Cause of Microsoft Word Not Responding Messages
You’ll most often encounter a “Microsoft Word is not responding” message for one of several reasons:
A failure to open, save, or access a document hosted on a remote server, often arising from a server timeout. A damaged program file. An incompatible add-in.
How to Fix Microsoft Word Not Responding
Sometimes the answer is as simple as restarting the computer. If this approach doesn’t resolve the problem, disabling add-ins and possibly repairing the program are the best courses of action.
Start Word in Safe Mode. Loading the application without templates and add-ins allows you to see if the program works as it should or if it is corrupted. Disable add-ins. If “Word not responding” is not an error in Safe Mode, an incompatible add-in is a likely culprit. Select File > Options > Add-ins to open Word Options. Choose the Go button under Manage near the bottom of the window to open the COM Add-ins dialog box. Clear the check boxes next to each add-in to disable all add-ins. Select OK to apply the changes and close the dialog box. If the “Word not responding” error message no longer appears, enable each add-in one at a time, and restart Word after each one to determine which one caused the problem. Repair the document. If the error appears when you open or save a specific Word file, that document might be corrupted. Use a tool within Word to fix it. Repair Word. In Windows 10, open the Settings app and select Apps & Features. Select Microsoft Office from the app list, select Modify, then follow the options to repair Office programs. Uninstall and reinstall Word. You’ll need your Microsoft ID and Product Key. Remove it through Windows Settings or download the MS Office Uninstall Support Tool to remove it completely. On a Mac, drag it into the trash and reinstall it. Uninstalling Office from your computer only removes the Office applications you installed. Files, documents, and workbooks are not removed.
Select File > Options > Add-ins to open Word Options. Choose the Go button under Manage near the bottom of the window to open the COM Add-ins dialog box. Clear the check boxes next to each add-in to disable all add-ins. Select OK to apply the changes and close the dialog box.
If the “Word not responding” error message no longer appears, enable each add-in one at a time, and restart Word after each one to determine which one caused the problem.
