How to force Word 2007 or Word 2010 to always start in safe mode

INTRODUCTION

This article describes how to force Microsoft Office Word 2007 or Microsoft Office Word 2010 to always start in safe mode regardless of how a user starts Word.

More Information

Warning Serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly by using Registry Editor or by using another method. These problems might require that you reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that these problems can be solved. Modify the registry at your own risk.

2007 and 2010 Microsoft Office programs have two safe modes that let you use a 2007 or 2010 Office program that has encountered problems. The following table describes the two types of safe modes.

Forcing Word 2007 or Word 2010 to start in safe mode can be useful when you want to troubleshoot security-related issues. To force Word 2007 or Word 2010 to start in safe mode, update the registry. To do this, follow these steps as appropriate for the version of Word that you are running:

1. Copy the following text into Notepad, and then save the file as EnableSafeMode.reg.
   
   Word 2007
   

   Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
   
   [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Word\Resiliency]
   "ForceSafeMode"=dword:00000001
   
   

   Word 2010
   
   

   Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
   
   [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\14.0\Word\Resiliency]
   "ForceSafeMode"=dword:00000001

2. Double-click EnableSafeMode.reg. The file contents merge into the registry.

3. Restart the computer.

References

For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

924687 How to force the Word e-mail editor in Outlook 2007 to start in safe mode