Microsoft Word Crashing On Startup Mac

2020-3-31  When you save, Word for Mac crashes or quits. Applies to: Microsoft Word for Mac; In this article. Office 365 ProPlus is being renamed to Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise. For more information about this change. For information about how to enter safe mode in Mac OS, see Clean startup to see if background programs are interfering. If the problem still occurs, quit Microsoft 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.plist file to the trash. Quit all Microsoft Office for Mac programs. On the Go menu, click Home. Open Library. 2017-1-16  Like @m4rouf says, Word 2016 for Mac has some stability problems for its advanced functions, including the fields function that Zotero uses. This usually only happens when there are a lot of such features in use (i.e., many Zotero citations, lots of figure captions, cross-references, etc.).

I'm not sure if this is related to Zotero, but I have Word 2016 and get spinning beach balls every 5-10 minutes, and a complete crash with loss of data every hour. If I update the references in a document, Word becomes similarly non-responsive for up to 1 - 2 minutes. Also, adding a new referenced results in ~20 seconds of non-responsiveness. Is this expected behavior?
  • I have Word 2016 on my Mac and adding/updating references is practically instant. It does crash every now and then when I try to do complex operations such as copying advanced footer fields into the header or running macros. This was an issue even before using Zotero, though. Maybe you should try uninstalling the MS Word plugin and reinstalling it.
  • Like @m4rouf says, Word 2016 for Mac has some stability problems for its advanced functions, including the fields function that Zotero uses. This usually only happens when there are a lot of such features in use (i.e., many Zotero citations, lots of figure captions, cross-references, etc.). How many citations do you have in your document?
  • edited December 30, 2016
    Thanks for the responses. I have about 50 citations. Zotero/Word 2011 were slow together (much slower than the Windows counterparts), but usable. This combination of Zotero/Word 2016 is nearly unusable for me.
    'adding/updating references is practically instant' Do you have a multi-core i7? I'm using a Core m5 on the 2016 retina MacBook. This should have enough processing power as my (very old) XP era laptop worked very quickly with Zotero and Word 2010.
    I don't know how to uninstall the Word add-in? I can't find any option to do so. When I go to into Templates and Add-ins, I see Zotero.dot there, but the minus sign to remove this is grayed out.
  • Sorry to double post, I didn't know if I needed to create a separate post for the error reporting. My original post -
    http://forums.zotero.org/discussion/63666/word-2016-mac-crashing
    I've been having problems with Zotero crashing Word on my mac for a long time. I've had this problem before with Word 2011, but after upgrading to Word 2016, the crash frequency has increased to a nearly unusable amount.
    I'm not sure if there is a memory leak or what. However after using Word/Zotero on a document with ~ 50 references for about an hour, I start getting hangs in Word that last up to a minute. Eventually, Word (but not Zotero) goes to 100% CPU usage and has to be force quit. This force quit occurs about once every two hours resulting in data loss. This also happened on Word 2011, but only about once a day. I should note that this has happened on two separate computers MacBook Air and a 2016 Retina MacBook.
    Unclear if this is related, but all of the autorecovery documents generated by Word when using Zotero are corrupted and can't be opened.
    At this point, I'm considering moving to another reference manager, but I would prefer to keep using Zotero if possible. However, I feel stuck in a situation in which the Microsoft forums say stop using Zotero and Word will work fine, and this forum in which no one else seems to be experiencing my crashing issue.
    Any help is appreciated. I really like Zotero an used it on the Windows OS for years without problems. Since switching to Mac, I've had numerous problems, making writing documents a really unpleasant challenge.
  • You're saying this happens when you're just using Word, not only when you insert/update citations? Because the Zotero Word plugin doesn't do any work when Word is just open, so if Word is unstable then, that's entirely a Word issue — even if it happens only in documents with citations, Zotero is simply adding Word fields to the document, which Word obviously is supposed to be able to handle.
    (Slowness when inserting/updating citations is another matter. That's never been speedy in Word for Mac, but what you're experiencing sounds way too slow for 50 citations.)
    I wonder if you have some very large abstracts or other fields in your items? You could try disabling 'Store references in Document' in the Zotero plugin's document preferences and click the Refresh button to see if that helps.
  • edited December 31, 2016
    As for deleting Zotero.dot (or at least testing that), you just need to delete it via the Finder from the Startup folder — I think it tells you where that is in the Templates and Add-ins window, or maybe in the preferences. But, again, it's not doing anything when you're not using its functions.
  • Thanks for the information. The crashes occur when I'm typing and not when I'm adding a reference. It's difficult to be certain, but I'm pretty sure I'm only getting crashes in documents that have Zotero references added. I think Word may be running through all of the information added by Zotero and then crashes.
    It's good to know that zotero isn't active outside of adding references. I will try changing the store references in document setting. Does it require that I remove all the references from the document to see an effect?
    The abstracts are only the length allowed in Pubmed so I doubt there are very large field there.
    I will see if deleting the add-in helps too. I just don't know why this would occur on two separate machines using two versions of Word: 2011 and 2016.
    The Microsoft forums are of course implicating Zotero as the reason for the instability and they suggest not using the add-in. The challenge is that I have three grants due and all of my references are in Zotero.
    I'd be willing to try uninstalling and reinstalling everything, but I've found that on macOS I can never remove all of an Office install.
  • edited January 1, 2017
    'Store references in Document' is checked and grayed out. Is there any way to modify this? Thanks again.
    I just noticed something. Do I need to save all documents as .doc and not .docx? I just noticed the language about .doc in the 'Format using' settings. Could using a .docx default format be causing the problems I'm having?
  • no, doc and docx should both work.
    For the 'store references' -- have you tried unchecking it. I'm surprised it'd be greyed out ever. Is it for a new document?
  • It's a gray checked box that I can't uncheck in all the previously made documents I've checked. New documents allow me to uncheck the box.
  • My guess would be it's checked because the document is relying on the embedded data -- i.e. some items are missing a link to an existing Zotero icon. Any way that could have happened? E.g. have you deleted duplicate items in Zotero?
  • It's definitely possible. I try to delete duplicates regularly.
    Of note, last night I copied all the text from one of my documents that had the icon grayed out into a new document and saved that. This new document allowed unchecking of the icon.
    Interestingly, I've been having a problem where Word auto-recovery files made with Zotero are all corrupted and can't be opened. This also happened with the newly copied document from above. However, when I changed the auto-recovered document to .doc, it opened correctly.
    So I think I might be getting documents corrupted when moving between Word 2011 and 2016 and it may have something to do with Word compatibility mode.
  • of tangential importance, but you should use merge duplicates (either in the Duplicates view or by selecting both items and right-clicking) not delete to get rid of duplicates. Otherwise you end up with 'orphaned' metadata in the documents that still allows you to format citations, but can't be changed (e.g. to fix a typo in the title or so).
  • I see. Thanks for the information, I didn't know that was a problem. Could that explain the file corruption issue?
  • Not really, no -- documents should run without issues entirely off stored metadata.
  • Just wanted to post an update. I did multiple things at once that seem to have resolved the problem, but I don't know which was responsible. I'm posting this in case anyone else encounters a similar issue.
    I moved all the text from a corrupted document to a new word document and unchecked 'store references'. Additionally, I converted the document so that it no longer was in compatibility mode. Finally, I removed the bibliography that was inserted at the end of the document, which seems to massively increase the speed of adding a new reference.
    I'll have to see if this process works with the other documents that were causing the crashes.
    Thanks again for the suggestions.

Apr 01,2020 • Filed to: Solve Mac Problems • Proven solutions

Microsoft Word 2011 Mac Crashes On Startup

'Why does my Microsoft Word keeps crashing on Mac? I have tried several attempts to resolve it, but I can't seem to fix the issue or get back my lost Word documents.'

This is a query from one of the MS Word users on Mac that we have got recently. As you know, MS Word is a part of the Office suite, which is developed by Microsoft. Apart from Windows, it is also available for Mac and provides tons of utility features. Though, there are times when Word on Mac keeps crashing and users are not able to utilize its features or even save their existing files.

Real Geek Forums Archives Operating Systems Apple Macintosh Mac Office Mac Office Excel Excel keeps crashing at startup Excel keeps crashing at startup Posted:, 06:00 PM. 2020-1-16  Microsoft has confirmed that a possible cause for Word 2008 crashing on launch (or quit) is the presence of preference files from previous versions of Word. Software:: Mac Mail Crashing On Startup? Aug 30, 2009. After my wife did the last security update on her intel macbook running 10.4.11, Mail and Safari both crash on start up.

Don't worry! the issue is pretty common and can easily be fixed. In this guide, we will teach you why does Microsoft Word keeps crashing on Mac and how to fix this problem in 8 different ways. Apart from that, we will also discuss how to recover Word document after a crashed Mac. Let's begin and start a quick MS Word troubleshooting on Mac.

Part 1: Why Microsoft Word Keeps Crashing on Mac?

Before we discuss issues to fix the Microsoft Word Mac crashing issues, it is important to note what could have caused the problem to begin with. In this way, you would be able to understand why does Word keeps crashing on Mac and can even avoid it in the future.

  • Mostly, MS Word crashes because of a fault in the Office suite of the tool itself. Chances are that the application could not have been installed probably.
  • You might be running an old or incompatible version of Word on your Mac.
  • If you are using a pirated MS Word application, then it could have been corrupted as well.
  • Sometimes, Mac doesn't give permissions to third-party applications (like Word), making them faulty to work.
  • The source drive where MS Word has been installed could be corrupt as well.
  • The location of the MS Word application could have been moved to someplace else.
  • The application was crashed earlier or closed during processing, making it faulty or corrupt.
  • Chances are that MS Word could have been infected by a malware.

Part 2: How to Fix 'Microsoft Word Keeps Crashing on Mac'

The good news is that most of these problems can easily be resolved if we follow the right approach. Ideally, you can fix Microsoft Word keeps crashing issue with these solutions.

1. Check the Hard Drive Name

A faulty hard drive name is one of the most common issues for Word to malfunction. This is because Mac provides a more flexible way to name the hard drive while Windows has certain restrictions. If needed, you might need to change the hard drive name as well to fix this. Here's how you can check and rename hard drive on Mac to make it compatible with Word.

  1. Just click on the Apple logo on the top left corner of the desktop and open the Applications tab. Go to the Utilities section to open the Disk Utility window.
  2. Select your Mac hard drive from the left and view its name and other details on the right (under the 'Partitions' tab).
  3. Make sure that the drive has a name and it should start from a character. While it can have numbers, it should not have all numbers or any special character. Make the needed changes to rename the hard drive.

Once the hard drive has been renamed, you can restart Mac and try accessing MS Word on it again.

2. Clear the AutoRecovery Folder

As you know, Auto-save is an inbuilt feature in MS Word that automatically saves the running document in the background. It allows us to fetch our files back if they are lost or closed unexpectedly. Though, sometimes the AutoRecovery folder might cause some clash with the application itself, making it faulty. Therefore, you can consider clearing it to fix Word on Mac keeps crashing.

Microsoft Word 2008 Mac Crashes On Startup

  1. To start with, simply launch Finder on your Mac and from its menu, click on Go > Go to Folder.
  2. Now, copy and paste the path '~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Word/Data/Library/Preferences/AutoRecovery/' on your Mac (without the quotes).
  3. As you click on 'Go', it will open the AutoRecovery folder on your Mac. From here, you can just delete the auto-saved files so that the folder would be cleared.

3. Reset the Word Preferences

Sometimes, the reason for Microsoft Word Mac crashing could be the wrong preferences on the application as well. In order to resolve this, you can reset the preferences altogether and try restarting Word.

It is perhaps misleading to call it a professional scientific calculator but for doing light calculation like taking a number to the nth power or a percentage it works great. Floating p 5 indicator in microsoft word for mac. Submitted on 3/17/2016 Review title of JAMESBetter Than the Reviews SayThere are paid for apps for scientific calculators that are better than this but for a free calculator this one works fine.

  1. Firstly, select the Word icon on the desktop and go to the Word > Preferences option from the menu.
  2. As the Word Preferences tab would be opened, click on the 'File Locations' icon from here.
  3. This will open the File Locations feature on the screen. Click on the 'User templates' option and choose to 'Reset' it.
  4. You can also click on the 'Modify' button to view it. Here, you can see a 'Normal' file. You can cut and paste it to any other location (like your desktop) or simply move it to the Trash as well.

After resetting the Word preferences, restart the applications and check if it fixes MS Word crashing on Mac or not.

4. Save the Word Document to another Location

Apart from the MS Word application, there could be a problem with the Mac storage. as well. For instance, if the particular partition or sector on the hard drive has been corrupted, then you should try to save your documents somewhere else. This will help you avoid Word crashing on Mac or prevent the loss of your important files as well.

Related: If you get problems with Mac storage, come to know 8 ways of freeing up and managing Mac storage.
  1. Firstly, open the MS Word application on your Mac and try opening the file. If you are lucky, you would be able to open the file without the Word application crashing.
  2. Quickly, go to the File menu and click on the 'Save As' option.
  3. Now, browse to the location where you wish to save your Word document and give it the needed name.

Alternatively, you can also copy your MS Word file and just paste it to any other location as well.

5. Download and Install Word Updates

As stated previously, one of the reasons for Microsoft Word crashing on Mac could be an old version of the application. If the MS Word application has not been updated in a while, then it can encounter compatibility issues with Mac. The best way to fix MS Word crashing on Mac is by updating it. Not only will it fix the Microsoft Word Mac keeps crashing, it will also make the application more secure by installing the needed patches.

  1. Simply launch the Word application on your Mac and from its menu, go to Help > Check for Updates.
  2. From here, you can enable the automatic update option if you want to. Make the relevant selection and click on the 'Check for Updates' button again.
  3. In no time, MS Word will connect to its server and look for any recent available update. Once it will notify you the same, you can just select the update and click on the 'Install' button.
  4. Now, you can just wait for a while as Word would install the update and restarts in the end to a stable version.

6. Create another User Account on Mac

Stephen Gyllenhaal

Although it might sound surprising, but there could be some issue with your user account on Mac as well. For instance, the account you are accessing might be blocked to use certain applications or there could be a clash with some commands. To avoid this problem and fix Microsoft Word keeps crashing on Mac, simply create another account on your system instead.

  1. To start things, go to the Apple icon from the desktop and visit System Preferences.
  2. Click on the 'Users & Groups' sections from here. Once its dedicated window will open, click on the lock icon at the bottom to make some changes in it.
  3. You need to enter your administrator password to proceed. Afterward, click on the '+' icon to add a new account.
  4. Simply enter basic details for the new account (like its type, name, and so on) and click on the 'Create User' button in the end.
  5. If you want, you can create a different password for the new account and link it with the same iCloud account as well.

In the end, you can sign-out from the present account and log-in to the new account instead. Now, try to open MS Word and see if it resolves the problem or not.

7. Boot Mac in Safe Mode

Just like Windows, you can also boot your Mac system in a safe mode as well. The safe mode is mostly used for troubleshooting and it automatically turns on various secondary processes. In this way, you can check if there is a problem with the MS Word application itself or your Mac system. Here's how you can boot your Mac in safe mode and fix Microsoft Word crashing on Mac.

  1. Simply turn on your Mac by pressing the power button. If you are already using it, then restart it instead.
  2. As soon as you would hear the startup chime (or see Apple's logo), press the Shift key on the keyword.
  3. Keep pressing it for the new few seconds as Mac would be restarted in the safe mode.
  4. You can see 'Safe Mode' written at the top right corner of the screen now. Just log-in to any account and try accessing the MS Word application on it.

8. Run Disk Utility to Repair Crashed Word

If none of the above-listed techniques would fix MS Word crashing on Mac, then you can consider repairing the entire disk. Although it would take a lot of time, it will make sure that your Mac's disk would stay secure and in a healthy condition. To repair your Mac's disk and fix Word keeps crashing on Mac, follow these quick steps:

  1. Look for the 'Disk Utility' option from the Spotlight and open it. Alternatively, from the main menu on Mac, click on Go > Utilities and launch the Disk Utility window.
  2. From the left panel, you can select the primary disk on your system. In most of the cases, it is Macintosh HD. Now, click on the 'First Aid' option from its toolbar and confirm your choice.
  3. As Mac would start repairing the disk, you can just wait for a while for the process to be completed.
  4. Once it is done, restart your Mac and check if Microsoft Word keeps crashing on Mac or not.

Part 3: How to Recover Crashed Word Documents on Mac?

Microsoft Word Crashes When Opening Mac

When any application crashes on Mac, we often end up losing its data. Similarly, if MS Word has been crashed while you were working on a document, then you might end up losing it forever. To avoid such an unwanted scenario, consider using Recoverit Data Recovery for Mac. It is one of the best data recovery tools for Mac that is used by leading experts. Developed by Wondershare, it provides a fast, easy, and highly secure way to get your data back. The application has a high data recovery rate and supports all the leading Word document extensions.

  • With the help of Recoverit Data Recovery, you can get back your lost, deleted, or inaccessible Word files in a jiffy.
  • The application supports all kinds of other data types too like photos, videos, PDFs, Excel sheets, emails, compressed files, and so much more.
  • No matter what the situation is, Recoverit will help you in every possible data loss scenario like accidental deletion, corrupt storage, lost partition, etc.
  • It follows different scanning modes, letting users save their time and get the expected results as well.

Video Tutorial on Mac File Recovery

How to Recover Word Document on Mac

In order to learn how to recover Word document after a crashed Mac, the following steps can be taken.

  1. Select a target location

    2. Simply launch Recoverit Data Recovery on your Mac and select a location where you wish to perform the scan. This would be the primary Macintosh HD in this case. Though, if you want, you can perform data recovery on an external device as well.

  2. Scan for the lost files

    3. As you would mark a source location and start the process, Recoverit will carefully scan the location. You are recommended to wait for a while so that the process can be completed without any trouble.

  3. Preview and recover your Word files

    4. When the data extraction process is completed, the application will let you preview the recovered content. Now, you can simply select the Word files you want back and save them to any secure place.

Part 4: Tips to prevent Word Keeps Crashing on Mac

If you don't want to suffer from an unexpected loss of data or MS Word crashing on Mac, then consider following these suggestions.

  • Always make sure that the MS Word application is updated on your system. You can turn on the automatic update to save your time.
  • Keep the real-time scanning of the firewall on, so that the application would be safe from any malware attack.
  • Don't turn off your Mac when MS Word is still running in the background.
  • Try not to close any MS Word document in between or in an unexpected manner.
  • Install MS Word in the primary partition on your Mac hard drive (if you have multiple partitions).
  • Don't install MS Office from an unreliable source (or a pirated version). Buy it from Microsoft's official website to avoid any software-related issue.

Now when you know how to fix Microsoft Word keeps crashing on Mac, you would be able to resolve this issue like a pro. Apart from listing different fixes for Word crashing on Mac, we have also provided a quick solution to perform data recovery on Mac as well. With the help of Recoverit Data Recovery, you can easily get back any lost or deleted content in no time. Go ahead and download the Mac data recovery tool on Mac or share it with others to teach them how to recover crashed Word document on Mac.

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