Word on iPad freezing among other multiple failings

Question

Word on iPad freezing among other multiple failings

Maurice West 5

Does anybody at Microsoft care about this? The program freezes after brief use. I have other complaints but I am told you care about them even less.

John Jefferson Doyon 88,610 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-09-17T15:32:59.1266667+00:00
Hi, @Maurice West

I can help you narrow down what is causing Word to freeze.

To help narrow down the issue:

What iPad model and iPadOS version are you using, and what version of the Word app is installed?

Does Word freeze with every document, or only certain files, such as documents stored in OneDrive?

Any additional info about the issue you can provide will be helpful in diagnosing and resolving the issue.

Thanks!
midas TH 0 Reputation points

2026-09-18T20:29:19.3266667+00:00

I have the same problem after Word 2.113.5 on ipad air 11 ios version 26.7.

It freezes randomly, but most often within minutes. It does not unfreeze, i have to force shut down the app. A new document seemed to take longer before freezing when i copied a chapter for editing, but i have never had this issue in my other document before the update and do not think the size of the document is the issue here.

I have tried already these in several combinations: offloading, removing, reinstalling, signing out, accessing document from another source, airplane mode, general settings (turning off background refresh and siri etc), settings inside the document (turn off grammar check, use mobile view instead of print view etc), rebooted the system, removed files in case of memory/ram issue, update ipad, etc etc etc.

I highly doubt a factory reset of the ipad would magically solve this, as it definitely feels like an app update problem, but that's about the only thing i have not tried.

1 answer

Your answer

John Jefferson Doyon 88,610 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-09-17T15:32:59.1266667+00:00

Hi, @Maurice West

I can help you narrow down what is causing Word to freeze.

To help narrow down the issue:

What iPad model and iPadOS version are you using, and what version of the Word app is installed?

Does Word freeze with every document, or only certain files, such as documents stored in OneDrive?

Any additional info about the issue you can provide will be helpful in diagnosing and resolving the issue.

Thanks!
midas TH 0 Reputation points

2026-09-18T20:29:19.3266667+00:00

I have the same problem after Word 2.113.5 on ipad air 11 ios version 26.7.

It freezes randomly, but most often within minutes. It does not unfreeze, i have to force shut down the app. A new document seemed to take longer before freezing when i copied a chapter for editing, but i have never had this issue in my other document before the update and do not think the size of the document is the issue here.

I have tried already these in several combinations: offloading, removing, reinstalling, signing out, accessing document from another source, airplane mode, general settings (turning off background refresh and siri etc), settings inside the document (turn off grammar check, use mobile view instead of print view etc), rebooted the system, removed files in case of memory/ram issue, update ipad, etc etc etc.

I highly doubt a factory reset of the ipad would magically solve this, as it definitely feels like an app update problem, but that's about the only thing i have not tried.

Answer 1

Yes—this kind of freezing issue is being tracked, and the supported actions are:

Update Word and the other Microsoft 365 apps on the iPad from the App Store. Shared Office credentials across apps can contribute to sign-in and stability issues, so keeping all Office apps current matters.
If the issue continues, sign out and sign back in, then restart the app and the device and test again.
In the app, submit feedback with diagnostics so the product team can investigate:
- In a Microsoft 365 mobile app, select the profile picture in the top left.
- Select Help & Feedback.
- Select Send Feedback.
- Include screenshots if possible.
If repeated sign-in prompts are also happening in OneNote or other Office apps on iPad, clear Office credentials in iOS for OneNote:
- iOS Settings > OneNote > Reset OneNote > Delete Sign-In Credentials
- Close OneNote completely, reopen it, and sign in again.

There is also a known issue affecting Microsoft 365 iOS apps where updates are being released to reduce unexpected sign-outs and improve behavior across app restarts. Access is usually restored after reauthentication.

References: