Microsoft Word Problems On Mac

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Oct 26, 2020 • Filed to: Solve Mac Problems • Proven solutions

Unfortunately, Word still doesn't use the typical Mac toolbar customization sheet; Microsoft says those sheets couldn't manage all the options Microsoft wanted to offer. To avoid this problem and fix Microsoft Word keeps crashing on Mac, simply create another account on your system instead. To start things, go to the Apple icon from the desktop and visit System Preferences.

• To have us reset user options and registry settings in Microsoft Word for you, go to the 'Here's an easy fix' section. If you prefer to reset user options and registry settings in Microsoft Word yourself, go to the 'Let me fix it myself' section. Word can detect and repair problems associated with Setup. This feature uses the Windows.
• As mentioned earlier, it'll free up hard drive space and also prevent other applications from having trouble. Microsoft Office 2011 doesn't automatically remove Microsoft Office 2008 from your Mac. If you created a file in Office 2011 then accidentally opened Office 2008, it might report a problem opening the file.
• If the problem continues to occur, go to the next method. Method 3 - Clean start the operating system We recommend you clean start the operating system to determine if other programs are interfering with Word for Mac.

Just like any other software program, MS Word is also susceptible to issues. You will find unlimited queries on forum sites asking, 'why won't my Word document open on my Mac.' Most of the people have no idea why their Microsoft Word stopped working randomly. If you are also facing a similar situation, you will have to look for an appropriate solution to fix this issue.

In this article, we will discuss the potential fixes that can resolve the Microsoft Word, not working issue.

Part 1. Why Won't Microsoft Word Open on Mac Computer?

As MS Word is a widely used program, a malfunction could get tragic real soon. Before you get to solutions, you must go through the reasons for this problem first. The common causes of these issues are. Intel iris plus graphics 655 fortnite.

• Inappropriate shutdown or system crash
• Shift + Delete, and the file is deleted permanently from the device.
• Formatted drives
• Damaged and corrupted files
• Virus or malware attack

Unless you have a brief idea about what caused the problem, you won't be able to steer away from the common errors. The user's listed common symptoms that lead to the 'word won't open on my Mac' issue are given below:

• The application keeps closing without any warning.
• MS Word encounters an unknown issue and needs to close.
• Erase, Install, or re-install factory version of OS X
• MS Word file can't open due to an error.

When you face a situation like this, don't pain and look for solutions on the internet. If you are lucky, then you'll come across real fixes soon. Otherwise, you might have to struggle to find an ideal fix.

Part 2. How to Fix 'Microsoft Word Not Opening Mac'?

With so many versions and updates on MS Word, it can get hard to simplify the solutions for all versions. Here is a summarized list of solutions that can work when Microsoft Word is not opening on Mac. All these methods are useful and easy to carry out. So, give them a try one by one.

Solution 1. Remove Word Preferences to Open Frozen Word

Sometimes, it is the random words combination or special characters that lead to such issues. It can be resolved if you follow the steps below.

1. Open library and type Library in the Go to the Folder and hit the Go button.
2. Look for a folder that says 'Preferences.' This folder contains the preferences file you set for the MS Word program.
3. Open the folder, search for a file named- 'com.microsoft.Word.plist,' and move the file to the desktop. Now, try opening the Word file and see if the problem persists. If it does, then move the file to its original location and move on to the next step.
4. Exit every Microsoft program running on your Mac and click on the Word option in the Apple Menu. Tap on the 'Preferences' option from the list.
5. Choose the File Locations option and select the 'User templates.'
6. Locate the file which saved as Normal and moves it to the desktop.

Solution 2. Open and Repair Microsoft Word

Everyone knows how to open Microsoft Word on Mac, but we do not talk about just opening and closing the files. You can also repair the MS Word files with the following steps.

1. Start MS Word and click on the File menu. Choose the Open option, and it will open up a dialog box where you can select the Word file which needs repair.
2. While you are selecting the file, at the right bottom side of the window, choose the Repair option and click on the Ok button.

The Mac utility will automatically repair the not opening Word file, and you will be able to use it now.

Solution 3. Run Disk Utility to Repair Word

Besides the above methods fail, you can also run the Disk Utility to repair the Word file if the Microsoft Word is not opening on your Mac computer.

1. Inside the Go menu, choose the Utility option and start the Disk Utility program.
2. Ensure that you choose the Primary hard disk of your Mac and then click on the 'First Aid' tab.
3. You will get a pop-up option that asks you to run First Aid on the drive. Hit the Run option, and the Disk Utility will repair the Disk volume errors and permissions issues.

When the process finishes, click on 'Done' and check whether the problem is fixed or not. There are maximum chances that the problem will be resolved. But if MS Word is still not responding correctly to commands, then there is one 100% guaranteed solution left to recover your Word Documents.

Solution 4. Recover Not Opening Word Files on Mac

While you are trying to repair the drive and Word files, it is common that the solutions don't work as expected, and the files get deleted from Mac. Here is the perfect solution if getting stuck in such circumstances without any recovery option.

The best tool available for Word file recovery on the internet is Recoverit Word Recovery software. This software is capable of recovering various kinds of deleted or lost data. For example, Word documents, PowerPoint, Excel files, PDF, photos, videos, songs, audios, and many more. It is a faster, easier, and 100% secure data recovery tool with the market's highest recovery rate.

How to Fix Microsoft Word Won't Open on Mac

Now, let's have a look at the simple steps on Word document recovery. You only need to launch the Word file recovery software and do a few clicks.

Step 1: Select a location storing the Word file.

To recover the not opening document caused by accidental deletion, you need to select the drive where the data files are lost. Then, click the 'Start' button.

Step 2: Scan the Word location for files

Typically, the software will run an all-around scan and search for the lost and deleted files on the entire drive. If you perform an emptied trash recovery or HFS+ data rescue, you can even try the deep scan mode.

Step 3: Preview and recover Word documents.

When the scan completes, the files will be listed on the screen. The software will sort out the files according to format to make the search easier. You can select multiple files at a time and have a preview of them.

Part 3. Tips Against 'Microsoft Word Won't Open on Mac.'

If you don't want to go through this problem, you should have to take care of a few things. This way, you will be successful in avoiding the Microsoft Word won't open on Mac issue in the future. So, here are some tips that you need to follow:

• Avoid relying on automated tools to clean up the cache or redundant files on your Mac. These tools often end up deleting the important files on the device.
• In case you use the Command Line to delete a file, be careful as a single mistake can lead to bigger issues.
• Never format a drive before creating a backup; otherwise, you might end up losing important files.
• Stay focused while partitioning the drives on your Mac. Improper partitioning can lead to corruption of data files stored on the drive.
• Avoid rushing commands on MS Word. If you pass on multiple commands at once, then Word might get confused, and the file might become inaccessible due to some random mistake.

Even a little mishandling can lead to major working issues in MS Word. Instead of worrying about how you can rescue the data, try keeping the data safe on the first hand.

Now you know how to open Word on Mac along with the process of repair. And if you are facing a dilemma and then want to recover Word files, you can always think of using Recoverit Data recovery software.

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Office 365 ProPlus is being renamed to Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise. For more information about this change, read this blog post.

Summary

This article describes how to identify a damaged document in Word 2007 and later versions. Additionally, this article includes steps that explain how to recover the text and data that is contained in a document after you have identified the document as damaged.

This article is intended for a beginning to intermediate computer user.You may find it easier to follow the steps if you print this article first.

Update Microsoft Office and Windows

Many software issues can be resolved by updating the Microsoft Office and Windows programs.

A damaged document or a software issue?

A Word document can become corrupted for several reasons that will prevent you from opening it. This behavior may be related to damage to the document or to the template on which the document is based. This behavior might include the following:

• Repeatedly renumbers the existing pages in the document
• Repeatedly redoes the page breaks in the document
• Incorrect document layout and formatting
• Unreadable characters on the screen
• Error messages during processing
• A computer that stops responding when you open the file
• Any other unexpected behavior that cannot be attributed to the typical operation of the program

Sometimes, this behavior can be caused by factors other than document damage. It is important to determine whether the document is damaged or whether the problem is a software issue. To eliminate these other factors, follow these steps:

1. Look for similar behavior in other documents. Try to open other Word documents to see whether the same problem occurs. If they open correctly, then the problem might be with the Word document.
2. Look for similar behavior in other Microsoft Office programs. If this is the case, then the issue might be with another application or the operating system.

If any of these steps indicate that the problem is not in the document, you will then have to troubleshoot Word, the Office suite, or the operating system that is running on the computer.

Troubleshooting steps to try if the damaged document does not open

Try the methods in the order given. If one does not work for you, try the next one.

Method 1: Open the damaged document in draft mode without updating links

Step 1: Configure Word

1. Start Word.
2. On the View tab, select Draft in the Views group.
3. Select the File Menu, and then Options, and then Advanced.
4. In the Show document content section, select Use draft font in Draft and Outline views and Show picture placeholders.
5. Scroll down to the General section, clear the check box Update automatic links at open, select OK, and then close Word.

Step 2: Open the damaged document

1. Start Word.
2. Select the File Menu, and then select Open.
3. Select the damaged document, and then select Open.

If you can open the document, close the document and then reopen it by using method 6, and repair the document. Otherwise go to method 2.

Method 2: Insert the document as a file in a new document

Step 1: Create a new blank document

1. Select the File Menu, and then select New.

2. Select Blank document, and then select Create.

   Note

   You might have to reapply some formatting to the last section of the new document.

Step 2: Insert the damaged document into the new document

1. On the Insert tab, select Insert Object, and then select Text From File.

2. In the Insert File dialog box, locate and then select the damaged document. Then, select Insert.

   Note

   You might have to reapply some formatting to the last section of the new document.

Method 3: Create a link to the damaged document

Step 1: Create blank document

1. In Word, select the File Menu, and then select New.
2. Select Blank document, and then select Create.
3. In the new document, type 'This is a test.'
4. Select the File Menu, and then select Save.
5. Type 'Rescue link,' and then select Save.

Step 2: Create link

1. Select the text you typed in step 1-3.
2. On the Home tab, select Copy in the Clipboard group.
3. Select the File Menu, and then select New.
4. Select Blank document, and then select Create.
5. On the Home tab, select the arrow on the Paste button in the Clipboard group, and then select Paste Special.
6. Select Paste link, select Formatted Text (RTF).
7. Select OK.

Step 3: Change the link to the damaged document

1. Right-click the linked text in the document, point to Linked Document Object, and then select Links.

2. In the Links dialog box, select the file name of the linked document, and then select Change Source.

3. In the Change Source dialog box, select the document that you cannot open, and then select Open.

4. Select OK to close the Links dialog box.

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   The information from the damaged document will appear if there was any recoverable data or text.

5. Right-click the linked text, point to Linked Document Object, and then select Links.

6. In the Links dialog box, select Break Link.

7. When you receive the following message, select Yes: Are you sure you want to break the selected links?

Method 4: Use the 'Recover Text from Any File' converter

Note

The 'Recover Text from Any File' converter has limitations. For example, document formatting is lost. Additionally, graphics, fields, drawing objects, and any other items that are not text are lost. However, field text, headers, footers, footnotes, and endnotes are retained as simple text.

1. In Word, select the File Menu, and then select Open.
2. In the Files of type box, select Recover Text from Any File(.).
3. Select the document from which you want to recover the text.
4. Select Open.

After the document is recovered by using the 'Recover Text from Any File' converter, there is some binary data text that is not converted. This text is primarily at the start and end of the document. You must delete this binary data text before you save the file as a Word document.

Note

If you are using Word 2007 and there is not a file button in the User Interface, choose the Office Button and follow the directions when necessary.

Troubleshooting steps to try if you can open the damaged document

Method 1: Copy everything except the last paragraph mark to a new document

Step 1: Create a new document

1. In Word, select File on the Ribbon, and then select New.
2. Select Blank document, and then select Create.

Step 2: Open the damaged document

1. Select File on the Ribbon, and then select Open.
2. Select the damaged document, and then select Open.

Step 3: Copy the contents of document, and then paste the contents into the new document

Note

If your document contains section breaks, copy only the text between the sections breaks. Do not copy the section breaks because this may bring the damage into your new document. Change the document view to draft view when you copy and paste between documents to avoid transferring section breaks. To change to draft view, on the View tab, select Draft in the Document Views group.

1. In the damaged document, press CTRL+END, and then press CTRL+SHIFT+HOME.
2. On the Home tab, select Copy in the Clipboard group.
3. On the View tab, select Switch Windows in the Window group.
4. Select the new document that you created in step 1.
5. On the Home tab, select Paste in the Clipboard group.

If the strange behavior persists, go to method 8.

Method 2: Change the template that is used by the document

Step 1: Determine the template that is used by the document

1. Open the damaged document in Word.
2. Select File on the Ribbon, and then select Options.
3. Select Add-Ins.
4. In the Manage box, select Templates under View and manage Office add-ins.
5. Select Go.

The Document template box will list the template that is used by the document. If the template that is listed is Normal, go to step 2. Otherwise, go to step 3.

Step 2: Rename the global template (Normal.dotm)

1. Exit Word.
2. Select the Start button.
3. In your operating system, search for normal.dotm. It's typically found in this location: %userprofile%appdataroamingmicrosofttemplates
4. Right-click Normal.dotm, and then select Rename.
5. Type 'Oldword.old', and then press ENTER.
6. Close File Explorer.
7. Start Word, and then open the document.

Step 3: Change the document template

1. Open the damaged document in Word.
2. Select File on the Ribbon, and then select Options.
3. Select Add-Ins.
4. In the Manage box, select Templates, and then select Go.
5. Select Attach.
6. In the Templates folder, select Normal.dotm, and then select Open.
7. Select OK to close the Templates and Add-ins dialog box.
8. Exit Word.

Step 4: Verify that changing templates worked.

1. Start Word.
2. Select File on the Ribbon, and then select Options.
3. Select the damaged document, and then select Open.

If the strange behavior persists, go to method 3.

Method 3: Start Word using default settings

You can use the /a switch to start Word by using only the default settings in Word. When you use the /a switch, Word does not load any add-ins. Additionally, Word does not use your existing Normal.dotm template. Restart Word by using the /a switch.

Step 1: Start Word by using the /a switch

1. Exit Word.

2. Select the Start button and search for Run. In the Run dialog box type the following:

   winword.exe /a

Step 2: Open the document

1. In Word, select File on the Ribbon, and then select Open.
2. Select the damaged document, and then select Open.

If the strange behavior persists, go to method 4.

Method 4: Change printer drivers

Step 1: Try a different printer driver

1. In your operating system search for Devices and Printers.
2. Select Add a printer.
3. In the Add Printer dialog box, select Add a local printer.
4. Select Use an existing port, and then select Next.
5. In the Manufacturer list, select Microsoft.
6. Select Microsoft XPS Document Writer, and then select Next.
7. Select Use the driver that is currently installed (recommended), and then select Next.
8. Select to select the Set as the default printer check box, and then select Next.
9. Select Finish.

Step 2: Verify that changing printer drivers fixes the problem

1. Start Word.
2. Select File on the Ribbon, and then select Open.
3. Select the damaged document, and then select Open.

If the strange behavior persists, go to step 3.

Step 3: Reinstall original printer driver.

Windows 10 and Windows 7

1. In your operating system search for Printers.

2. Select the original default printer, and then select Delete.

   If you are prompted for an administrator password or for a confirmation, type the password, or select Continue.

3. If you are prompted to remove all the files that are associated with the printer, select Yes.

4. Select Add a printer or scanner, and then follow the instructions in the Add Printer Wizard to reinstall the printer driver.

Step 4: Verify that changing printer drivers fixes the problem

1. Start Word.
2. Select File on the Ribbon, and then select Open.
3. Select the damaged document, and then select Open.

If the strange behavior persists, go to method 5.

Method 5: Force Word to try to repair a file

Step 1: Repair document

In Word, select File on the Ribbon, and then select Open.

1. In the Open dialog box, click once to highlight your Word document.
2. Select the arrow on the Open button, and then select Open and Repair.

Step 2: Verify that repairing the document fixes the problem

Verify that the strange behavior no longer occurs. If the strange behavior persists, restart Windows, and then go to method 6.

Method 6: Change the document format, and then convert the document back to the Word format

Step 1: Open the document

1. Start Word.
2. Select File on the Ribbon, and then select Open.
3. Select the damaged document, and then select Open.

Step 2: Save the document in a different file format

1. Select File on the Ribbon, and then select Save as.
2. Select Other Formats.
3. In the Save as file type list, select Rich Text Format (*.rtf).
4. Select Save.
5. Select File on the Ribbon, and then select Close.

Step 3: Open the document, and then convert document back to Word file format

1. In Word, select File, and then select Open.
2. Select the converted document, and then select Open.
3. Select File, and then select Save as.
4. Choose Word Document for the Save As type.
5. Rename the document's file name, and then select Save.

Step 4: Verify that converting the document file format fixes the problem

Verify that the strange behavior no longer occurs. If the behavior persists, try to save the file in another file format. Repeat step 1 to step 4, and then try to save the file in the following file formats, in the following order:

• Webpage (.htm; .html)
• Any other word processing format
• Plain Text (.txt)

Note

When you save files in the Plain Text (.txt) format, you might resolve the damage to the document. However, all document formatting, macro codes, and graphics are lost. When you save files in the Plain Text (.txt) format, you must reformat the document. Therefore, use the Plain Text (.txt) format only if the other file formats do not resolve the problem.

If the strange behavior persists, go to method 7.

Method 7: Copy the undamaged parts of the damaged document to a new document

Step 1: Create a new document

1. In Word, select File, and then select New.
2. Select Blank document, and then select Create.

Step 2: Open the damaged document

1. Select File, and then select Open.
2. Select the damaged document, and then select Open.

Step 3: Copy the undamaged parts of document, and then paste the undamaged parts to the new document

Note

If your document contains section breaks, copy only the text between the sections breaks. Do not copy the section breaks because this might bring the damage into your new document. Change the document view to draft view when you copy and paste between documents to avoid transferring section breaks. To change to draft view, on the View tab, select Draft in the Document Views group.

1. In the damaged document, locate and then select an undamaged part of the document's contents.
2. On the Home tab, select Copy in the Clipboard group.
3. On the View tab, select Switch Windows in the Window group.
4. Select the new document that you created in step 1.
5. On the Home tab, select Paste in the Clipboard group.
6. Repeat steps 3a to 3e for each undamaged part of the document. You must reconstruct the damaged sections of your document.

Method 8: Switch the document view to remove the damaged content

If the document appears to be truncated (not all pages in the document are displayed), it might be possible to switch the document view and remove the damaged content from the document.

1. Determine the page number on which the damaged content is causing the document to appear to be truncated.

   1. In Word, select File, and then select Open.
   2. Select the damaged document, and then select Open.
   3. Scroll to view the last page that is displayed before the document appears to be truncated. Make a note of the content which appears on that page.

2. Switch views, and then remove the damaged content.

   1. On the View tab in the Document Views group, select Web Layout or Draft view.
   2. Scroll to view the content that was displayed before the document appeared to be truncated.
   3. Select and delete the next paragraph, table, or object in the file.
   4. On the View tab in the Document Views group, select Print Layout. If the document continues to appear to be truncated, continue to switch views and delete content until the document no longer appears truncated in Print Layout view.
   5. Save the document.

Method 9: Open the document with Notepad

If the document is corrupted and none of the previous methods work, try to recover its content by opening the document with Notepad.

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Note

By using this method, you will lose all formatting. The intention is to recover the content.

1. Locate the damaged document using Windows File Explorer.
2. Right click the document and select Open with.
3. Select Notepad:

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4. The document will open in Notepad with extra code and text around the content.

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You may have to change the file type from 'Text Documents (.txt)' to 'All Files (.*)'.5. Clean the text by deleting all or most of the extra characters.6. Select File, and then select Save As… Rename the document to make sure that you don't overwrite the damaged one.

Go back to Word and open the new document. Once in Word, you can clean it up and try to reapply the lost format.