Word is not working.

Beth Brannen 0 Reputation points
2026-09-18T00:49:20.6766667+00:00

I have a message. We are sorry but Word has run into an error that is preventing it from working correctly. Word will need to be closed as a result.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For home | Windows
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AI answer

2026-09-18T00:49:38.44+00:00

For this Word for Windows error, use this order:

  1. Update Office
    • Open any Office app.
    • Go to File > Account.
    • Under Product Information, select Update Options > Update Now.
    • If Update Now is not shown, select Enable Updates first.
  2. Start Word in Safe Mode to check add-ins
    • Open Run.
    • Type winword /safe and press Enter.
    • If Word opens in Safe Mode, go to File > Options > Add-Ins.
    • In Manage, select the add-in type and choose Go.
    • Clear one add-in at a time, select OK, then restart Word normally.
    • Older add-ins such as ABBYY FineReader and Dragon Naturally Speaking are known to cause problems.
  3. Repair Office
    • If Safe Mode does not help, run an Office repair.
    • The more thorough option is Online Repair:
      • Open Settings.
      • Go to Apps.
      • Find Microsoft Office.
      • Select Modify > Online Repair.
    • This is more thorough than the Repair Now option shown in the error dialog.
  4. Update Windows and device drivers
    • Go to Settings > Windows Update.
    • Select Check for updates.
    • Install available updates.
    • If the issue continues, update device drivers, especially video card, printer, mouse, and keyboard drivers.
  5. Uninstall and reinstall Office
    • If repair does not fix the issue, use the Office uninstall troubleshooter and then reinstall Office.

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