Microsoft Word Won't Open | 7 Detaied How-to Tutorials

Are you dealing with the Microsoft Word won't open error? Keep reading this guide to know everything about this error, the reasons, and most importantly, the top 7 fixes to eliminate this problem from the root. Moreover, if the MS Word document is corrupted, you can repair the file with EaseUS Fixo.

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Updated by Dany on Feb 26, 2024

Although Microsoft Word competitors dominate the tech market, MS Word is unbeatable and a leading preference among businesses and consumers. Despite being a renowned program for creating and editing files, MS Word is still vulnerable to errors. It means you may notice a pop-up on the screen: Microsoft Word won't open, or MS Word isn't responding!

Let's consider these fixes below:

Workable Solutions Step-by-step Troubleshooting
1. Fix Microsoft Word Won't Open with EaseUS Fixo One of the most preferred techniques to mend a Microsoft Word document on your Windows PC is...Full steps
2. Fix Microsoft Word Won't Open with Open and Repair Option On your Windows PC, open the Word app, and use Safe mode to launch it if the usual way isn't...Full steps
3. Update Word to Fix Microsoft Word Not Opening Launch MS Word. Opt for "File". Opt for "Account" from the left panel. Search for the Office...Full steps
4. Open Microsoft Word in Safe Mode to Troubleshoot Launch the Windows Run box by hitting the keys Windows + R together. Type in...Full steps
More Solutions Open the Run box by hitting the keys Windows + R. Hit the OK button after typing winword /safe in...Full steps

This Windows product remains stuck on one screen regardless of what you do. Several reasons are there justifying why Microsoft Word won't open! Are there issues with the add-ins that you have installed? Or is the document you intend to open corrupted, which results in a crash or freezing of the app?

Fortunately, multiple fixes are available for this error. But before proceeding with the fixes, let's discuss the top 4 reasons for this error to happen:

⚠️An incompatible add-in It's one of the leading reasons behind MS Word not responding. Addressing these causes can resolve the issue on your PC.
📄A damaged program file Damaged program files contain errors that impede Word from opening them appropriately. In some instances, MS Word can mend corrupt files, but others will not work.
💡Outdated Word An older version of MS Word is well-known for creating issues like crashes and freezing. The outdated MS can also cause Microsoft Excel not to open.
⛑️Incompatibility with the OS Another significant reason MS Word won't open is the Office edition's incompatibility with the Windows OS of your PC.

Fix 1. Fix Microsoft Word Won't Open with EaseUS Fixo

One of the most preferred techniques to mend a Microsoft Word document on your Windows PC is using a professional Word file repair tool. A trustworthy MS Word repair program can protect most of your precious time and resolve tricky Word issues quickly.

If you're a programmer or something, installing a reliable tool, EaseUS Fixo Document Repair, would be better. This professional tool can efficiently repair damaged Office files, and it can repair PDF files, mend files in batch & preview repaired documents, and fix garbled files, unreadable files, and unreadable files.

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EaseUS Fixo Document Repair, being one of the best file repair software, can do the following things:

🌟Mend Word Documents Help you open and repair Word files, and fix images, header, footer, text, font, and hyperlinks, sans amending the real file.
🖼️Mend PowerPoint Resolve every PowerPoint object, such as header & footer, charts, tables, and more. PowerPoint cannot play media? This issue can be easily fixed with this tool.
📄Fix PDF Files Draw out and fix different components of the PDF files, including hyperlinks, headers & footers, watermarks, text, forms, graphs, etc., without adjusting the real file.
🏅Repair Excel Files EaseUS Fixo can also help you open corrupt Excel files, and you can repair multiple documents at once.

You can follow the repair tutorial below to repair your Word files with EaseUS Fixo:

Step 1. Download and launch Fixo on your PC or laptop. Choose "File Repair" to repair corrupted Office documents, including Word, Excel, PDF, and others. Click "Add Files" to select corrupted documents.

add files to repair documents with Fixo

Step 2. To repair multiple files at once, click the "Repair All" button. If you want to repair a single document, move your pointer to the target file and choose "Repair". You can also preview the documents by clicking the eye icon.

select documents to repair

Step 3. Click "Save" to save a selected document. Select "Save All" to save all the repaired files. Choose "View Repaired" to locate the repaired folder.

save repaired documents in Fixo

For high-speed file recovery, download EaseUS Fixo today! Also, if you like the highlights of this renowned file recovery tool, please share this passage with your friends on social media.

 

Fix 2. Fix Word Won't Open with Open and Repair Option

If the MS Word malfunctions or stops responding to specific documents, those files might have real issues. The best way to fix MS Word won't open is to mend those damaged files and then open them with Word. Follow the steps below to fix this error with open and repair options:

Step 1. On your Windows PC, open the Word app, and use Safe mode to launch it if the usual way isn't working.

launch Word

Step 2. In the left sidebar, hit the Open option.

click MS Word open option

Step 3. Opt for "Browse" on the screen to surf your PC for the troublesome document.

select browse

Step 4. Go to the directory where your document has been stored, select it, and finally opt for Open and Repair from the menu that appears when you hit the arrow adjacent to Open. Once done, choose Open & Repair.

open and repair Word document

Step 5. MS Word will open your document and mend it for you.

Fix 3. Update Word to Fix Microsoft Word Not Opening

Office programs can't work efficiently, or Microsoft Word has stopped working if they're outdated. Therefore, all you need to do is install the current update of MS Office to fix the MS Word not opening issue. Fix the steps below to update MS Word:

Step 1. Launch MS Word.

Step 2. Opt for "File".

Step 3. Opt for "Account" from the left panel.

Step 4. Search for the Office Updates in the right panel.

Step 5. Hit the down arrow adjacent to the Update options.

Step 6. Choose Update Now from the drop-down list.

update MS Word

Step 7. Keep waiting until the checking and updating process is over.

Step 8. MS Word will let you know once the update is done.

Fix 4. Open Microsoft Word in Safe Mode to Troubleshoot

Another significant method to fix MS Word won't open errors is by opening MS Office in Safe mode. Follow the steps below:

Step 1. Launch the Windows Run box by hitting the keys Windows + R together.

Step 2. Type in winword /safe and hit the Enter button.

Step 3. After that, you will notice the Word launches in Safe Mode.

launch MS Word in Safe Mode

This is the easiest method to try! So, if you found this helpful, share this passage with your friends on social media.

 

Fix 5. Disable Word Add-ins to Resolve Word Won't Open

You must remove add-ins or plug-ins at a time, and every time you remove or disable an add-in, you have to restart your PC and launch Word. This strategy will let you know which add-in is liable for this problem. Go through the steps below to disable Word add-ins to resolve MS Word won't open issue:

Step 1. Open the Run box by hitting the keys Windows + R.

Step 2. Hit the OK button after typing winword /safe in the Run box.

Step 3. In case the Word file launches, it implies no corruption is present in the file. If you are unable to open the file, there must be corruption in your file.

Step 4. Open MS Word.

Step 5. Hit the File option in the toolbar.

Step 6. Hit Options on the left panel.

Step 7. Opt for Add-ins located in the left panel. A detailed list of all add-ins will be demonstrated.

disable Word add-ins

Step 8. Click Head over to the Administer drop-down box there: COM Add-ins.

Step 9. Tick the box adjacent to the add-in you intend to disable. Finally, hit the OK button.

Fix 6. Use Microsoft Repair Tool to Fix Word Won't Open

Another best strategy to resolve Word not responding error in your Windows PC is to take assistance from the Office repair tool. This tool works with different Word problems, including freezing and crashing. Steps to use the MS repair tool to fix the Word won't open issue are the following:

Step 1. Use the Windows or Start key, and search for the Control Panel to open it. Once it's opened, hit the Programs option.

Step 2. Opt for MS Office from the list.

Step 3. Choose MS Office, and hit the "Change" option from the top menu.

hit Change button

Step 4. This new window appears with some fantastic options. All you need to do is to opt for the "Repair" option and select "Continue."

N.B: In case you have a brand-new MS Office version, opt for "Quick Repair" and hit the Repair button.

repair MS

Step 5. Repair will start shortly, and your Windows PC will be rebooted. Once the process is over, let the MS Office open, and notice if you still receive a "Word won't open" error.

You may be interested in the following passage as well:

Microsoft Office Repair tool

Microsoft Office Repair Tool: How to Repair Office 2016, 2013, 2010

Have you experienced a sudden glitch in your system where the screen froze while working on Excel, Word, or other Microsoft programs? Read more >>

Fix 7. Remove Microsoft Word Registry Keys

Registry files on your PC consist of vital settings for every program, including MS Word. If the registry files linked with MS Word are corrupted, the program might not open! Follow the steps below to remove MS Word registry keys to fix this error:

Step 1. Hit the search symbol on the taskbar.

Step 2. Select the Registry Editor in the search bar and select the first result.

Windows Registry Editor

Step 3. Opt for Yes when the UAC prompt emerges.

Step 4. Employ the left panel to move to HKEY_CURRENT_USER > Software > Microsoft > Office > [Version Number] > Word.

Step 5. Right-click on the Data key, and opt for Delete.

Step 6. Select Yes to confirm your preference.

remove Word registry key

Once you have completed the steps, restart your PC, and MS Word will open as usual. If you like the information in this passage, share it with your friends on social media.

 

Microsoft Word Won't Open FAQs

Go through the FAQs below to get a better understanding of the topic:

1. What causes Microsoft Word not to open on Windows 11?

Add-ins in MS Word might be unstable or corrupted for Word. It results in errors, which might restrict it from launching Windows 11.

2. How do you repair not opened Word documents?

Fix 2 demonstrated the steps to repair not-open Word documents. With the help of Open and Repair you can quickly mend the Word documents.

3. How to fix Microsoft Word stuck and not responding?

You may clear some space on OneDrive to fix MS Word stuck and not responding. In case you have signed up for a free account on OneDrive, you will obtain 5 GB to stash your documents. After running out of space, OneDrive may not be capable of saving any new modifications to your documents.

4. How to fix Microsoft Word won't open on Mac?

You can fix Microsoft Word won't open on Mac with the following methods:

  • Reboot Mac computer.
  • Remove preferences Files.
  • Repair corrupted Word files on Mac.
  • Run Disk Utility to repair your disk.
  • Update Microsoft Word.
  • Use Microsoft Word web version.

Summary

As previously said, complications such as ransomware, malware, spyware, etc. may be to blame for MS Office not opening. Additionally, those infections may entirely ruin Microsoft Office files, making it impossible for any dependable recovery software to restore them.

But you can repair a Microsoft Word document with the help of EaseUS Fixo. If Word won't open, never fret. Instead, you should maintain your sanity and cautiously follow the aforementioned fixes to fix the issue on Windows.

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About the Author

author Dany

Dany

Dany is an editor of EaseUS who lives and works in Chengdu, China. She focuses on writing articles about data recovery on Mac devices and PCs. She is devoted to improving her writing skills and enriching her professional knowledge. Dany also enjoys reading detective novels in her spare time.

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