How to Fix Microsoft Word Not Responding

Can’t figure out why Microsoft Word is not responding on your computer?

Microsoft Word is considered to be the most popular and most used application in the Microsoft Office Suite. It is widely known worldwide, and over a billion people use it for day-to-day tasks. With Word, we can create various documents like office reports, review papers, letters, and more. 

One of the most common problems with Microsoft Word is that it hangs or freezes occasionally. This can be an issue as it can cause you to lose all progress in your file the issue occurred before you can save it. 

Most of the time, Microsoft Word not responding is caused by corrupted data or your system running out of resources. On the other hand, it can also be due to outdated software, corrupted data, or third-party apps. 

If Microsoft Word is not responding on your computer, you have come to the right place. 

Today, we’ve decided to make a guide on what to do if Microsoft Word is not responding on your computer. 

Let’s begin!

1. Restart Your System. 

Before changing your system configurations, we suggest restarting your computer if you encounter issues with Microsoft Word. This should allow your system to reload its resources and resolve temporary bugs and glitches. 

Follow the guide below to restart your PC: 

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. 

Go back to Microsoft Word and observe if it will still enter a not responding state. 

2. Close Unused Applications. 

While Microsoft Word is not a demanding application, you can still run out of system resources if you are using an entry-level computer. Due to this, we suggest closing unused applications in the background if you experience performance issues on Word. 

Here’s what you need to do: 

1. On your keyboard, press the CTRL + SHIFT + ESC key to open the Task Manager. 
2. After that, go to the Processes tab and click the Memory tab. This should arrange your applications based on their usage. 
3. Finally, identify the apps you are not using and close them. 

Relaunch Microsoft Word afterward and check if the problem is solved. 

3. Run Word As Admin. 

Your system might be preventing Microsoft Word from accessing certain resources, causing it to malfunction. In this case, you can try running the software as an administrator to bypass any restrictions.

See the steps below to run Word as admin: 

1. First, locate MS Word on your desktop. 
2. After that, right-click on the software and click on Properties. 
3. Now, go to the Compatibility tab. 
4. Lastly, enable the ‘Run this Program as an Administrator’ option. 

Save the changes and relaunch MS Word to check if the issue is solved. 

4. Disable Add-Ins. 

You can try disabling Word add-ins if you encounter issues with the software. While add-ins can help you process documents and files faster, they can also cause problems if they conflict with one another. 

Check out the steps below to turn off add-ins: 

1. On MS Word, go to the File tab and click on Options. 
2. Now, access the Add-Ins tab. 
3. Finally, turn off all your add-ins or the ones you are not using. 

Save the changes and restart Microsoft Word. Try using it as you would and observe if you’ll still encounter performance issues. 

5. Update Microsoft Word. 

If you still encounter performance issues with Microsoft Word, you can try updating the software to patch possible bugs and glitches. This should also ensure that there are no compatibility issues between your system and Word. 

Here’s how you can update Word: 

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

Once done, restart Microsoft Word and check if it will still enter a not responding state. 

6. Update Your System. 

There might be an issue with your operating system that causes Microsoft Word to run into problems. To rule this out, update your OS to the latest version possible to fix any errors and glitches. 

See the steps below to update Windows: 

1. Start by accessing Windows Settings on your computer. Press the Windows + I keys on your keyboard to open it. 
2. Now, go to Update & Security and click on Windows Update. 
3. Finally, click on Check for Updates and follow the prompts. 

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

7. Reinstall Microsoft Word. 

If none of the solutions above worked, you could try reinstalling Microsoft Word. This should ensure that the app is installed properly and there are no missing or corrupted 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 on your computer and check if the problem is solved. 

That brings us to the end of our guide on how to fix Microsoft Word if it’s not responding on your computer. If you have other concerns, please leave a comment below, and we’ll do our best to respond. 

If this guide helped you, please share it. 🙂