Word stops responding, and your unfinished document is stuck behind a frozen window. Start with reopening Word and recovering your work, then tackle the cause of the freeze. The steps below cover desktop Word on Windows 11 and Mac, from updates to document repair.
Reopen Word after a temporary freeze
A temporary hang or competition for system resources leaves Word unresponsive. Save your document first if its controls still respond. Force-closing puts unsaved changes at risk.
On Windows, press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open Task Manager. Select Processes, then Microsoft Word, then End task. Reopen Word, then check for recovered work using the next section.
On a Mac, try Command+Q to quit Word first. If Word remains frozen, press Option+Command+Esc. Select Microsoft Word, then click Force Quit. Open Word again to inspect any recovered documents.
If the freeze returns, restart your computer through Start > Power > Restart on Windows or Apple menu > Restart on Mac. On Windows, open Word before reopening other applications.
Recover your unfinished document
Check for recovery files before returning to troubleshooting. Word needs existing AutoRecover data to retrieve unsaved work.
On Windows, open File > Info > Manage Document > Recover Unsaved Documents. Select a recovery file and click Open. Use Save As to save the recovered document. For a document you had already saved, inspect File > Info > Manage Documents for a version labeled (when I closed without saving).
On Mac, save any document Word recovers automatically when you reopen it. To look manually in Microsoft 365 Word for Mac, open Finder > Go > Go To Folder. Enter /Users/<username>/Library/Containers/com.Microsoft.Word/Data/Library/Preferences/AutoRecovery, replacing <username> with your Mac username.
If no recovery file is available, try an earlier version of a document stored in OneDrive. In OneDrive in your browser, right-click the document and select Version history. Use … > Restore beside the version you want, if one is available.
Install the latest Office updates
On Windows, open a document in Word or another working Office app. Go to File > Account > Update Options. Select Enable Updates first if offered, then choose Update Now.
For a Mac installation downloaded from Microsoft, open Help > Check for Updates in Word or another Office app. Select Update or Update All. For Word installed through the Mac App Store, open its Updates page. Click Update beside Word.
Tip: If no Office app opens on Windows, skip to the Office repair steps below.
Check startup add-ins in Safe Mode
An incompatible add-in is a cause of Word startup failures. On Windows, press Windows+R to open Run. Enter winword /safe, then select OK.
This starts Office Safe Mode, which is separate from Windows Safe Mode. Test Word in that session. If it works, check its add-ins next. For Microsoft 365 or Word 2021 on Windows, open File > Options > Add-Ins in Safe Mode.
Under Manage, choose COM Add-ins, then select Go. Clear one add-in's checkbox and select OK. Restart Word normally to test the change. Repeat the test with another add-in until you identify the culprit.
Install the affected add-in's vendor update, or leave it disabled. If Word offers to disable a failing component after a startup problem, accept the diagnostic prompt. Re-enable that component only after resolving its problem.
Isolate a document that freezes Word
Open a different document to check whether the freeze follows one file. If other documents work, tackle the affected file before reinstalling Office.
On Windows, select File > Open > Browse. Do not use Recent for this procedure. Select the affected document, then open the arrow beside Open. Choose Open and Repair.
For a document with excessive tracked changes that you can still edit, make a backup first. Use Review > Accept or Reject to resolve revisions individually. Hiding markup does not remove those revisions.
If repair fails, create a new document through File > New > Blank Document. Open Insert > Object > Text from File, select the affected file, and click Insert. Save the result under a new name. If the new document still freezes Word, try restoring an earlier cloud version using the OneDrive steps above.
Repair Office on Windows
Office repair addresses problems with the installed apps, affecting the suite unless Word was installed as a standalone product. Right-click Start, then select Installed apps. Find your Microsoft 365 or Office installation and open its … menu. Select Modify.
Choose Quick Repair and select Repair. Follow the repair prompts. Test Word after the repair finishes. If Word still freezes, return to the same repair dialog.
Choose Online Repair. This option requires an internet connection. Select Repair and complete the repair prompts. Restart your computer if prompted.
Rebuild Word's default template on Windows
A problem with Word's default template is another cause of startup or usage failures. Close Word before testing it without automatically loaded global templates and add-ins. Press Windows+R to open Run. Enter winword /a, then press Enter.
This diagnostic session bypasses those components and locks settings files for the session. Test Word; the command does not permanently repair the components it bypasses. If Word works in that session but still fails normally, try rebuilding Normal.dotm. The replacement lacks the old template's customizations, so keep the original as a backup.
Close Word again. In File Explorer, open C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates, replacing <username> with your Windows username. Rename Normal.dotm to Normal-backup.dotm. Reopen Word; it creates a default replacement template.
Test a persistent Mac freeze in Safe Mode
If reopening and updating Word haven't helped, use macOS Safe Mode to check for interference from software loaded during startup. This tests Mac startup software separately from Windows Word's Office Safe Mode.
On an Apple silicon Mac, shut down the computer. Hold the power button until startup options appear. Select the startup volume, then hold Shift and choose Continue in Safe Mode.
On an Intel Mac, restart while holding Shift until the login screen appears. Test Word in Safe Mode. Restart normally afterward to leave Safe Mode.
Get help when the freezing continues
If Word still stops responding after these fixes, use Microsoft's support options to narrow down the remaining cause. For Microsoft 365 on Windows, check Microsoft's Word known-issues page for an incident matching your trigger and affected build.
On Windows, search for Get Help. Enter “Word not responding.” Follow the applicable guidance. If offered, select Contact Support.
Choose your product. Chat and callback availability depend on your subscription, region, and operating hours. For a work or school installation, contact your help desk if File > Account shows only About and no Update Options. Volume licensing and organizational update policies are reasons for missing update controls.
To keep working during desktop repairs, sign in to Word for the web through Microsoft's Word product page. Open your cloud-stored document there. Word for the web has different features from desktop Word.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I start Word in Safe Mode without using Run?
Yes. On Windows, hold Ctrl while double-clicking Word's application shortcut. Select Yes when asked to start in Safe Mode.
Why can I click in Word but not edit or save?
Activation, read-only, coauthoring, and cloud-upload problems require different remedies from a frozen app. For an Upload Failed: Save as / Discard banner, select Save a Copy. Give the copy a new name. Reopen the live document. Bring back any changes missing from the server copy. For an Upload Failed: Resolve Conflict banner, select Resolve, then use Next to accept or reject each conflicting change. For a Refresh Recommended banner, you have no local changes to save, so select Refresh and continue coauthoring.
What should I try if Word freezes only in my browser?
Start with browser troubleshooting: preserve your edits, close unneeded tabs and apps, and pause downloads. Reload the document tab. If it still freezes, restart the browser, then test the document in another browser. Check connectivity if it fails there too.
Where do I find a Word document waiting to upload?
In Microsoft 365 Word on Windows, open File > Open > Files Needing Attention. Open the affected file. Save it again after connectivity returns. This section appears only when applicable files exist; discard changes only if you do not want them.