Microsoft Word 365 Freezes or Becomes Unresponsive

Microsoft 365 and Office
1

After switching to an Office 365 subscription, I've been experiencing issues with Word constantly freezing. Previously, I used a standalone Office for Mac version that worked without problems. Now, I have to force quit Word to regain access. I suspect the issue might occur when I start a document, take a break, and then try to resume working on it later.

2

I totally understand your frustration with Word freezing on you. It can be super annoying, especially if you’re in the middle of something important.

First off, let’s try to narrow down the cause of the issue. Since you upgraded to Office 365, it’s worth checking if it’s a compatibility problem or if the document itself is causing the trouble. Here are a few steps to help you troubleshoot:

  1. Try reopening the problematic document in Safe Mode: Close Word, press the Windows key + R, type winword /safe, and press Enter. If Word opens without freezing, it might indicate an add-in or a third-party plugin causing the issue.

  2. Check for document corruption: Create a new document and copy-paste the content from the problematic one. If the new document works without freezing, the issue might be with the original file. You can try using Word’s built-in document repair tool:

    Repair Document Tool:

    1. Open Word.
    2. Go to File > Open.
    3. Select the problematic document.
    4. Click Open and then Repair.

  3. Update your Office 365: Ensure you have the latest updates for Office 365. Sometimes, new updates can resolve known issues.

    Update Office 365:

    1. Open any Office app (e.g., Word, Excel).
    2. Go to File > Account.
    3. Click Update Options > Update Now.

  4. Disable add-ins: Disable all add-ins and see if the issue persists. You can do this by going to File > Options > Add-ins and unchecking the boxes next to each add-in. Restart Word and test if the freezing continues.

  5. Reset Word settings: If all else fails, you can try resetting Word’s settings to their default.

    Reset Word Settings:

    1. Close Word.
    2. Press the Windows key + R, type %appdata%\Microsoft\Word, and press Enter.
    3. Delete the contents of the folder.

Let me know if any of these steps help resolve the freezing issue. If not, we can dive deeper into other potential causes.