Summary
When you start Microsoft Word or work with a document, you may receive the following error message:
Microsoft Word has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience.
If you were in the middle of something, the information you were working on might be lost.
Restart Microsoft Word
Please tell Microsoft about this problem.
We have created an error report that you can send to help us improve Microsoft Word. We will treat this report as confidential and anonymous.
To see what data this error report contains, click here.
This article describes how you can determine the exact problem description and resolution when you receive this error message.
More Information
Microsoft Word allows you to collect and send the error information to Microsoft. The error message dialog box in the "Summary" section of this article (which is not specific to the Microsoft Windows operating system that you use) is now displayed.
The error signature contains information such as program name, error name, and module name, which Microsoft uses to continue developing and improving Microsoft products.
If you have an Internet connection, you can send this information directly to Microsoft by using the Office Application Error Reporting tool. If you want to report this information, the tool verifies whether a solution to the problem is available, and if so, the tool sends that information to you.
For more information about end-user reporting and privacy, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
283768 Description of the end user privacy policy in application error reporting when you are using Office
If you do not want to use the Office Application Error Reporting tool, you can use the information in the error signature to search the Microsoft Knowledge Base directly.
Find the resolution
To find a resolution to the error message as described in the "Summary" section of this article, follow these steps.
Step 1: Search for the specific error message
To search the Microsoft Knowledge Base for the specific error, follow these steps:
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In the error message dialog box (as described in the "Summary" section of this article), click "click here".
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In the Error signature section, the error message appears similar to the following example:
App Name App Version Module Name Module Version Offset
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winword.exe 10.0.2627.0 winword.exe 10.0.2627.0 0032a96d -
Note the specifics about the error signature. In particular, note the AppName, ModName, and Offset values.
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In the Address line of the Web browser, type
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx, and then press ENTER. -
In the Search containing box, type the values that you noted for AppName, for ModName, and for Offset. To use the sample error signature in step 1b, type winword.exe 0032a96d.
Note If the AppName and ModName values are the same, type only the values that you noted for ModName and for Offset. -
Click Search.
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If any search results are returned, click the link to view the article that is returned.
If the problem that you are experiencing does not appear in the list, go to step 2.
Step 2: Troubleshoot possible causes of the error
Use a systematic approach to resolve various error messages and problems in Microsoft Word.
For more information about how to do this, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
322743 A beginner's guide to troubleshooting problems in Word
If you still cannot resolve the problem, go to step 3.
Step 3: Use an automated search for other possible causes of the error
To see a list of articles about known problems that display this error message and the appropriate workaround or resolution for the problem, click the following link:
Click here to view a list of articlesIf the problem that you are experiencing does not appear in the list or was not resolved by the earlier steps, go to step 4.
Step 4: Request assistance from Microsoft
We recommend that you write down the information for the error signature as described in "Step 1: Search for the specific error message." A Microsoft Technical Support Professional may ask for this information when you request assistance.
For more information about how to use the error reporting dialog box, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
289508 How to view error signatures if an Office program experiences a serious error and quits
When you call or send an e-mail message, you must be at your computer and have the appropriate product documentation at hand. Be prepared to give the following information:
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The version number of the Microsoft product that you are using.
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The type of hardware that you are using, including the network hardware, if applicable, and the operating environment that you are using.
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The contents of your Config.sys file, Autoexec.bat file, and network-configuration files, if any.
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The exact wording of any messages that appeared on your screen.
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A description of what occurred and what you were doing when the problem occurred.
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The smallest number of steps to reproduce the problem.
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The steps you already performed to correct the problem.
For more information about how to obtain help to troubleshoot Word, click Microsoft Word Help on the Help menu, type Tech Support in the Office Assistant or the Answer Wizard, and then click Search to view the topics returned.
