Microsoft Word 365 Keeps Crashing – Solutions for Windows and Mac

Are you experiencing frequent crashes while using Microsoft Word 365 on your Windows or Mac computer? In this article, we will explore some solutions to help resolve this issue and keep your productivity on track.

Update Microsoft Office Software

To update your Microsoft Office software, open Microsoft Word and go to the “Account” tab. Then, click on “Update Options” and select “Update Now.” This will prompt the software to check for and install any available updates. If you’re using a Mac, open any Office application and go to the “Help” menu. Then, select “Check for Updates” and follow the prompts to install any available updates. It’s important to keep your software up to date to ensure it runs smoothly and to fix any bugs that may be causing crashes.

If your Microsoft Word 365 is still crashing after updating, you can try running it in safe mode. To do this, press and hold the Ctrl key while opening the Word application. This will open it in safe mode, which can help troubleshoot and fix any issues. If the problem persists, you may need to reach out to Microsoft’s technical support for further assistance.

Repair the Office Installation

To repair the Office installation on Windows, first, open the Control Panel and go to Programs and Features. Find Microsoft Office 365 in the list, right-click on it, and select Repair. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the repair process. If you’re on a Mac, open the Applications folder, find Microsoft Word 365, and drag it to the Trash. Then, reinstall the software from the original installation source. After repairing or reinstalling, make sure to install any available updates for Microsoft Word 365 to ensure it’s running the latest version.

This should help resolve any crashing issues you may be experiencing.

Manage AutoRecover Settings

Disable Add-ins to Troubleshoot

If Microsoft Word 365 keeps crashing on your Windows or Mac computer, one troubleshooting step you can take is to disable any add-ins that may be causing the issue. To do this, open Microsoft Word and go to the “File” menu. Then, select “Options” and choose “Add-Ins” from the left-hand menu.

Next, click on “Manage” at the bottom of the window and select “COM Add-Ins” from the dropdown menu. Click “Go” and uncheck all the add-ins in the list. Then, click “OK” and restart Microsoft Word.

By disabling the add-ins, you can troubleshoot whether any of them are causing the crashes. If Word stops crashing after disabling the add-ins, you can re-enable them one by one to identify the problematic one. This can help you pinpoint the issue and find a solution to keep Microsoft Word running smoothly on your Windows or Mac computer.

Launch Word in Safe Mode

In Safe Mode, Word will open with default settings, which can help identify and fix any issues causing it to crash. You can then try opening your document to see if it still crashes. If it doesn’t, the problem may be related to an add-in or customization.

If you’re using Word on a Mac, you can launch it in Safe Mode by pressing and holding the Option key while opening the application. This will prompt a message asking if you want to start Word in Safe Mode. Click “Yes” to launch Word without any add-ins or customization.

Launching Word in Safe Mode can help troubleshoot and resolve crashing issues on both Windows and Mac systems.

Recover Deleted or Unsaved Word Files

To recover deleted or unsaved Word files in Microsoft Word 365, there are a few options available. One solution is to check the AutoRecover folder, which can be accessed through the “File” tab in Word. Another option is to search for the files in the Recycle Bin on Windows or the Trash on Mac. If those options don’t work, there are third-party data recovery tools that may be able to help recover the files.

It’s also a good idea to check for any backups that may have been created, either through a cloud service or external storage device. If all else fails, reaching out to Microsoft’s technical support may provide additional solutions or resources for recovering the files.

Save Documents to a Different Location

Another way to save documents to a different location is by using the “Save As” function. Simply open the document you want to save, click on the “File” tab, and select “Save As.” Then, choose the location where you want to save the document and click “Save.”

Run Word with Administrative Privileges

To run Microsoft Word with administrative privileges on Windows, you can simply right-click on the Word application icon and select “Run as administrator” from the context menu. This will give Word the necessary permissions to access system files and settings, which can sometimes resolve crashing issues.

On Mac, you can open a Terminal window and use the “sudo” command to run Word with administrative privileges. Simply type “sudo -b /Applications/Microsoft\ Word.app/Contents/MacOS/Microsoft\ Word” and press Enter. You will be prompted to enter your administrator password, and then Word will open with the necessary privileges.

Running Word as an administrator can help with crashing issues that are caused by permission errors or conflicts with other software.

Delete Temporary Files and Word Backup

• Open File Explorer
• Click on the C: drive
• Open the Users folder
• Locate the folder with your username
• Open the AppData folder (this folder may be hidden)
• Open the Local folder
• Delete the Temp folder
• Open the Roaming folder
• Delete the Microsoft folder
• Open the Word folder
• Delete the Backup folder

Reinstall Microsoft Office if Necessary

If Microsoft Word 365 keeps crashing on your Windows or Mac computer, you may need to reinstall Microsoft Office. Before doing so, make sure to save any unsaved work and close all Office programs. Then, uninstall Microsoft Office from your computer by going to the Control Panel on Windows or using the Finder on Mac. Once uninstalled, restart your computer.

After restarting, go to the official Microsoft website and download the installer for Microsoft Office 365. Follow the on-screen instructions to reinstall the software. Once the installation is complete, open Microsoft Word 365 and check if the crashing issue has been resolved.

If the problem persists, you may need to contact Microsoft support for further assistance.

Alex Arnold