Summary:
Microsoft Word is undoubtedly the most preferred application on the planet for creating documents. But we all know that even the best of the applications have flaws and MS Word is not an exception. One of the most common problems encountered is MS word keeps crashing while saving or opening a word document. This article will be guiding you to find the best-tried solutions to repair the Word document that keeps crashing while working.
Why does Microsoft Word crash while opening / saving a document?
Main causes that might lead to MS Word crashing or shutting down unexpectedly are listed below:
- MS word keeps crashing if the Word application is not installed properly
- Windows and Mac don’t give permission for third-party add-ins. This would result in conflict and cause trouble in opening the Word document.
- The drive where MS Word has been installed could be corrupt
- MS Word application could have been infected by malware
Fix “Microsoft Word Keeps Crashing” on Windows & Mac computers
How to fix “Microsoft Word keeps crashing” on Windows
Methods to fix “MS Word crashing” on Mac
To repair the MS word keeps crashing problem, follow the below-mentioned methods:
Basic Fix: Download and Install Word Updates
As mentioned in the reasons, Microsoft Word crashing could be due to improper installation of Word application. If the MS Word is not installed or updated appropriately it encounters incompatibility issues.
Check whether your operating system and Office suite are up to date. If your Office version or Windows system is out of date, Microsoft Office stop working and even crashes. Install the latest Windows Update or Office Update.
How to Repair Crashed Word Document on Windows?
Method 1: Use Safe Mode to open the MS Word
Booting your Windows into Safe mode and trying to open the Word application is the easiest way to check if the application has any add-in or plug-in related Word errors. Safe mode allows your Word document open which potentially has software conflicts due to third-party plug-ins.
Press and hold Ctrl along with the MS Word icon. Click Agree to all the instructions proposed and click OK. You are now in safe mode and can open the desired document. You can copy, transfer, save your Word document.
Method 2: Turn off add-ins
1: Press Windows + R keys and type: winword.exe /a, Enter to open MS Word without plug-ins.
2: Next Right Click on File, select Customized Quick Access toolbar Option. From the left side of the screen select Add-ins.
3: Click Manage at the bottom and select COM Add-ins, now uncheck the add-ins one after the other, and click OK to confirm. Restart Word to check if the issue has been resolved.
Method 3: Use the Office Repair tool
If Word document doesn’t work in Safe mode, try repairing your Office installation using a default repair tool
1: Right-click on the start menu choose Program & Features.
2: Select the Office installation. Right-click and select Change (Modify) then check the repair option and continue.
If none of the above- methods appeared to be useful for your problem, all you have to do is run the most recommended tool on your computer to repair the MS word document that is crashing.
SFWare Repair Word Document tool is designed with a robust algorithm that will scan and repair your MS Word files efficiently keeping your original .doc or .docx document unaltered. This Word Repair tool is known for its easy user interface. The efficient repairing methodology fixes your Word files crashing problem instantly and recovers your document without any error.
Method 4: Repair Word document crashing with the most efficient tool
Download and install the SFWare Repair Word Document tool. Launch the application on your computer.
Click on Browse and select the error causing Word document. Click on Repair and the tool will start to repair Microsoft Word files.
Click on Click Here to Preview File button to evaluate the quality of the recovered Word file which was causing the error.
The tool not only helps you fix crashed Word documents but also helps in repairing the Word that doesn’t respond or open. The tool is compatible with all the versions of MS Word application including the new 2019, 2016, 2013, and other old versions.
How to Repair Crashed Word documents on Mac?
Just like Windows, Booting Mac in Safe mode helps you fix the MS word crashing in the Mac problem.
Method 1: Boot Mac in Safe Mode
- Turn on your Mac by pressing the power button. Restart the computer if you are already using it.
- You will be able to hear the startup sound. As soon as you hear the ring; press the Shift key on the keyword.
- Hold the Shift key for a few seconds to restart Mac in the safe mode.
- You could notice Safe Mode at the top right corner of the screen. Just log-in to your account and try accessing the MS Word application on it.
Method 2: Run Disk Utility to Repair Crashed Word
Running the application in Disk Utility will make sure that your Mac’s disk would stay in a safe and healthy state. To repair your Mac’s disk and fix Word keeps crashing on Mac, follow these quick steps:
- From the main menu on Mac, click on Go menu, click Utilities. Start the Disk Utility program.
- From the left panel, select the primary disk on your system. (In most of the cases, it is Macintosh HD).
- Now, click on the First Aid option from its toolbar and confirm your choice.
- Mac starts the process of repairing the disk. Once it completes the repairing process, restart your Mac and check if Microsoft Word keeps crashing on Mac or not.
You should be able to repair the trouble-causing error MS word keeps crashing in both Windows and Mac platforms using the above-mentioned methods.
If you have missed any unsaved, lost, or deleted Word document on Mac, You can easily recover your Word document on Mac.
Method 3: Clearing the AutoRecovery Folder
MS Word comes with an inbuilt feature Auto-save that automatically saves the running document in the background. If your files are closed unexpectedly, It allows us to get our files back. However, sometimes the AutoRecovery function might clash with the application and cause trouble forcing to MS Word crashing. Therefore, you can consider clearing it to fix Word on Mac that keeps crashing.
- Launch Finder on your Mac, and from its menu, click on Go > Go to Folder.
- Now, copy and paste the path “~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Word/Data/Library/Preferences/AutoRecovery/” on your Mac (without the quotes).
- As you click on “Go“, it will open the AutoRecovery folder on your Mac.
One the folder is accessed, just delete the auto-saved files so that the folder would be cleared. Make sure you have the updated saved version of files before deleting it.
Method 4: Reset the Word Preferences to fix MS Word crashing on Mac
Sometimes, if the preferences on the application is incorrect, it may cause the trouble in MS word. To resolve this, you can reset the preferences altogether and try restarting Word.
- To start with, select the Word icon on the desktop and go to the Word > Preferences option from the menu.
- When Word Preferences tab appears, click on the File Locations icon from here.
- This will open the File Locations feature on the screen. Click on the User templates option and choose to Reset
- You can also click on the Modify button to view it. Here, you can see a Normal You can cut and paste it to any other location (like your desktop) or simply move it to the Trash as well.
Bottom line:
With the help of above-mentioned methods, you should be able to fix MS Word crashing issue on both Windows and Mac systems. If you were able to fix the error, do let us know in the comment section below.
