6 Methods to Fix Microsoft Word Not Responding Issue

Microsoft Word can be a powerful program, but it will sometimes stop responding, freeze, or crash. It can be frustrating when you are working on a document that is important. Don’t panic if you are experiencing this problem! This guide will show you six ways to fix Microsoft Word that won’t respond and restore your work.

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Why does Microsoft Word stop responding?

Let’s first understand the most common causes of Microsoft Word freezing or crashing.

Old software can cause performance problems.
Add-ins that conflict with Word – Third-party addins can cause Word to malfunction.
Open large or damaged documents. Opening files that are very large or damaged can cause Word to slow down.

Word can become unresponsive if the system is not equipped with enough resources.
Corrupt Office files – Damaged Office installations can cause problems.

Let’s look at six solutions that will fix Microsoft Word responding slowly!

Method 1: Restart Microsoft Word on Your Computer

Sometimes the simplest solutions are the best. Try these steps.

Close Word – Use Task Manager (Ctrl+ Shift+ Esc) to terminate the task if it is frozen.
Restarting your computer will fix any temporary Word glitches.

Open Word again and check if the problem persists.

If Word doesn’t respond to your request, try the next method.

Method 2: Open Word Safe Mode

Safe Mode disables any add-ins that may be causing your issue.

How to open Word in safe mode:

Open the Run dialog by pressing Windows + R.
Enter winword/safe by typing it and pressing Enter.

Open Word and see if it opens without freezing.

If Word runs fine in Safe Mode then one of your addins may be the culprit. You can disable them by following these steps:

Open Word normally

Click File > Options and then Add-Ins.
Select COM Add-ins under Manage and click Go.
Word will restart after you uncheck all the add-ins.

Identify the problematic add-in by enabling them one at a time.

Method 3: Repair corrupt word documents

Microsoft Word may become unresponsive when a file is corrupted. Try these steps.

Step 1: Use Repair Tool Built-In

Open Word by clicking File > Open.
Click Browse to select the document.
Click on the arrow next the the Open button to choose Open and repair.

Try copying the contents to a brand new document if Word is still freezing.

Open the file in Word (if you can).
Copy and paste the text in a new Word document.

Save the new files and verify that it is working normally.

Method 4: Update Microsoft Word & Windows

It can be problematic to use an older version of Word and Windows.

Microsoft Word Update:

Open Word, and click File > Account.
Click Update Options to Update Now.
Install all available updates.

Windows Update:

Windows + I will open Settings.
Update and Security > Windows Update.

Install all updates by clicking on Check for updates.

After installing the updates, restart your computer and see if Word still works.

Microsoft Office Repair Method 5

Microsoft Word won’t respond because the installation files are corrupted? Repairing Office will solve the problem.

Microsoft Office Repair Steps:

Enter appwiz.cpl when you press Windows + R.
Microsoft Office should be in the list.

Click Change > Repair with the right-click.
Select Quick Repair first. Online Repair should be selected if the Quick Repair option doesn’t help.
Word may not be working properly if you restart your computer.