Microsoft Word Has Stopped Working [9 Useful Fixes]

These suggestions apply to Microsoft Word for Office 365, Word 2019, Word 2016, Word 2010, Word 2007, and Word for Mac.

There are eight methods in total for Microsoft Office Word has stopped working and Word file recovery and repair. These approaches can also be applied to fix similar issues on other Office apps, such as Excel, PowerPoint, etc.

Issue: Microsoft Word Has Stopped Working 2016/2013/2010/2007

With the increasing fame of Microsoft Office, its applications like Word have gained worldwide users' favor. However, the more users there are, the more problems there are. "Microsoft Office Word has stopped working" is one of the top concerned questions for many Word users. 

Usually, when Microsoft word stopped working error shows up, you have two available options to undertake: check online for a solution or close the program. When you choose to close the application, you may run into the problem that Microsoft word not opening.

If you are also facing Microsoft word not working issue in Microsoft Office Word 2016, 2013, 2010, or 2007, read on and check the provided solutions below. Depending on your situation, the solution may be different. We hope one will work for you.

9 Fixes for Microsoft Word Has Stopped Working Error in Windows 10/8/7

Once Microsoft Word stopped working, wait for the program to process firstly and try your best to save the editing document. If you've waited for a very long period with no progress, click "Close the program" on the pop-up window in Word and follow the methods to fix the issue effectively.  

Fix 1. Repair Corrupted Word Documents with a File Repair Tool 

You may encounter Microsoft Word stopped working issue when opening and viewing a corrupted Word document. Try to fix the damaged Word document with a robust file repair tool - Qiling file repair tool. This file repair software enables you to repair corrupted Word, Excel, and PPT from Microsoft Office 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010, & previous versions. 

• Free Download
• Windows 11/10/8/7, 100% Secure

Qiling file repair software fixes unreadable content in Word and restores them to the original form. It also can fix damaged, corrupted, or inaccessible PDF files, and recovers all objects.

Step 1. Launch Deep Data Recovery. Select file types and click "Next" to start.

Step 2. Then click "Scan" button to scan disk with corrupted documents. This software enables you to fix damaged Word, Excel, PPT, and PDF files in same steps. 

Step 3. Qiling data recovery and repair tool will scan for all lost and corrupted files. You can find the target files by file type or type the file name in the search box. 

Step 4. Deep Data Recovery can repair your damaged documents automatically. After file preview, you can click "Recover" to save the repaired Word, Excel, and PDF document files to a safe location.

Fix 2. Disable Add-ins in Safe Mode

Some incompatible add-ins may cause Word to stop working error with Office apps. A quick way to find out is by starting the Office app in Safe Mode and disabling the add-ins.

Step 1. Press Windows + R keys and type: winword.exe /a and hit Enter to open MS Word in Safe Mode without plugins. Or you can also use winword /safe to start Word in Safe Mode. If Office Word cannot be launched in Safe Mode, the problem is not with add-ins. Try repairing Office or uninstalling and reinstalling it instead.

Step 2. If Word starts in Safe Mode, fix the problem by disabling the application add-ins and COM add-ins. Click "File" > "Options" > "Add-Ins".

Step 3. Click "Manage" at the bottom and select COM Add-ins, click "Go" to uncheck the problematic ones and click "OK" to confirm. Some out-dated add-ins are more likely to cause problems. Uncheck these add-ins first if they are in your list: Abbyy FineReader, PowerWord, and Dragon Naturally Speaking.

After this, restart Word to check if the issue has been resolved.

Fix 3. Repair Office 2016/2013/2010/2007

According to some experienced users, when Microsoft Office contains errors, it would prevent users from opening a Word or edit any files. Then, you will get the Microsoft word has stopped working or Microsoft word not opening error. 

The application would directly shut down no matter you want to create a new document or continue editing a file. The direct solution towards this issue is to repair Office installation with the below steps:

Step 1. In Windows 10, 8, or 7, open Control Panel, click "Programs and Features" and click on "Microsoft Office".

Step 2. Locate and select your Microsoft Office, and click "Change" in the top menu.

Step 3. On the window, click "Repair" and then "Continue".

For Newer versions of Microsoft Office users, you can choose "Online Repair" or "Quick Repair" and click "Repair".

Step 4. Let the repair finish and restart your computer. 

When the repair process finishes, open your Word application to check if the error appears again.

Fix 4. Install Latest Windows Update or Office Update

When your Office version or Windows system is out of date, Microsoft Office Word may stop working and even crashes. Here are the steps to install the latest updates of Windows or Microsoft Office:

1. Install Latest Windows Update

Step 1. Press Windows + I to open Windows Settings. 

Step 2. Click "Update & Security" and select "Check for updates" under Windows Update.

Step 3. If a new Windows update window pops up, click "Install Now" and follow the instructions to install the available update.

2. Install Microsoft Office Update

For Office 2013 and newer versions:

Step 1. Open an Office application - Excel or Word, click "File".

Step 2. Click "Account" > "Product Information" > "Update Options" .

Step 3. Click "Enable Update" and then select "Update Now".

Note: If the Enable Update button is not available, it means that the automatic update feature is enabled.

For Office 2010 or older versions:

Step 1. Open an Office application - Excel or Word, click "File" > "Help".

Step 2. Click the "Check for Updates" or "Install Updates" option.

Follow the instructions to finish the process. After this, you can re-open a Word document or create a new Word file again.

Fix 5. Insert Word Document into Another File

Microsoft Word has stopped working error can sometimes occur while trying to open your previously saved documents. In this case, you can try inserting your document into another file to fix the issue. Do it by following these steps:

Step 1. Run Microsoft Office Word, and create a blank new file.

Step 2. Click "Insert" from the top ribbon menu, click "Text".

Step 3. Click "Object" and select " Text from File".

Step 4. Select the target Word document which is unopenable or not working, and click "Insert".

Step 5. Check the document content and save it as a new file on your PC.

Fix 6. Remove or Update Old Printer Drivers

Your printer drivers can interfere with Office and cause Microsoft Word has stopped working error to arise. So, sometimes you can fix this problem simply by removing or updating the default printer. To do that, follow these steps:

Step 1. Open Device Manager, and locate your printer.

Step 2. Right-click on your printer drivers and select "Uninstall" or "Update drivers".

Step 3. Uninstall or update the old printer drivers.

• For uninstalling the driver: click "OK" and restart the PC. 
• For updating the driver: click "Search automatically for updated driver software" and follow the instruction to finish the process, and restart the PC. Or, you can download a relative driver from your printer website and install it on your PC.

Fix 7. Remove or Delete Word Registry Keys

Some users have reported that Microsoft Word has stopped working error can appear due to problems with your registry. There is a key in the registry that stores frequently used options in Word. If you delete the key, Word rebuilds it the next time you start Word by using the default settings, thus fixing the problem.

Step 1. Bring up Registry Editor by typing regedit in the search bar and hit Enter.

Step 2. Click "Yes" to open Registry and follow the path to locate the Word options key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Word\Options.

Step 3. Locate and right-click the key, and select "Export".

Step 4. Save the Options key as "Wddata.reg" and save it on your Desktop.

Step 5. Go back to Registry Editor and locate the Options key, and delete it from the menu. 

Step 6. Exit Registry Editor.

After this, restart your Word and check if the problem is resolved. If the problem still exists, run the Wddata.reg on your Desktop to restore the deleted key.

Fix 8. Replace the Normal.dot Global Template File

Microsoft Word stores formatting and macros in a global template file. When the global template file is corrupted, you'll get the Microsoft word stopped working error message. To resolve the problem, you need to rename the Normal.dot file. 

Note: Modifying the global template file will lose some customization features, such as styles, macros, etc. To keep previous settings, you can copy the customization from one global template to another by using the Organizer. Do the following to replace Normal.dot file.

Step 1. Press Windows + X and select "Command Prompt (Admin)". Sign in if the program requires administrator permission.

Step 2. Enter the command below and hit Enter:

ren %userprofile%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates\OldNormal.dotm Normal.dotm

Step 3. Wait for the command to finish and exit Command Prompt.

After this, restart your Word application to check if you can use it to edit documents or create new files again.

Fix 9. Uninstall and Reinstall MS Office

Note: This fix may cause your activation key invalid after the reinstallation of MS Office. Make sure that your activation key can be used twice before taking the below steps.

Step 1. Keep your MS Office activation key and save it to another secure device.

Step 2. Open Control Panel, click "Program and Features", then locate and select Microsoft Office.

Step 3. Click "Uninstall" in the top menu.

Step 4. Re-install Microsoft Office on your PC and activate it with your serial key.

If your old key fails to activate the newly installed MS Office, please contact the Microsoft support team for help: https://support.microsoft.com/contactus.

More Guides: How to Recover Lost or Unsaved Word Documents 

Another big issue that concerns users the most is the lost or unsaved Word file when Word stopped working. If you're editing a Word document when it happens, you're likely to lose documents that haven't been saved. In this section, you can learn how to recover unsaved Word documents with useful tips. What's more, a renowned file recovery tool is introduced to help you repair and recover lost Word documents in the simplest way. 

How to Restore Unsaved Word Documents

If you lost unsaved Word documents due to Word crash, Word not responding, Word stopped working, Word keeps freezing, or other Word problems, there are three ways for you to recover unsaved Word documents in Windows 10. Link to the page to see details. 

• Fix 1. Recover from Temporary Files
• Fix 2. Recover from AutoRecover
• Fix 3. Use Document Recovery

For a Mac user, check this link to see how to recover unsaved Word document on Mac. 

How to Restore Deleted Word Document with File Recovery Software

If the Word has stopped working error lead to file corruption or if you have deleted some crucial Word documents and need to get them back, Deep Data Recovery is a great choice. This software will not only help you recover lost files but also help you repair damaged documents during the recovery process. 

Qiling data recovery software features:

• Recover lost or deleted Word, Excel, PPT, and PDF documents
• Repair corrupted files after the data recovery, such as repair corrupted Excel, Word, PPT, and PDF 
• Support data recovery for sudden deletion, formatting, hard drive corruption, virus attack, system crash under different situations
• Recover Word document on HDD, SSD, USB flash drive, pen drive, SD card, external hard drive, etc.

Download Qiling file recovery tool to recover lost or corrupted Word documents on HDD, USB flash drive, external hard drive, and more in only 3 simple steps.

Step 1. Select file types and click "Next" to start.

Launch Deep Data Recovery. Select file types and click "Next" to start.

Step 2. Choose the Word file location

Choose the drive or a specific folder and click the "Scan" button.

Step 3. Locate your Word files

The software will start immediately scanning all lost data on the selected drive. After the scan, click the "Documents" option in the left panel. Choose "Word" from the category bar. Then, click "Preview".

Step 4. Recover Word files

After previewing the lost Word files, select the desired Word files and click "Recover". Then, select a folder to store the Word files.

Causes of Microsoft Word Has Stopped Working Error 

Except for finding the right solutions to solve the Microsoft office has stopped working error on Windows PC, it's highly necessary to know the reasons that cause your Word malfunction. Here are the main reasons:

• Office edition isn't compatible with the current OS on your PC.
• Word is out of date.
• The device driver is out of date.
• Word Add-in issue. 
• Word file issue.

Useful Tips to Back Up and Protect Word File

If you are looking for a reliable method to fix the "Word has stopped working" error, the solutions included in the above two parts are capable to help you out.

If you prefer a more comprehensive plan to protect your precious Word documents, stay here. Two reliable Word backup tips are available here for you to try:

1. Enable Auto-Save Feature in Word

Applies to: Back up and save editing Word document.

Step 1. Open MS Word application and create a new file, click "File" > "Option".

Step 2. Click "Save" and check the below two boxes:

• "Save AutoRecover information every * munites" (set a time for autosave - every 2 or 5 minutes will be good)
• "Keep the last autosaved version if I close without saving"

Step 3. Click "OK" to confirm.

2. Back Up Saved Word File with File Backup Software

Applies to: Back up saved Word file on your local drive.

Reliable file backup software like Qiling Backup can help you effectively back up important files including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc. on a local drive with ease.

The backup will be a lifesaver to immediately bring your hard word back once you lose it due to unknown reasons.

Download and follow the below 3 steps to safely back up your Word file with ease:

Step 1. For the first time you use Qiling Backup to back up files, click File backup on the Backup and recovery page.

Step 2. Follow the paths to locate the files, folders or directories you want to back up, select them all.

Step 3. Now you need to select a backup location to save and retain the backup.

Step 4. Qiling Backup allows users to save the backup files to every device that is handy for you, like a local hard drive, external USB drive, SD card, network drive, or a NAS drive, plus a cloud drive of the Qiling brand. We personally recommend users to choose the cloud drive prior to a physical drive to save important backups due to the greater accessibility, flexibility and safety.

Step 5. If you're interested in an automatic and intelligent backup schedule for the next file backup task, go on with the "Options" setting. There you can encrypt a confidential file backup, compress the backup image size, or customize a backup scheme to tell the software in what time to start the next backup. 

Customize an advanced and automatic backup task here:

Step 6. Click "Proceed" to start the file backup process. Your completed backup files are visible on the left area in a card style.

FAQs About Microsoft Word Has Stopped Working

Here are a few questions related to Microsoft Word has stopped working. If you also have any of these problems, you can find the methods here.

1. How do I fix Microsoft Word has stopped working?

When MS word has stopped working, you can fix it by repairing Office installation.

Step 1. Open Control Panel, click "Programs and Features" and click on "Microsoft Office".

Step 2. Locate and select your Microsoft Office, and click "Change" in the top menu.

Step 3. On the window, click "Repair" and then "Continue". For Newer versions of Microsoft Office users, you can choose "Online Repair" or "Quick Repair" and click "Repair".

Step 4. Let the repair finish and restart your computer.

2. Why is my Microsoft Word not opening?

When there are a few corrupted documents, or you have an issue with a Word or 3rd party add-on, your Word maybe not opening.

3. How do you restart Microsoft Word?

Step 1. Go to the Tools Menu, then Customize, then click options.

Step 2. Choose the option for the Reset menu and toolbar usage data. This will put your toolbars back to the original settings. If you would like to reset your settings further, move on to the steps below.

4. Why has my office 365 stopped working?

When Microsoft Office 365, 2016 or 2013 stops working or not opening on your PC, you can also use the Office repair feature to get the problem fixed in Windows 10/8/7: right-click on Office 365, Office 2016 or Office 2013 > Select Change; click Online Repair > click on Repair button.

5. How do I fix Outlook that has stopped working?

When you happen to encounter Outlook 2016 Not Responding in Windows 10, you can try to fix it by using Outlook recovery software; start Outlook in Safe Mode; install Outlook updates; repair Office program, or repair Outlook data files.

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