when I try to open a document there is a message preventing me

Brian Lambert 0 Reputation points
2026-09-13T08:33:11.34+00:00

Why is there a message when I try to open a document: ' Word has run into an error that is preventing it from working correctly'

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For home | Windows
0 comments

3 answers

Sort by: Newest
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. DaveM121 930.3K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-09-13T09:05:02.3866667+00:00

    The 'Repair Now' button on that error popup dialog only performs a quick repair of the Office apps and that rarely resolves the problem with the Office apps, the best option is to perform a full online repair of your Office installation.

    Before performing this process, please log into your Microsoft account on this link (https://account.microsoft.com/services/) and check to ensure your Office licence or Microsoft 365 subscription is listed correctly on your account.

    Open the Settings App (gear icon on your Start Menu)

    Go to Apps - Installed Apps, then scroll down to find Microsoft Office

    Select that and choose Modify - Online Repair

    That should fix any issues with your Office Installation.

    Was this answer helpful?

    2 people found this answer helpful.
    0 comments
  2. ApexNáV 90 Reputation points
    2026-09-13T08:40:26.2633333+00:00

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments

  3. AI answer

    2026-09-13T08:33:25.94+00:00

    That message usually means Word itself is failing to start or load correctly, not that the document is necessarily the problem.

    Common causes supported here are:

    • Office is not fully up to date.
    • A Word add-in is causing Word to crash.
    • Word may work only in Safe Mode, which points to an add-in issue.
    • If the problem happens only with one file, the document may be damaged.

    A practical troubleshooting path is:

    1. Update Office
      • Open any Office app.
      • Go to File > Account.
      • Under Product Information, select Update Options > Update Now.
    2. Start Word in Safe Mode
      • Open Run.
      • Type winword /safe and press Enter.
      • If Word opens in Safe Mode, the issue is likely caused by an add-in.
    3. Disable add-ins one at a time
      • In Word, go to File > Options > Add-Ins.
      • In the Manage list, choose Word Add-ins or COM Add-ins, then select Go.
      • Clear one add-in, select OK, and restart Word normally.
      • If Word starts, the disabled add-in is the cause.
    4. Run an Online Repair of Office
      • If the built-in Repair now prompt does not fix it, use Online Repair instead.
      • In Windows, go to Start > Settings > System > Apps > Installed apps.
      • Find Microsoft Office, select the three-dot menu, choose Modify, then choose Online Repair and Repair.
      • This is more thorough than the in-app repair prompt.
    5. If the problem is only with one document
      • In Word, go to File > Open > Browse.
      • Select the file.
      • Select the arrow next to Open, then choose Open and Repair.

    If Word still fails even in Safe Mode, the documented next step is to repair Office.

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

    Was this answer helpful?

Your answer

Answers can be marked as 'Accepted' by the question author and 'Recommended' by moderators, which helps users know the answer solved the author's problem.