Editor Not Responding or Failing to Launch

Microsoft 365 and Office
1

Ever since the latest update to 365, I've been experiencing a string of issues. One of the most frustrating problems is that the spellcheck feature has stopped working. I'd like to ask for help and get some answers, but when I look at older threads from 2021, it seems like this issue has been ongoing without a fix.

I'm hoping for an update that will restore the system to its previous working state....

2

I totally understand your frustration. Yes, the spellcheck issue has been on and off for some users, and it’s annoying. First, let’s try the simple stuff before diving into more extensive troubleshooting steps.

  1. Update, Reinstall, and Restart:
    • Make sure you’re running the latest version of Microsoft 365. Sometimes, a pending update can resolve these issues.
    • If you’ve already got the latest update, try reinstalling Microsoft Office or the specific component like Microsoft Word. This might refresh some configuration files.
    • After reinstalling or updating, restart your system to ensure everything loads properly.

If that doesn’t fix it, let’s dive a bit deeper:

Checking Microsoft Office Settings and Add-ins

  1. Disable All Add-ins:

    • Often, an incompatible or malfunctioning add-in can interfere with the spellcheck feature. You can disable all add-ins to isolate the issue.
    • In Microsoft Word, go to File > Options > Add-ins.
    • Look for the “Go” button next to “Manage” at the bottom. Click it, and uncheck all the add-ins in the list.
    • Close and reopen Microsoft Word to see if spellcheck works now.

  2. Reset Microsoft Office Settings:

    • Another commonly overlooked issue is corrupted configuration files. Let’s reset these:
    • Press Win + R to open the Run dialog.
    • Type %appdata%\Microsoft\templates and click OK.
    • This folder contains your Office settings. Right-click on Normal.dotm and select “Delete”. This will reset Word to its default settings.
    • Repeat this process for other Office applications like Excel or PowerPoint if you’re facing issues there as well.

More Extensive Troubleshooting

  1. System File Checker (SFC):

    • It’s possible that some system files are corrupted, affecting Office functionality.
    • Open Command Prompt with Administrator privileges.
    • Type sfc /scannow and press Enter. This will scan and fix any corrupted system files.

  2. Clean Uninstall and Reinstall:

    • If everything else fails, do a clean uninstall and reinstall of Microsoft Office.
    • You can use Microsoft’s own Office Removal Tool for this. Just be sure to remove all Office files, including shared components.

If you’ve tried all these steps and the issue persists, it might be a problem specific to your system setup or configurations. You can try searching for more specific solutions online, or consider seeking professional support from Microsoft itself. Hope this helps you resolve the issue.