Word Randomly Closing

Follow these steps in order and test Word after each step:

1. Clear AutoRecovery files
   • In Finder, select Go > Home.
   • Open Documents > Microsoft User Data > Office Autorecovery.
   • Move the files in this folder to the Desktop (do not delete yet).
   • Reopen Word and work for a while to see if it still quits.
2. Install the latest Office for Mac updates
   • Open any Office app (Word, Excel, etc.).
   • On the Help menu, select Check for Updates.
   • Set updates to Automatically, choose a frequency, then select Check for Updates and install everything offered.
   • Restart the Mac and test Word again.
3. Reset Word preferences and Normal template (fixes corruption that can cause random crashes)
   • Quit all programs.
   • In Finder, select Go > Home.
   • For macOS 10.7 or later, select Go, hold OPTION, then choose Library.
   • Open Preferences and drag com.microsoft.Word.plist to the Desktop.
   • Then open Microsoft (under Preferences) and drag com.microsoft.Word.prefs.plist to the Desktop. If Service Pack 2 is installed, use Application Support > Microsoft instead of Preferences > Microsoft.
   • Start Word and test:
     • If Word no longer crashes, move the file that causes the crash when restored back to Trash and leave the other in place.
     • If it still crashes, quit Word and move both files back to their original locations.
   • Next, in Home > Library > Application Support > Microsoft > Office > User Templates, drag Normal.dotm to the Desktop.
   • Start Word and test:
     • If Word is stable, quit Word and move Normal.dotm from Desktop to Trash.
     • If it still crashes, restore Normal.dotm to its original folder.
4. Create a new macOS user profile and test
   • Create a new user account following Testing your user account to troubleshoot Office for Mac applications.
   • Sign into the new account, open Word, and work for 15–20 minutes.
   • If Word is stable there, the original macOS profile is likely corrupted.
5. Clean start macOS to rule out conflicts
   • Follow Perform a clean startup to determine whether background programs are interfering with Office for Mac.
   • Test Word again for 15–20 minutes.
6. Repair disk permissions (older macOS)
   • In Finder, select Go > Utilities.
   • Open Disk Utility.
   • Select the primary hard disk.
   • Go to First Aid and choose Repair Disk Permissions.
   • Test Word again.
7. Completely reinstall Office for Mac if crashes continue
   • Follow the appropriate article to fully remove Office:
     • Manually remove Office 2008 for Mac from your computer
     • How to uninstall Office for Mac 2011
   • Reinstall Office and test Word.

To reduce data loss while troubleshooting, enable AutoRecover and save frequently; also consider shorter editing sessions with periodic manual saves until stability is confirmed.

References:

• Word for Mac error: "Microsoft Word has encountered a problem and needs to close"
• Word for Mac document stops responding when you try to open a document
• There is a serious disk error on when attempting to save, copy and paste or create auto recovery files in Office for Mac
• Recover your Word files and documents