Word has run into an error that is preventing it from working correctly. Word will need to be closed as a result. How to fix the issue?

EVANGELINE GARRIDO 0 Reputation points
2026-09-17T07:06:38.1433333+00:00

Word has run into an error that is preventing it from working correctly. Word will need to be closed as a result. How to fix the issue?

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For home | Windows
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  1. Stefan Blom 353.5K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2026-09-17T07:31:00.92+00:00

    Exit all Office apps and then run an Online Repair. See https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/lifecycle/repair-an-office-application .

    Before you start, verify that you can access your Microsoft account and that your Office product is associated with it. That way, you make sure that you can reinstall Office, which is usually the final step of an Online Repair.

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  2. AI answer

    2026-09-17T07:07:00.3366667+00:00

    Try these steps in order on Windows:

    1. Update Office first
      • Open Word and create a blank document if it opens.
      • Go to File > Account > Update Options > Update Now.
      • If Update Now is not shown, select Enable Updates first.
      • Restart the PC after updates finish.
    2. Start Word in Safe Mode to check add-ins
      • Press Windows + R.
      • Type winword /safe and press Enter.
      • If Word opens in Safe Mode, go to File > Options > Add-Ins.
      • In Manage, select the Word add-ins type or COM Add-ins, then select Go.
      • Clear one add-in at a time, select OK, and restart Word normally after each change.
      • If Word starts normally after disabling one add-in, that add-in is the cause.
    3. Run an Office repair
      • Go to Start > Settings.
      • On Windows 11: Apps > Installed apps.
      • On Windows 10: Apps and Features.
      • Select Microsoft 365 or Office > Modify.
      • For Click-to-Run, choose Online Repair > Repair. This is more thorough than Quick Repair.
      • For MSI-based installs, choose Repair > Continue.
      • Restart the PC when the repair finishes.
    4. If Word still fails, reset the Word Data registry key
      • Warning: Incorrect registry changes can cause serious problems. Back up the registry first.
      • Close all Office apps.
      • Open regedit.
      • Go to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Word\Data
      • Right-click Data > Export, save it as Wddata.reg.
      • Right-click Data again > Delete.
      • Start Word.
      • If this does not help, restore the backup by double-clicking Wddata.reg.
    5. If a specific document triggers the error
      • Open Word.
      • Create a new blank document.
      • Go to Insert > Object > Text from File.
      • Select the affected document and insert it. This can recover the text if the original file is damaged.

    If Word does not start even in Safe Mode, the documented next step is to repair Office. If repair does not resolve it, reinstalling Office may be required.

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

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