Not Responding
Microsoft Microsoft Word
Severity: ModerateWhat Does This Error Mean?
When Microsoft Word stops responding, it freezes and shows 'Not Responding' in the title bar. You can't click, type, or save. This is most often caused by a large or complex document, a faulty add-in, low system memory, or a corrupted Word installation. Most cases are fixed without losing your work.
Affected Models
- Microsoft Word 2016
- Microsoft Word 2019
- Microsoft Word 2021
- Microsoft 365 Word
- Word for Windows
Common Causes
- A Word add-in (like Grammarly or an outdated plugin) is conflicting with Word and causing it to hang
- The document being edited is very large or complex with heavy graphics, tables, or track changes
- The computer does not have enough free RAM to run Word smoothly alongside other programs
- AutoSave or AutoRecover is running in the background and has stalled on a network drive
- The Word installation files are corrupted and need to be repaired
How to Fix It
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Wait 2 to 3 minutes before force-closing. Word sometimes appears frozen while processing large operations (spell check, saving, printing). Give it time to finish.
The hard drive activity light on your PC or the spinning cursor on your screen indicates Word is still working, not truly frozen.
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If Word is truly stuck, open Task Manager (Ctrl+Alt+Delete > Task Manager). Find 'Microsoft Word' under Processes. Click End Task. Reopen Word — it will offer to recover your document.
Word's AutoRecover feature saves your work periodically. Most recent changes are recoverable unless AutoRecover was disabled.
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Open Word in Safe Mode to test for add-in conflicts. Hold the Ctrl key and click the Word icon to launch. When asked if you want to start in Safe Mode, click Yes.
If Word works fine in Safe Mode, a add-in is the culprit. Go to File > Options > Add-ins to find and disable the problem add-in.
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Repair the Office installation. Go to Windows Settings > Apps, find Microsoft Office, click Modify, and select Quick Repair. Run it — it takes about 10 minutes.
Quick Repair fixes corrupted Office files without needing an internet connection. If Quick Repair does not help, run Online Repair.
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Check if the document is stored on a network drive or cloud folder that is offline. Save a copy locally to your desktop and open that copy instead.
Word documents stored on slow network drives or syncing cloud folders can hang when the connection is unstable.
When to Call a Professional
Word freezing is not a reason to call a technician. All fixes can be done by the user at home. If Word crashes repeatedly and repair tools do not help, a full reinstall of Microsoft Office resolves it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will I lose my work if Word freezes and I have to close it?
Usually not. Word's AutoRecover feature saves a temporary copy of your document every few minutes. When you reopen Word after a crash, it will automatically offer to recover the document. Click on the recovered version to open it. The only changes you may lose are those made after the last AutoRecover save.
Word freezes every time I open a specific document. What's wrong?
That specific document is likely corrupted. Try opening it with File > Open > Browse, then click the dropdown next to the Open button and choose 'Open and Repair.' This attempts to fix corruption in the document itself. Alternatively, copy all the text from the old document into a brand new blank document.
How do I stop Word from freezing when saving?
Freezing during save often means Word is saving to a slow destination (network drive, OneDrive with poor connection). Save to a local drive (like your desktop) for quick access during editing. Sync to OneDrive or a network drive when you are done working. You can also disable AutoSave in File > Options > Save and save manually with Ctrl+S instead.