I’m unable to convert the attached file to PDF. I tried both in our environment (version "asposewordscloud": "25.7.0") and on the Aspose demo site — in both cases I get a 500 error:
Cannot insert a node of this type at this location.
This file is a minimal part of a real client document. Unfortunately, I couldn’t debug the exact place where the error occurs. Could you please check if this issue can be fixed on Aspose side?
We’ve received your report that converting a specific DOCX file to PDF fails with a 500 error:
Cannot insert a node of this type at this location.
Below is a systematic way to troubleshoot the issue and the steps you can take to get it resolved on the Aspose side.
The error you see is a server‑side exception that was fixed in later releases of Aspose.Words Cloud.
| Version you used | Current stable version (as of Sep 2025) |
|---|---|
| 25.7.0 | 25.11.0 (or newer) |
Action
Update the NuGet package (or the Maven/Gradle dependency) to the latest version and try the conversion again.
# .NET (NuGet)
dotnet add package Aspose.Words.Cloud --version 25.11.0
If the problem persists with the latest version, proceed with the next steps.
The message “Cannot insert a node of this type at this location.” usually originates from an invalid OpenXML element (e.g., a VML shape, OLE object, or corrupted table structure).
| Method | Description |
|---|---|
| Open in Word → “Open and Repair” | Word will try to fix the corrupted XML. Save the repaired file and test conversion again. |
| Remove content in stages | Delete sections (e.g., first page, headers/footers, pictures) and re‑run the conversion after each change. |
| Export to Flat OPC | Save the document as Word XML Document (.xml)* then open the XML in a text editor and look for <w:pict>, <v:shape> or <rel:oleObject> elements that are not closed properly. |
If you identify a specific element (e.g., an embedded Excel chart), you can:
var request = new ConvertDocumentRequest(
"part-of-real-document-aspose-doesnt-work.docx",
new ConvertDocumentOptions { SaveFormat = "pdf" });
var response = await wordsApi.ConvertDocument(request);
Running the conversion locally (instead of via the cloud service) gives you a full exception message, which often contains the exact node that caused the failure.
using Aspose.Words;
using Aspose.Words.Saving;
var doc = new Document("part-of-real-document-aspose-doesnt-work.docx");
doc.Save("output.pdf", SaveFormat.Pdf);
If the same exception is thrown, the stack trace will indicate the offending node (e.g., Body, Run, Paragraph). Send that stack trace to our support team – it speeds up the root‑cause analysis.
The attachment you added to the forum cannot be accessed by the support engineers. To let us reproduce the issue on our side:
part-of-real-document-aspose-doesnt-work.docx.Our engineering team will run the conversion in a controlled environment, identify the offending OpenXML construct, and provide either a fix or a workaround.
| Situation | Work‑around |
|---|---|
| Corrupted VML shapes | Convert the document to DOCX → DOCX (re‑save) before converting to PDF. |
| Embedded OLE objects | Remove OLE objects (doc.RemoveAllChildren(NodeType.Shape);). |
| Invalid table markup | Recreate the table programmatically or copy its content into a new table. |
| Header/Footer issues | Delete and recreate headers/footers via the API. |
Example (removing all shapes before conversion):
var doc = new Document("input.docx");
doc.GetChildNodes(NodeType.Shape, true).Clear(); // removes VML/SmartArt shapes
doc.Save("output.pdf", SaveFormat.Pdf);
We’ll investigate the document on our side as soon as we receive the ticket and will get back with a definitive fix.
If you need any further assistance—whether it’s a code sample, guidance on removing problematic nodes, or help creating the support ticket—please let us know. We’re here to help!
I will take a look into that, thanks for sharing the file.