, "the range cannot be deleted" or other problems while formatting.

If the issue happens with all the documents

...then it may be due to damaged Word Preferences. Please follow the steps below to reset the Word Preferences:

1. Close all MS Office applications and EndNote.
2. Navigate to C:\Users\[User Name]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates Note: AppData is a hidden folder, to enable go to Control Panel > Appearance and Personalization > Folder Options > View > Advanced settings > Hidden files and folders > Show Hidden files, folders and drives > Click Ok.
3. Rename the Normal.dotm from the Templates folder to Normal.OLD. If you see any temporary files starting with ~$ in this location remove them as well.
4. Navigate to C:\Users\[User Name]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Word\STARTUP and delete any files that start with ~[[articleBody:Body]]nbsp;

When you restart Word, a new copy of Normal template will be created. Now, try using the EndNote Cite While You Write (CWYW) tools to insert citations and check if it works.

If the issue persists, then try the steps below:

1. Open Windows File Explorer (Ctrl+E) and navigate to the EndNote program folder (typically C:\Program Files (x86)\EndNote ...).
2. Double-click/run the "Configure EndNote.exe" file inside the EndNote program folder.
3. Make sure "Configure EndNote components" is selected and click Next.
4. Uncheck (If the box is ticked) “Cite While You Write add-in for Microsoft Office” and click Next > Finish.
5. Next, repeat steps 2~4 but make sure to check the “Cite While You Write add-in for Microsoft Office” box this time.
6. Open Microsoft Word and look for the EndNote toolbar in the ribbon. Try to insert some references into a blank new document.

If this does not work, you can also try to repair the EndNote program.

1. On your Windows search > Look for Add or Remove Programs
2. In the list of installed applications, click on EndNote ... > Modify > Repair > Complete the process.

Please note that you will need administrative privileges on your PC to perform the above steps.