Word for Mac keeps crashing when starting a specific file

Dave Cunningham 20 Reputation points
2026-06-17T21:15:56.4333333+00:00

I am trying to open a file that I successfully edited in the past. When I open it now Word crashes a second or two later. The same thing happens with the previous versions of the file I have stored. It's a big file with tables and images and more, and would be painful to recreate.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For home | MacOS
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John Jefferson Doyon 88,610 Reputation points Independent Advisor
2026-06-17T23:24:15.5266667+00:00

Thanks for the good questions.

  1. Yes. Opens ok on wife's Windows PC. I renamed and sent it back, opened...crash.
  2. Yes
  3. No error message - just crash and crash window with available appears
  4. Tried the Repair option - crash
  5. Tried opening in Word Online and no issues. downloaded with new name and opened in Word on my Mac - crash
  6. I deleted and reinstalled MS365 on my MacAir, and no change - still crashes.
  7. I'd removed the Microsoft Word set up files I could find, but
  8. My Mac has Tahoe 26.5.1 and Word was just downloaded with updates applied, v 16.110 Huh. File is ok elsewhere, but not on this Mac. I'm not a Mac expert, so I'm not sure what else I can do to reset Word or my Mac to get rid of what is causing this.

Thanks for the detailed update. That actually helps narrow it down quite a bit.

Since the document opens on a Windows PC and in Word Online, the file itself appears to be intact. The fact that a newly downloaded copy still crashes on your Mac, even after reinstalling Microsoft 365, suggests the issue may be related to something in the local Word or macOS environment rather than the document itself.

This sounds more like Word is encountering a problem when rendering something in the document on this specific Mac. A font, cache, template, graphics-related component, or user profile setting could be triggering the crash.

If you haven't tried it yet:

  • Create a new macOS user account and sign into Word there. Then try opening the document. This helps determine whether the issue is isolated to your current macOS profile.
  • Start Word while holding Shift and check whether the document still crashes if all add-ins and startup items are bypassed.
  • If the document contains many images, charts, or custom fonts, does the crash occur immediately after opening, or can you briefly see the document before Word closes?
  • When Word crashes, does the crash report mention a specific font name or module? Sometimes the details section of the crash report provides a clue.

One thing that stands out is that you're using Word 16.110 on macOS Tahoe 26.5.1. Has this document successfully opened on this Mac since updating to Tahoe, or did the crashes start only after a recent macOS or Office update?

That timing could help determine whether this is a profile issue, a font issue, or a compatibility problem introduced by a recent update.

Thanks.

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  1. Bob Jones AKA CyberTaz MVP 437.7K Reputation points
    2026-06-18T00:33:49.6166667+00:00

    Despite the extensive array of suggestions most are a waste of time if the problem is with only the one document file – it's the file or something within it. Nothing involving the program changes that.

    First, use Save As to save a new copy in the .docx file type. If the new file exhibits the same behavior try this procedure called a Maggie named for its developer MVP Margaret Secara:

    1. Command+A [Select All]
    2. Shift+← [deselect final ¶]*
    3. Command+C [Copy]
    4. Command+N [create a new blank document]
    5. Command+V [Paste into new document]
    6. Command+S [Save the new document]

    *Don’t omit this step. Otherwise it’s just a regular copy/paste which includes the cause of the corruption.

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  2. John Jefferson Doyon 88,610 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-06-17T22:19:29.8966667+00:00

    Hi, I'm John! I will help you with this.

    To help narrow down the issue:

    1. Does the file open normally in Word Online or on another Mac/Windows PC?
    2. If you hold Shift while opening Word (to prevent documents from reopening automatically), can Word stay open normally?
    3. Do you get any error message before Word crashes?

    In the meantime, if you haven’t already already, You can also try these quick checks:

    • In Word, go to File > Open, select the document, then hold the Option key and see if an Open and Repair option appears.
    • Try opening the file in Pages or Word Online. If it opens, save it as a new document and test the new copy.
    • If the file is stored in OneDrive, copy it to the Mac desktop first, then try opening the local copy.
    • Start Word in Safe Mode by temporarily disabling Word add-ins and test again.

    What version of macOS and Word are you using? Also, where is the file stored (OneDrive, local drive, external drive, or network location)? That may help narrow down the cause.

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