(FIXED!) Microsoft Word Is Not Responding – Here’s How To Fix It

It’s annoying when you have to deal with errors while doing something.

Just like my experience a couple of weeks ago. I was busy finishing an article when suddenly MS Word froze. I’ve clicked my mouse multiple times and hit the keys on my keyboard, but the program was still not responding.

After a couple of minutes, the app closed, leaving my work unsaved. I took a deep breath and looked for some solutions to solve this issue, and luckily I did. And I will gladly share them with you.

If Microsoft Word is not responding on your PC, check out this article to learn the possible reasons and effective solutions.

Why is Word Not Responding

It’s important to know how and why an error started. This will help you prevent uncertain instances from happening again.

For the “Microsoft Word not responding” error, here are some possible reasons why it occurs.

• If your application is out of date, it will show some signs of errors like crashing or freezing. In the case of your MS Word, being out of date could be the cause of the “Microsoft Word not responding” error.
• The Add-ins on your MS Word application make it bulky. That is why the app can sometimes freeze and not respond.
• Corrupted files are not just damaged files, they also contain bugs that might affect the application you use when you try to open them. If you’re trying to open a corrupted file on Word and it freezes, the reason why might be pretty obvious.

Now that we know the possible reasons, it’s time to check out the solution. We listed 5 solutions below and included a tip on how to recover unsaved files due to errors. Check them out.

Method 1: Update MS Word to Fix “Microsoft Word Not Responding” Error

The first thing you can do to fix the “Microsoft Word Not Responding” error is by updating the app. This will remove any bugs that are lurking in your system and will boost the app. Here’s how to do it.

1. Launch Word and then click the Account option.
2. Then access the Update Options button then select “Update Now”.

3. A pop-up window will show up and if you see any pending updates, click on it to update MS Word.

Method 2: Run MS Word in Safe Mode to Fix “Microsoft Word Not Responding” Error

Next, you can try to enable Safe Mode, this will disable all your add-ins and troubleshoot any existing issues.

1. On your keyboard hold and press the CTRL key while clicking the MS Word app simultaneously.
2. Then a pop-out window will appear asking if you want to launch Word in Safe Mode. After that, hit the Yes button, and Word will be in Safe mode.

Method 3: Run Office Repair Feature to Fix “Microsoft Word Not Responding” Error

Another way to troubleshoot errors like the Word Not Responding error, is by using the Office Repair feature. This will help with any errors in your Word application.

1. On your PC, open the Control Panel.
2. Next, select Programs then choose Programs and Features.

3. Scroll down until you find Microsoft Office. Click on the app and select Change.

4. After that, you can select between two options, Quick Repair and Full Repair. Select the one you preferred and follow the prompted instructions.

Method 4: Repair Corrupted Document to Fix “Microsoft Word Not Responding” Error

Another way to fix this error is to repair the document you want to open. There are different ways you can repair a corrupted Word file. One of which is restoring its previous version. Here’s how to do it.

1. Locate the corrupted file, right-click your mouse and click Properties.
2. Choose the Restore Previous Version option.
3. From there, you can see the versions of the document. Select one and hit Restore. After that, you can try to open it on MS Word.

Keep in mind that this can only work if you enabled the File History feature beforehand. But don’t panic, there is a straightforward way you can repair corrupted files without any hassle.

Tip: Recover and Repair your Files with echoshare Data Recovery

echoshare Data Recovery can successfully repair any type of corrupted document. So you don’t need to hassle yourself in trying various methods that may or may not work. And you will be pleased to know that it can also recover deleted and lost data!

Yes! If your document is left unsaved due to the “Microsoft Word Not Responding” error or you accidentally deleted your files, echoshare can help you out! This tool can recover almost everything, from different types of documents like Excel, PowerPoint, etc to media files like photos, videos, audio, emails, and a whole lot more!

echoshare Data Recovery also helps in preventing errors on your PC that causes freezing and crashing. There’s no doubt that this tool can do almost everything. So don’t waste time and download this tool now!

Final Thoughts

Thanks to the solutions above, recovering our lost data is now easier than ever. So if in any case you’re stuck in the same situation again, just check out this article or take note of the solutions we listed. This will help lessen your hassle and burden.

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