Microsoft Word Keeps Crashing on Mac [Solved]

Elva

• Filed to: Mac Recovery • Proven solutions

"My word keeps crashing on my Mac" - You might have read this query on various Mac forum sites. No matter how advanced and reliable the macOS is, it can still run into some problems. And the worst one is when an important app keeps crashing like MS Office. Whether the system is crashing when you open a particular file or it happens with every file, this erratic behavior impedes the ability to use Mac properly.

It is not only frustrating but sometimes, it also leads to data loss. Thus, in this article, you'll learn how to fix MS Word which is crashing and how to recover crashed word document on Mac. Just go through the article and you'll have all the answers to your problems.

Part 1. For Mac Users: Why Does Microsoft Word Keeps Crashing

Before you get down to the solution part, it is vital that you know why does Microsoft word keep crashing on Mac. The reasons can be listed down to the following points:

All these reasons conclude that MS Word crash problem is more common than you realize. You'll often get prompted to either close the application or restart it. Luckily, you can solve the crashing issue with few simple and quick fixes.

Part 2. How to Solve "Microsoft Word Keeps Crashing Mac" (5 Solutions)

Whether word keeps crashing Mac El Capitan or macOS High Sierra, Maverick, or Lion, the following methods will come in handy for all versions of macOS.

Solution 1. Reset the Word preferences and restart Mac

Mac system is very different than Windows OS and hence, the MS Word preferences are different too. in order to resolve the Microsoft word 2016 keeps crashing on Mac issue, the first thing you should try is to reset the preferences of Word for Mac. Follow the steps below to do this:

Step 1 Launch MS Word from the Desktop and click on the Word option. There you will see the Preferences option. Tap on it to open the main menu.

Step 2 In the Word preferences, you will see the File Locations icon. Click and you will be directed to a File Locations interface.

Step 3 Select the User Templates option and choose the Reset button.

Step 4 This will open up a folder where you will find a Normal.dotm file. Cut and paste the files on the desktop or any other location. You can also move the file to Trash to reset the preferences.

Close the application and restart it to check if the problem is fixed or not. Deleting the Normal file will resolve the issue in most circumstances, if not then there are still other fixes available.

Solution 2. Create a new account

Yes, you might think it is odd, but using a new account to access MS Word can help you. Maybe, MS word for Mac keeps crashing because you don't have the authority to use the application. If your user account is blocked to use a certain application, it leads to crashing issues. To avoid this, create a new account on Mac by following the steps below:

Step 1 Click on the Apple icon and select System Preferences option from the list. Select the Users & Groups tab and as the dedicated window opens up, click on the Lock icon at the bottom of the window to make some changes.

Step 2 Enter the Admin password and click on the "+" icon to add a new account.

Step 3 Provide your basic details for the new account like name, account type, etc. and hit the Create User button. You can also set a password for the new account if you want to and link it with iCloud too.

Now, sign out from the present account and log in with the new account on Mac. Try using MS Word and see if the problem still persists or not.

Solution 3. Run Repair Disk Permissions

Some users might not know about this but the Disk Utility has a feature called First Aid which can repair any application or the entire Mac disk. So, if Microsoft Word keeps crashing on Mac then try running the Disk utility to resolve this issue.

Step 1 Open Disk Utility from the utility window and select the Primary disk of your system.

Step 2 Switch to the First Aid tab and at the bottom of the window; you will see two options, i.e. Verify Disk Permissions and Repair Disk Permissions. Choose the Repair option and wait while the disk repair finishes.

When the disk is repaired, the problem will cease to exist and you will be able to use Word once again.

Solution 4. Run and open Word in Safe Mode

The Safe Mode in Mac is similar to Windows as it is used for troubleshooting problems. If MS word is crashing on Mac, then with the help of Safe Mode, you can check the problem with the Word application. Plus, you can fix the application as well.

Step 1 Restart your Mac and when you hear the chime sound, press the Shift key to enter the Safe mode. Keep the key pressed until you hear the Safe mode interface on the screen.

Step 2 Log in to your account and find the MS word application from the left side panel. Open it and see if there is still a problem with Word or not.

Normally, Word won't crash in the Safe Mode, but if it does, then it means that the application is irreparable.

Solution 5. Reinstall Microsoft Office for Mac:

Now, all there is left to do is to reinstall MS Word or the entire MS Office on your Mac. If you can't figure out the reasons why Microsoft word 2011 Mac keeps crashing, then deleting and reinstalling the Office suite is a much better idea. It will erase the previous settings and you will be able to use the newer version without any problem.

Step 1 Quit all application running on Mac and open the Hard Drive. Find the Application folder and select the MS Office 2011 or the version which is causing problems.

Step 2 Drag the MS Office suite to Trash and Reinstall MS Office from the App Store.

Finally, all the problems will be resolved. But if you had any unsaved or edited document, then it will get deleted while trying to fix MS Word. Thus, you will need help with the recovery of those files too.

Part 3. How to Recover Crashed and Unsaved Word Documents on Mac

People often search for a tool on forums and other platforms stating "word crashed recover document on Mac". But most of them don't come across a reliable and promising solution. But you don't have to be disappointed as Recoverit for Mac is here.

If you want to know how to recover word document after crash Mac, then Recoverit is your answer. This powerful tool allows the users to rescue all kinds of data from images to word files, videos to audios, archives to emails, etc. Whether you lost data due to virus attack, drive formatting, system crash, lost partition, or empty Trash, this software can help you under all circumstances. With a 99% success rate and 100% safety level, we can assure that Recoverit is the ideal tool for quick and efficient recovery of your lost files.

Recoverit for Mac

The Best Word File Recovery Software:

• It is compatible with both Windows and Mac operating system.
• It supports a large number of storage device type including hard drives, USB flash drives, SD cards, etc.
• All major types of files can be recovered including office documents, music, images, video, emails, and archives.
• It has a deep scan features for in-depth scanning of the hard drive for searching files to recover.

Try It Free Try It Free

3,165,271 people have downloaded it

Step 1 Run Recoverit

Launch the program and you will see the different file types which are offered by iSkysoft for recovery.

Step 2 Select Device for Recovery

The software will display the available volumes and partitions and connected device on the screen. Select the device or volume from which you want to recover data and hit the Start button.

Step 3 Scan and Recover

It will take a while before the scan results are displayed on the screen. As the files appear according to their respective format, it will be easy for you to look for specific files. Have a preview of the files that you want to recover and click on the Recover option at the bottom of the screen.

Don't choose the same destination for the files as before as it can lead to overwriting or corruption. Also, make sure that you stop using the device after data loss.

Bonus Tips: How to Prevent "Word Keeps Crashing on Mac" Problem

Here are some additional tips that can help you to avoid the crashing problem. If word keeps crashing on Mac, then you better focus on the tips otherwise the problem will keep popping up.

Conclusion:

Hopefully, after you try the above-explained fixes the "Microsoft word crashes on Mac" problem will be resolved. Consider the above tips to avoid the same problem in the near future. And if you end up losing some important files, then iSkysoft is here to rescue them in an instant. Tell all your friends about iSkysoft and help them to save their data too.