How to Fix Office Error word-not-responding — Word Not Responding [2026]

Office Error word-not-responding: Word Not Responding

This error typically occurs when corrupted or incompatible word add-ins loading at startup. Below you'll find 5 proven fixes to resolve it.

What Causes Office Error word-not-responding?

Office error word-not-responding (Word Not Responding) can be triggered by several issues:

Corrupted or incompatible Word add-ins loading at startup
Very large document with complex formatting or embedded objects
Corrupted Normal.dotm template file
Outdated Office version with known stability bugs
Printer driver conflict when Word tries to communicate with the default printer

How to Fix Office Error word-not-responding — Step by Step

Start Word in Safe Mode

Hold Ctrl while clicking the Word icon, or run from CMD:
winword /safe
Safe Mode disables all add-ins. If Word works in Safe Mode, an add-in is the cause.

Disable add-ins

With Word open: File > Options > Add-ins > Manage: COM Add-ins > Go > uncheck all add-ins > OK. Restart Word normally. Re-enable add-ins one at a time to find the problem one.

Rename the Normal.dotm template

Close Word. Navigate to C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates and rename Normal.dotm to Normal.dotm.old. Word creates a fresh default template on next start.

Repair Microsoft Office

Settings > Apps > Microsoft Office > Modify > Quick Repair. If Quick Repair does not help, run Online Repair. This fixes corrupted Office program files.

Update Office

Open any Office app > File > Account > Update Options > Update Now. Also check for Windows Updates. Known Word stability bugs are regularly patched.

Still Getting Error word-not-responding?

IT Cares can diagnose and fix this error remotely — usually in under 30 minutes.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Word freeze on large documents?

Large documents with many images, tracked changes, or complex tables require significant memory. Word's 32-bit version has a 2GB memory cap. Upgrading to 64-bit Office helps with very large files.

Will I lose my document if Word freezes?

Word's AutoRecover saves every 10 minutes by default. Check C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Office\UnsavedFiles for recovered versions.

What is Normal.dotm and is it safe to delete?

Normal.dotm is Word's default template that stores macros, custom styles, and default settings. Renaming it (not deleting) is safe — Word creates a clean replacement automatically.

Can a printer cause Word to freeze?

Yes. Word communicates with the default printer when opening documents to format them correctly. A disconnected or driver-bugged printer can cause Word to hang. Change the default printer to Microsoft Print to PDF temporarily.

How do I speed up Word on an old PC?

Disable animated transitions (File > Options > Advanced > uncheck Use subpixel positioning), reduce AutoRecover frequency, disable add-ins, and split very large documents into smaller ones.

How to Fix Office Error word-not-responding — Word Not Responding