Mac Microsoft Word Keeps Freezing

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Jun 26,2019 • Filed to: Mac Recovery • Proven solutions

The Mac forums are filled with questions like “why does Microsoft word keep freezing on my Mac”. Even though Mac OS X is a reliable OS, but this doesn’t make it glitch free. Users often have to face a situation like this when Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and other MS office tools stop responding.

When you are using a version of MS Office which is not compatible with the macOS, it causes problems. Thus, Microsoft word is frozen on Mac and the system fails to process other requests too. Well, we might not know the exact reasons why this happen to you, but we can surely sum up the reasons in a list. In this article, you will not only learn the possible causes of this problem but also find out how you can fix it. Just take a look!

Part 1. What Causes Word Frozen on Mac?

Jan 26, 2016 We can reset Word's preferences. Then in Finder, hold down Option key on your keyboard, click on Go menu and select Library. This will take you to the library folder of your home folder. Open Preferences folder and trash the file 'com.microsoft.Word.plist'. Then trash the Microsoft folder you see in there. Do not empty trash. Jun 26, 2019  If Microsoft word for Mac keeps freezing, you can try out any of the above methods to resolve the issue. It is quite common with MS Office including Word, Excel, and Outlook 2016 Mac freezes abruptly. But now you know how to deal with the problem quickly. And if none of the methods work out, iSkysoft is always here for your help.

Before you get to the fixes, it is vital to gather information on why does word keep freezing on my Mac. There are various reasons which lead to this issue causing panic in the users. If the problem last long, then it will cause the system to crash and the files will become inaccessible permanently. The causes narrow down to the following:

  • Human mistakes which include accidental deletion, formatting of files or volumes during normal operation.
  • Sudden termination of the system files due to a power surge or other reasons.
  • Interrupted Read and Write Operations.
  • Sharing data files with a system whose platform is not supported.
  • Virus attack.
  • Modification in BIOS settings can also lead to Microsoft word frozen on Mac issue.
  • Corruption in Header files.
  • Catalog files node corruption.
  • Problem in the boot sector.
  • Improper installation of the programs.
  • Hardware or software issues.

As you can see, there are numerous that can make the word file inaccessible. Once the files become inaccessible, you can only think of possible solutions. So, let’s try them now.

Part 2. How to Solve the Problem 'MS Word keeps freezing on Mac'?

Normally, people freak out and they don’t have any idea what to do when word freezes on Mac. But you have to make sure that you can either repair word on Mac or resolve the issue immediately to avoid further issues. Here are some methods that would fix the problems.

Solution 1: Force Quit Word Application on Mac

If you don’t know how to shut down the word on Mac when frozen then you should try the Force Quit. It will close the unresponsive application instantly. But you’ll also lose the current file on which you are working. Follow the steps below to force quit word or any other application on Mac:

Step 1 Click on the Word option in the Apple menu and it will open up several options.

Step 2 There you will see the Force Quit option. Click on the option and the system will shut down Word.

During the force quit, you won’t even get a notification that you’ll lose your unsaved documents. You can also force quit the running and unresponsive applications using the Task Manager.

Solution 2: Reset the Word Preferences and Restart Mac

Another method that you can try if the Microsoft word is freezing on Mac is resetting the Word Preferences. It is one of the main reasons that cause issues in Word or other MS Office applications. You have to reset the preferences according to Mac. Follow the steps below to do this:

232 Shortcuts for Microsoft Word 2016 (MacOS) Platform:, mac. To display a column's measurements in the ruler when you resize the column, press Option with these shortcut keys. To finely adjust a column width, turn off snap-to functionality by pressing Option with the shortcut keys. Word 2016 for Mac uses the function keys. 2020-4-4  How to insert bullet symbols using keyboard shortcuts on Windows and Mac docuemets along with creating custom bullets in Word and setting up shortcut in Pages. 2016-7-10  Shortcut for bullet points in Word for Mac 2011. I am using Microsoft Word for Mac 2011. I would like to create a keyboard shortcut to create bulleted lists in Microsoft word. In particular, I would like to do the following:-1 keyboard shortcut to create an indented bullet point. The only shortcut that I know about is the cntl+shift+n, which. Microsoft word bullet point shortcut mac. If you don't find a keyboard shortcut here that meets your needs, you can create a custom keyboard shortcut. For instructions, go to Create a custom keyboard shortcut for Office for Mac. Many of the shortcuts that use the Ctrl key on a Windows keyboard also work with the Control key in Word for Mac. However, not all do.

Step 1 Close all the applications and open Library using the Go to the folder search. In the results, you will see the Preferences folder. It contains the preferences file you set for MS Word.

Step 2 Open the folder and locate the files which are named as-com.microsoft.Word.prefs.plist. Open the files and close it and check if the problem is fixed. If not, then move the file to desktop and check again.

Step 3 If step 2 doesn’t work, then open word from the Apple menu. As you click on the Word option, you will see the Preferences option in the drop-down list.

Step 4 Open Preferences and click on the File Locations option. Select the User Template option and find the file which is named as Normal.dotm.

Move the files to the desktop and check whether the problem is resolved or not. If it doesn’t work then delete the file from the system permanently and it will fix reset the word preferences entirely.

Solution 3: Update Microsoft Office to the Latest

Usually, Mac Microsoft office gets frozen when an update is pending on the system. You can fix it by simply updating the existing version to the latest one. There is an Auto Update option for Mac so that you won’t experience security problems or other issues, but it needs to set up first. You can either open the Word application or go to the App store to update the MS Office.

Step 1 Open MS word and open the Help menu. There you will see the Check for Updates option.

Step 2 If there is an update available, install it on your Mac and the problem will vanish. Set up the Automatic Download and Install option and you won’t need to worry about the updates in the future.

The update will not only repair office on Mac but also improve the system performance. If you use the App Store, you can update all MS Office apps at once.

Part 3. How to Recover Force Quit and Unsaved Word Documents on Mac:

When word freezes on Mac, most of the people suffer from data loss situations. It is a palpable condition and you’ll need help to retrieve the lost files from your Mac. Here is the most apparent solution.

You can’t stop it if Microsoft word keeps freezing on Mac. But you can use Recoverit (IS) for Mac to get back the lost word files. The above methods to fix MS Word results in serious data loss but if you have the right tool; you can get them back easily. With a wide array of file format support, the recovery software for Mac is capable of retrieving all kinds of files including Word documents, presentations, archives, emails, photos, videos, and others too. Plus, you get a chance to recover the files which are deleted from Trash, lost from partition, formatted from the drive, and lost due to corruption and virus attack too.

Recoverit (IS) for Mac

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  • It is compatible with both Windows and Mac operating system.
  • It supports a large number of storage device type including hard drives, USB flash drives, SD cards, etc.
  • All major types of files can be recovered including Office documents, music, images, video, emails, and archives.
  • It has a deep scan features for in-depth scanning of the hard drive for searching files to recover.
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How to Recover Word Files on Mac?

Now, you can avoid the hassle of scouring the internet with keywords like “word froze on Mac how to recover”. All you need is right in front of you, a reliable Mac data recovery tool which is powerful and easy to use. Follow the guide below to get the unsaved word files back on Mac:

Step 1 Download and Run the Program:

The first and foremost step to get the files back is to download the software on your system. After the download, launch the software and select the file types that you want to recover. Choose a recovery method from the interface and move on to the next step.

Step 2 Scan Drive for Unsaved Files:

As the files are unsaved, it is better that you pick the “I can’t find my partition” option from the list. Hit the Start button and the software will scan the entire drive to look for lost or deleted files.

Step 3 Preview and Recover:

Once the scan is complete, the files will be displayed on the screen according to their formats. You can select the files and have a preview to ensure that they are intact. Select the files that you need on your Mac and click on the Recover button.

The files will be downloaded on your system in a while according to the size. To avoid overwrite or corruption, make sure that the files are saved in a separate folder.

Conclusion:

If Microsoft word for Mac keeps freezing, you can try out any of the above methods to resolve the issue. It is quite common with MS Office including Word, Excel, and Outlook 2016 Mac freezes abruptly. But now you know how to deal with the problem quickly. And if none of the methods work out, iSkysoft is always here for your help.

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Note

Office 365 ProPlus is being renamed to Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise. For more information about this change, read this blog post.

Symptoms

When you save a Word for Mac document, the application crashes or quits unexpectedly.

Resolution

Step 1: Download and install all Office updates

To obtain updates with Office for Mac applications, follow these steps:

Microsoft AutoUpdate for Mac, which comes with Office, can keep your Microsoft software up to date. When AutoUpdate is set to check for updates automatically on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis, there's no need to search for critical updates and information; AutoUpdate delivers them directly to your computer. To do this:

  1. Start any Office for Mac application on your computer.
  2. Click Help menu, click Check for Updates.

For additional information about Office for Mac updates, seeWhere and how to obtain Office for Mac software updates.

If the issue continues to occur, proceed to the next step.

Step 2: Check the hard disc name

Make sure that your hard disc has a name. The name cannot be all numbers but can contain numbers. The name must start with a letter. It must not contain any special characters, such as periods, commas, semi-colons, quotation marks, and so on.

Step 3: Save to a different location

Microsoft Word 2010 Keeps Freezing

If you are saving a file in your Documents folder, instead try saving the file to the desktop or to a different location.

Remember that there is a 255-character limit to the file name, and the path of the saved file is included in the name. For example, a file that is saved to the desktop has the path 'HDusersyour user nameDesktop.' These characters are counted toward the 255-character limit.

If you want to save to a network share or to an external device (such as a flash drive), first save the file to your local hard disc. If you can save the file to the hard disc (your Documents folder), there is nothing wrong with the Excel installation or with the file. If you cannot save to your local hard disc, go to step 3.

If you cannot save the file to an external device, contact Apple or the manufacturer of the external device. If you cannot save to a network share, contact the network administrator (your IT department) or the owner of the share. If you do not have an IT department and you want to save to a network, contact Microsoft Professional Support.

Step 4: Empty the AutoRecovery folder

Important

Microsoft Word Keeps Freezing Mac 2018

The location of certain files are different if you have Service Pack 2 (SP2) installed. To check if it is installed, open Word, and then click About Word from the Word menu. If the version number is 14.2.0 or above, you have Service Pack 2 and you should follow the Service Pack 2 steps when provided in this article.

If there are too many items in the AutoRecovery folder (userDocumentsMicrosoft User DataOffice 2008 AutoRecovery or Office 2010 AutoRecovery), this can cause memory problems and save problems because these files are loaded into memory when Word is started.

Move AutoRecovery files to the desktop or to another folder to see whether they are causing the problem. To do this, follow these steps:

To empty the AutoRecovery folder, follow these steps if have version 14.2.0 (also known as Service Pack 2) installed:

  1. Quit all applications.

  2. On the File menu, click New Folder.

    A new folder is created on the desktop. The folder will be called 'New Folder.'

  3. On the Go menu, click Home.

  4. Open Library.

    Note

    The Library folder is hidden in Mac OS X Lion. To display this folder, hold down the OPTION key while you click the Go menu.

  5. Open Application Support, and then open Microsoft.

  6. Open Office 2011 AutoRecovery.

  7. On the Edit menu, click Select All.

  8. Drag all files into 'New Folder' on the desktop.

    The AutoRecovery folder should be empty.

  9. Open Excel for Mac 2011 and try to save a file.

    If you can save a file, review the contents of 'New Folder' to decide which files that you want to keep.

    If the problem continues to occur, go to the next method.

To empty the AutoRecovery folder, follow these steps if you do not have Service Pack 2 installed:

  1. Quit all applications.

  2. On the File menu, click New Folder.

    A new folder is created on the desktop. The folder will be called 'New Folder.'

  3. On the Go menu, click Documents.

  4. Open Microsoft User Data, and then open Office 2011 AutoRecovery.

  5. On the Edit menu, click Select All.

  6. Drag all files into 'New Folder' on the desktop.

    The AutoRecovery folder should be empty.

  7. Open Excel for Mac 2011 and try to save a file.

    If you can save a file, review the contents of 'New Folder' to decide which files that you want to keep.

    If the problem continues to occur, go to the next method.

Microsoft Word Keeps Freezing On Mac

Step 5: Remove Word preferences

Note

Mac Microsoft Word Keeps Freezing And Not Responding

Removing the preferences will remove any customizations that you made. These customizations include changes to toolbars and custom dictionaries and keyboard shortcuts that you created.

  1. Quit all Microsoft Office for Mac applications.

  2. On the Go menu, click Home.

  3. Open Library.

    Note

    The Library folder is hidden in Mac OS X Lion. To display this folder, hold down the OPTION key while you click the Go menu.

  4. Open Preferences.

  5. Look for a file that is named com.microsoft.Word.plist.

  6. If you locate the file, move it to the desktop. If you cannot locate the file, the application is using the default preferences.

  7. If you locate the file and move it to the desktop, start Word, and check whether the problem still occurs. If the problem still occurs, quit Word, and then restore the file to its original location. Then, go to the next step. If the problem seems to be resolved, you can move the com.microsoft.Word.plist file to the trash.

  8. Quit all Office for Mac applications.

  9. On the Go menu, click Home.

  10. Open Library.

    Note

    The Library folder is hidden in Mac OS X Lion. To display this folder, hold down the OPTION key while you click the Go menu.

  11. Open Preferences, and then open Microsoft.

  12. Locate the file that is named com.microsoft.Word.prefs.plist.

  13. Move the file to the desktop.

  14. Start Word, and then check whether the problem still occurs. If the problem still occurs, quit Word, and restore the file to its original location. Then, go to the next step. If the problem seems to be resolved, you can move the com.microsoft.Word.prefs.plist file to the trash.

  15. On the Go menu, click Home.

  16. Open Library.

    Note

    The Library folder is hidden in Mac OS X Lion. To display this folder, hold down the OPTION key while you click the Go menu.

  17. Open Application Support, and then open Microsoft.

  18. Open Office, and then open User Templates.

  19. Locate the file that is named Normal, and then move the file to the desktop.

  20. Start Word, and then check whether the problem still occurs. If the problem seems to be resolved, you can move the Normal file to the Trash. If the issue continues to occur, go to the next step.

Microsoft Word 2007 Keeps Freezing

Step 6: Create a new user account

Sometimes, user-specific information can become corrupted. This can interfere with installing or using the application. To determine whether this is the case, you can log on as a different user or create a new user account, and then test the application.

If the issue occurs even when you use the alternative account, go to the next step.

Step 7: Test saving the file in safe mode

Try to save when the computer is operating in safe mode. If you can save while in safe mode, the problem probably concerns software that is running in the background.

For information about how to enter safe mode in Mac OS, seeClean startup to see if background programs are interfering with Office for Mac.

More information

If the steps in this article did not resolve the issue, visit the Mac forums for possible resolutions/workarounds.