Learn how to fix issues that occur when you start or use Word, such as damaged documents, add-ins, or settings. Follow the methods in order, from updating Windows and Office to modifying the registry.

Learn how to start an Office application in Office Safe Mode to troubleshoot problems or open files that cannot be accessed normally. Find out the restrictions and limitations of Office Safe Mode and how to enable or disable disabled items.

Right-click the Start button (lower-left corner) and select Apps and Features on the pop-up menu. Select the Microsoft 365 or Office product you want to repair and select Modify. Note: This will repair the entire Office suite even if it's just one application you want to repair such as Word or Excel.

To help you resolve this, try the solutions below. We've listed the most common solutions first so try the steps in the order they're listed. Make sure Office is updated to Version 2102 (Build 13801.20808) or later. If you're not setup for automatic updates do the following:

Re-registers Word in the Windows registry. This switch starts Word, runs Office Setup, updates the Windows registry, and then closes.

Fixes or workarounds for recent issues in classic Outlook for Windows.

Explains that you receive an error message when you open a Word document. This issue may occur if Word did not quit correctly, or if another instance of Word has opened the document. You may have to end the Winword.exe process to resolve the issue.

Download and install or reinstall Office 2021, Office 2019, or Office 2016. Important: Support for Office 2016 and Office 2019 ended on October 14, 2025 and there will be no extension and no extended security updates. All of your Office 2016 and Office 2019 apps will continue to function.

After updating to Version 2407 Build 17830.20138 or higher you find that Outlook, Word, or OneNote may unexpectedly close when typing or doing other authoring tasks such as spell check. The faulting module name will vary depending on what language packs you have installed.

When you troubleshoot unusual behavior in the program or in a document, first determine whether the problem might be caused by formatting, options, or settings. If the behavior occurs in multiple documents, we recommend that you try to reset Microsoft Word to the program's default settings.