How to Fix Microsoft Word Freezing

Is Microsoft Word freezing on your computer?

Microsoft Word is a very efficient word processing tool that doesn’t require a lot of resources to run. While this is true for the most part, Word can also consume significant resources if you are working on a  very large document. 

Due to this, you might experience freezing issues on Microsoft Word. Unfortunately, users have been complaining about this on various forums. 

Most of the time, this is a result of your system running out of resources to run the software. However, it can also be due to outdated software, third-party apps, corrupted data, or improper configurations. 

Compatibility issues could also cause performance and freezing issues on Microsoft Word and other applications. 

If you are experiencing this as well, we’ve got you covered. 

Today, we’ve decided to make a guide for fixing Microsoft Word if it keeps freezing on your computer. 

Let’s dive right in!

1. Restart Your Computer. 

Before tweaking your configurations, we suggest restarting your computer first if you encounter problems with Microsoft Word. This should reload your system resources and eliminate temporary issues. 

See the steps below to reboot your system: 

  1. First, press the Windows key on your keyboard to open the Start Menu
  2. After that, access the Power Options tab. 
  3. Lastly, choose Restart and wait for your system to reboot. 
restart your pc

Go back to Microsoft Word afterward and see if its performance improved. 

2. Close Unused Applications. 

One of the main reasons why Microsoft Word is freezing is due to unnecessary applications consuming your system resources. Once your system runs out of resources, even the lightest applications will have a hard time running. 

To avoid this, see the steps below to close unused apps: 

  1. First, open the Task Manager by pressing the CTRL + SHIFT + ESC keys on your keyboard. 
  2. After that, go to the Processes tab and click on Memory to sort your apps. 
  3. Lastly, identify the apps you are not using and close them. 
microsoft word freezing

Once done, relaunch Microsoft Word and check if the problem is solved. 

3. Update Microsoft Word. 

The version of Microsoft Word you are using might have an issue that causes it to freeze or run slow. To resolve this, we suggest updating your software to the latest version to patch bugs and errors. 

See the guide below to update Microsoft Word: 

  1. First, go to File > Accounts
  2. After that, click on Update Options
  3. Lastly, choose Update Now and follow the prompts. 
microsoft word freezing

Restart your system to apply the changes and see if Microsoft Word is now running smoothly. 

4. Reset Your Templates. 

There might be an issue with Microsoft Word’s default template, explaining why you experience freezing issues. If this is the case, you can address the problem by resetting Word’s default template. 

Follow the steps below to guide you through the process: 

  1. On your keyboard, press the Windows + X keys to open the Quick Menu
  2. Next, click on Command Prompt (Admin) to launch CMD.
  3. After that, enter the command below and hit Enter
ren %userprofile%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates\OldNormal.dotm Normal.dotm
  1. Finally, restart your system. 

Go back to Microsoft Word afterward and check if the problem is solved. 

5. Reinstall Microsoft Word. 

At this point, the last thing you can do is reinstall Microsoft Word on your computer. This should ensure that the app is installed correctly and there are no missing or broken files on your system. 

See the steps below to delete Microsoft Word: 

  1. Access the Control Panel on your computer. 
  2. Next, click on Uninstall a Program
  3. Locate MS Word and right-click on it. 
  4. Choose Uninstall and follow the prompts to remove the software. 

Reinstall Microsoft Word afterward and check if the performance improved. 

That brings us to the end of our guide for fixing Microsoft Word if it keeps freezing on your computer. If you have questions, please drop a comment below, and we’ll do our best to answer them. 

If this guide helped you, please share it. 🙂

Author

  • John Sixto

    John is a staff writer at Saint and comes from a SAP ABAP development background. He has a Bachelors in IT and has been writing since 2018, with over 500 posts published. He loves to build PCs and has a deep curiosity in understanding how different components and configurations work. John spends hundreds of hours at a time, researching and testing the software and apps, before he proceeds to write about it. LinkedIn X (Twitter)

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