Step 5: Remove Word preferences Quit all Microsoft Office for Mac applications. On the Go menu, click Home. Open Library. Note The Library folder is hidden in Mac OS X Lion. Open Preferences. Look for a file that is named com.microsoft.Word.plist. If you locate the file, move it to the desktop. Jun 03, 2009 Just wondering if anyone else was having issues with Microsoft Word from MS Office 2008, where you open the application, you type a few sentences, and the application freezes with the spinning circle of death that won't go away until you click the dock where it says 'application not responding' and do a force-quit?
When you try to open a Word document on Mac document, Word stops opening. If you are faced with this issue and are willing to solve it, then follow the 3 solutions. If you have data loss problem after fixing the Word not opening issue, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac can do you a favor.
On this page, we have collected three practical solutions that can help fix the 'Word Not Opening' error on Mac. And if you mistakenly removed a Word file on Mac, let reliable Mac file recovery software as recommended here for help. Check out how to fix the not opening Word file to accessible again:
| Workable Solutions | Step-by-step Troubleshooting |
|---|---|
| Fix 1. Repair Disk | Open Disk Utility > Select the primary hard disk on Mac and select 'First Aid' > Click 'Run'..Full steps |
| Fix 2. Remove Word Preference | Open 'Library' > Open 'Preferences' > Copy com.microsoft.Word.plist file to desktop..Full steps |
| Fix 3. Open and Repair Word | Start Word > Click 'Open' on the File menu > Click 'Repair' on the Open button..Full steps |
| Fix 4. Recover Lost Word | Run EaseUS Mac file recovery software > Scan mac drive > Restore lost Mac word file..Full steps |
'Word 2016 on my Mac won't open. It flashes immediately by double-clicking and then closes unexpectedly. I didn't do anything or any change. How to fix it if Microsoft Word won't open at all?'
In addition to this situation, most users are also faced with these errors:
As Microsoft Word is widely used among people, owning some basic Word troubleshooting is recognized as an essential skill. Today you're going to learn three tricks in solving Word not opening on Mac. The given workarounds are applicable to all Word editions such as 2003, 2007, 2010, 2013 2016.
Step 1: On the 'Go' menu, click 'Utilities'. Start the Disk Utility program.
Step 2: Choose the primary hard disk drive for your computer. Then, click the 'First Aid' tab.
Step 3: Click 'Run' to repair the disk volume errors and permissions. When it finishes, click 'Done'.
Step 1: Open 'Library'. Usually, click 'GO' > 'Go to the folder', then type ~/Library
Step 2: Locate a file named as 'Preferences'.
Step 3: Find a file named as com.microsoft.Word.plist. Move the file to the desktop.
Start Word, and check whether the problem still occurs.
If the problem still occurs, exit Microsoft Word, and then restore the 'com.microsoft.word.prefs.plist' file to its original location. Then, go to Step 4.
If the problem seems to be resolved, you can move the file to the trash.
Note: If you do not locate the file, the program is using the default preferences.
Step 4: Exit all Microsoft Office for Mac programs. Then, Click the Word icon. On the left, click 'Preferences'.
Step 5: Click 'File Locations'.
Step 6: Select 'User templates'. Rms office.
Step 7: Locate the file that is named Normal, and move the file to the desktop.
You can also find the file named as Normal through this way: 'Library' > 'Application Support' > 'Microsoft' > 'Office' > 'User Templates' > 'Normal'
Start Word, and check whether the problem still occurs. If the problem seems to be resolved, you can move the 'Normal' file to the trash.
Step 1: Start Word. On the File menu, click 'Open'.
Step 2: In the Open dialog box, select the file that you want to open. Click the down arrow on the Open button, click 'Open' > 'Repair'.
Do not worry if the 'Word not opening' issue causes data loss disaster, you can recover unsaved Word document on Mac from its Temporary folder and AutoRecovery save. While for a deleted Word document on Mac, the easiest way of recovery is using a third-party Mac data recovery software.
EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac also recovers Word document that is missing, deleted or lost due to formatting, virus infection and other misoperation, and the best part of using the software to recover Word is being able to preview the file entirety.
Step 1. Select the location where your important Word documents were lost and click Scan button.
Step 2. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac will start immediately a quick scan as well as a deep scan on your selected disk volume. Meanwhile, the scanning results will be presented in the left pane.
Step 3. By Path and Type, you can quickly filter the Word files you've lost earlier. Select the target files and click Recover Now button to get them back at once.
Occasionally, macOS applications may lock up and be unresponsive to commands, including Quit. Sometimes the only solution is to issue a Force Quit command. Force quitting an application will not save your latest changes, but it will often allow you to revive the misbehaving application without restarting your entire computer.
To force quit an application, from the Apple menu, choose ForceQuit... Select the misbehaving application from the list, and then click Force quit. You can also bring up this window by pressing Command-Option-Esc.