• Why Doesn't Outlook Open
• Why Is My Outlook Not Opening
• Check My Microsoft Outlook Email
• Why Isn't My Microsoft Outlook Opening Mac Files

Apr 01,2020 • Filed to: Solve Mac Problems • Proven solutions

The Outlook icon on your taskbar also alerts you the program isn't operating normally. If Outlook does start in safe mode, then the problem is likely with one of your add-ins. You'll need to disable all of your add-ins before restarting Outlook.

• Sep 14, 2015  If Microsoft Outlook crashes or refuses to open at all – or if you are getting corrupted file messages – then you could be dealing with damaged data, especially if none of the previous fixes.
• Nov 14, 2019  To work around this issue, use one of the following methods: Select the Exchange folder in My Calendars. Open the calendar. Expand My Calendars to display the Exchange mailbox calendar, the On My Computer calendar, and calendars that are associated with any other accounts that are open in Outlook for Mac.; Select the Exchange check box.
• Why can't I see all my groups? I can't send or receive messages. I'm not receiving email or other items in my Exchange account. I can't connect to my Exchange account. Outlook for Mac crashes or runs slowly.

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, then you will have to look for an appropriate solution that can fix this issue.

In this article, we are going to 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 the MS Word is a widely used program, a malfunction could get tragic real soon. Before you get to solutions, it is essential that you go through the reasons of this problem first. The common causes of these issues are.

• 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 that would work for all versions. But, 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 which 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 still 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 are not talking 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 Utilities option and start the Disk Utility program.
2. Make sure 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 which 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 highest recovery rate in the market.

Watch the Video for Mac DOC Files Recovery

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 at them.

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

If you don’t want to go through this problem, then 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 the 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. So, 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 the want to recover Word files, then you can always think of using Recoverit Data recovery software.

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Summary

When Microsoft Office Word suddenly stops working or fails to open a document on Windows 10/8/7, don't worry. You can follow fixes on this page to resolve Microsoft Word has stopped working issue and use EaseUS file recovery software to bring the lost Word files back with ease.

The solutions for Microsoft Office Word has stopped working and Word file recovery can also be applied to fix similar issues on other Office apps, such as Excel, PowerPoint, etc.

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. Microsoft has built a powerful support team to help users resolve all kinds of issues while using Office applications.

'Microsoft Office Word just stops working' is one of the top concerned questions among Word users.

Usually, when the 'stopped working' error shows up, you have two available options to undertake: checking online for a solution or closing and restarting the program for a try.

If you are facing this error in Microsoft Word 2016, 2013, 2010 or 2007, read on and check the provided solutions below to get rid of this issue with ease.

Part 1. Fix 'Microsoft Word Has Stopped Working' Error in Windows 10/8/7

To find the right solutions to remove this 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.

Note: Once Word suddenly stops 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, nothing happens. Click 'Close the program' on the pop-up window in Word. Let's learn a few tips to get rid of the error immediately!

3 Quick Fixes

Applies to: Resolve Microsoft Word application gets stuck, showing blank or stuck on startup.

# 1. Use Task Manager to End Task of Running Microsoft Word

Step 1. Press Ctrl+T+Del keys to bring up Task Manager.

Step 2. In the Process tab, find Microsoft Word and select to end its task.

After this, you can restart to check if the Word work or not.

# 2. Boot Windows into Safe Mode

Step 1. Reboot PC, on the sign-in screen, hold the Shift key and click 'Power', select 'Restart'.

Step 2. You'll be presented with an options screen, select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart.

Step 3. Press F4 when the computer is booting up and then it will start in Safe Mode.

Step 4. Run Microsoft Office Word to check if it can work smoothly or not.

# 3. Check if Office Is Activated

Step 1. Open a new Word file, click 'File' > 'Account'.

Step 2. Check the Product Information at the right pane, see if your Word is activated or not.

If not, re-activate your Microsoft Office Word with a genuine serial key.

After this, you should be able to use Word to continue with your work again.

3 Fixes for Microsoft Office Word Keeps Crashing, Not Working

Applies to: Fix MS Office Word repeatedly crashes, won't start-up, isn't working issues.

If the Word keeps crashing when you try to open a document on your PC, relax. Here, you'll find 3 reliable methods that will help you fix this issue, making your Word work again.

Fix 1. Repair Office Installation

According to some experienced users, when Microsoft Office contains errors, it would prevent users from opening a Word or edit any files.

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 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 2. Install Latest Windows Update or Office Update

When your Office version or Windows system is out of date, Microsoft Office 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:

Why Doesn't Outlook Open

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

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

Step3. 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: Office 365 mac.

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

Step 2. Click '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 3. 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.

5 Methods to Resolve 'Word Document Is Not Working' Issue

Applies to: Resolve Word is not working issues, such as Word file won't open, cannot access document content in Word, etc., on Windows 10/8/7.

Method 1. Insert Not Opening/Working Word Document into Another New File

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.

Method 2. Disable Add-ins in MS Word

Step 1. Press Windows + R keys and type: winword.exe /a and hit Enter to open MS Word without plugins.

Step 2. 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.

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

Method 3. Remove or Update Old Printer Drivers

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 old printer driver.

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

Method 4. Remove or Delete Word Registry Keys

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 Word options key: HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftOffice16.0WordOptions.

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.

Method 5. Replace the Normal.dot Global Template File

To do so, you need to close all running Office programs on your PC. Then, follow the steps below to start:

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:

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.

Part 2. Recover Lost or Unsaved Files after Fixing Word Stopped Working Error

Another big issue that concerns users the most is the lost or unsaved Word file when Word application stopped working. Only after fixing the Word has stopped working error, can you have the opportunity to open the MS Word application and check out if your document is lost or closed without saving.

To fully resolve this issue, you'll have two solutions to bring your lost Word file back:

Solution 1. Restore Lost Word Document with File Recovery Software

Applies to: Restore Word document (saved on local PC drive) that was lost after MS Office has stopped working.

When the word document gets lost due to Office Word application stopped working or unexpected error, your best choice is to follow solutions listed in Part 1 to repair MS Office Word to work first.

EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard will scan your local drive and restore the lost Word document in only 3 simple steps:

Step 1. Choose the Word file location.

Do you know where you lost Word files? Choose the hard disk drive or a specific folder and click the San button. If it's on a USB flash drive or SD card, take one more step to connect it to your computer.

Step 2. Scan all lost data.

The software will start immediately scanning all lost data on the selected drive, and you'll see more and more data showing up in the scan results. After the scan, use the quickest way to the wanted Word documents by choosing 'Documents' from the drop-down list in 'Filter'.

Step 3. Select Word files and recover.

You're allowed to preview a Word file if you have Microsoft Word application installed on your computer. Finally, select the desired documents and click 'Recover'.

Why Is My Outlook Not Opening

Solution 2. Restore Unsaved Word File

As you know, Microsoft Office has an AutoSave feature that will automatically save a Word file when you're editing. And these temporarily saved files are located in an AutoRecover folder.

When you open the Word file and find out that the closed Word file is lost without saving, you can simply recover the lost unsaved Word document there.

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

Part 3. Tips to Back Up and Protect Word File

If you are looking for a reliable method to fix 'Word has stopped working' error, 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 EaseUS Todo Backup can help you effectively back up important files including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc. on a local drive with ease.

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

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

Step 1: Launch EaseUS Todo Backup software and then choose 'File Backup', 'Disk/partition Backup' or 'System Backup' for different backup purpose.

Step 2: Choose the system, disk partition, files or apps that you want to back up. Then select a destination where you want to store the backup file.

Step 3: Click 'Proceed' to start the data backup process.

People Also Ask

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.

Check My Microsoft Outlook Email

3. How do you restart Microsoft Word?

Why Isn't My Microsoft Outlook Opening Mac Files

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 has stopped working?

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