Question

Word is not responding

Answer 1

Restarting and installing updates
Start Word in Safe Mode
Automatic Office Repair
Disconnect Word add-ins
Delete Normal.dotm
Change Windows default printer
Antivirus software problems

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Word is not responding

Microsoft Word is probably the world's most popular word processing program, and many users even use it as a synonym for writing software. Despite the many years it has been in development and the wide circulation it has, this program does not always work well. Sometimes Word fails to open a file or crashes on startup. Often times, the problem is with an additional plug-in, a macro, or the antivirus, and it has nothing to do with Word itself. A buggy style or document can also cause Word to become unresponsive..

Index

1. Restarting and installing updates
2. Start Word in Safe Mode
3. Automatic Office Repair
4. Disconnect Word add-ins
5. Delete Normal.dotm
6. Change Windows default printer
7. Antivirus software problems

Restarting and installing updates

In many cases it is enough to resort to a simple trick :

1. Open Word by using the program icon, not by double-clicking on a document.
2. Create a new document and save it. In many cases, this is enough to solve the problem. By following these steps, you will be able to reopen Word by double-clicking on a document as usual.

Another very common cause is the lack of Word updates . This can lead to problems when combined with macros or newer Windows system components that cause Word to stop working or become unresponsive if it is running. Make sure to update Word and Windows itself regularly.

advice

Microsoft 365, formerly known as? Microsoft Office 365 ?, is a server solution with Word, Excel and PowerPoint for individual users and small businesses. This way you will always receive the most recent version and you won't have to worry about updates..

You can adjust automatic updates as follows:

1. Go to Windows 10 settings, click ? Update & Security / Windows Update? and then in? Advanced options ?.
2. In the next window, activate the option? Receive updates for other Microsoft products ?. Windows will now also automatically check for updates for Word and other Office components and install them in the background, just like Windows security updates.

Start Word in Safe Mode

Similar to when we have Windows startup problems, Word also offers us the possibility of opening the program from Safe Mode . In this mode, plug-ins, macros, custom icon bars, and autostart programs are ignored. There are two options to start Word in Safe Mode:

1. Hold down the [Ctrl] key when you double-click the program icon to open it. Word will open in Safe Mode.
2. Alternatively, you can use the / safe command to boot. To do this, press the key combination [Win] + [R] and type winword / safe .

Word starts in Safe Mode through this parameter.

Safe Mode is also useful when you have problems with other programs, for example if Excel is not responding.

Automatic Office Repair

Microsoft has its own repair function for Office that allows you to fix many problems when an Office program, such as Word, does not work..

1. This repair option is found in the Windows 10 settings, in the "Applications" section.
2. Looking for? Microsoft Office? in the list and click? Modify ?.
3. Confirm the user account control question.
4. Then a selection window will appear where you can add or remove features and repair the entire Office suite. After the repair has completed successfully, Word will probably open without a problem.

In addition, there is automatic document repair , which opens itself if the program has not been closed properly during its last use. The next time you open the program, the software will automatically try to recover unsaved Word documents.

Disconnect Word add-ins

If Word works again in Safe Mode but still crashes in normal mode, the problem is probably an installed add-in .

1. In the menu ribbon ? File? , click on? Options ?.
2. In the side menu of the next dialog box, select the area? Add-ons ?. All installed plugins are listed there.
3. In the list field ? Manage? At the bottom of the dialog box, select the option ? COM Add-ins ? and click? Go ...?.
4. Remove the check mark from all installed COM add-ins to start Word without these potentially erroneous extensions. Click? OK? and start Word again. If the problem was coming from a faulty add-in, Word should work without a problem from now on.

COM add-ins can be the cause of Word not responding.

In the dialog box, you can activate the Word add-ins one by one to determine which is the faulty add-in. If possible, install a newer version of the plugin. If not, uninstall it or leave it disabled until its developer releases an update.

Delete Normal.dotm

Word uses the ? Normal.dotm? for all documents where default styles, tailored menu ribbons, and other settings have been saved. If an error creeps into this template, Word may not work.

1. Close Word first.
2. Rename the file? Normal.dotm? from the C: \ Users \ <user name> \ AppData \ Roaming \ Microsoft \ Templates folder p. ex. to ? _Normal.dotm ?.
3. When you reopen Word, a new standard template is automatically created. Any custom formats or other settings will be lost.

Change Windows default printer

Like other Microsoft Office programs, Word accesses information from the installed default printer to render documents on screen as close to the printed image as possible. If the default printer driver does not work or if the printer is not connected, Word may stop responding.

1. Go to the Windows 10 settings and select a non-problem printer as the default printer in ? Devices / Printers and scanners? . You can use, p. For example, the pre-installed Microsoft Print to PDF .
2. Restart Word. If the problem was in the printer settings, it will be solved.

In the settings? Printers and scanners? you can set your default printer.

Antivirus software problems

Third-party antivirus software can cause Word to become unresponsive on startup or not open at all. Some of these antiviruses do not detect macros or add-ons correctly and proceed to block them. Often, they don't even issue a warning message.

1. Access the protocol of your antivirus software to check if Word or a plug-in used has been blocked.
2. Even if you can't find anything, try at least once to open Word with the antivirus disconnected. If the problem disappears, it is very likely that it lies with the antivirus.
3. Try to enable both Word and all the add-ins used in antivirus software. If you don't use an external antivirus but Windows Defender installed by default in Windows 10, there are usually no problems when opening Word and other Microsoft applications.

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