Word Keeps Crashing or Won't Respond? Start in Safe Mode and Disable Add-ins

Word freezes, hangs on the “starting” screen, or closes with a “Microsoft Word has stopped working” message — sometimes the moment you open it, sometimes only when you open a specific document.

Why: the most common cause is a misbehaving add-in (a toolbar, PDF converter, antivirus plug-in, or reference manager that loads inside Word). Add-ins run in Word’s process, so a buggy one can take the whole app down. The other usual suspect is a damaged Office installation. The trick is to start Word with add-ins switched off, confirm that’s the cause, then turn them back on one at a time to find the culprit.

Fix 1: Start Word in Safe Mode

Safe Mode launches Word without add-ins, custom toolbars, or your customized templates — so if Word is stable in Safe Mode, you’ve found your answer.

1. Press Windows key + R to open the Run box.
2. Type winword /safe and press Enter.
3. Word opens with (Safe Mode) shown in the title bar.

A faster way: press and hold Ctrl while you double-click the Word shortcut, then click Yes when asked if you want to start in Safe Mode.

If Word is stable in Safe Mode, an add-in is the cause — go to Fix 2. If it still crashes even in Safe Mode, skip to the Online Repair in Fix 3.

To leave Safe Mode, just close Word and reopen it normally.

Fix 2: Disable add-ins one at a time

Now find which add-in is breaking Word. Start in Safe Mode (Fix 1) so you can reach Options without crashing.

1. Go to File > Options > Add-ins.
2. At the bottom, in the Manage drop-down, choose COM Add-ins and click Go.
3. Clear every check box to disable all COM add-ins, then click OK.
4. Close Word and reopen it normally (not Safe Mode). If it’s now stable, an add-in was the problem.
5. Re-enable add-ins one at a time (repeat steps 1–3, ticking one box, restarting Word each time) until the crash returns. The last one you enabled is the culprit — leave it disabled or check the vendor for an update.

Some plug-ins also appear under the Word Add-ins option in the same Manage list — check there too. To see anything Word has already auto-disabled after a crash, choose Disabled Items in the Manage list and click Go.

Fix 3: Repair Office (Online Repair)

If Word crashes even in Safe Mode, the install itself is likely damaged.

1. Close all Office apps.
2. Open Settings > Apps > Installed apps (Windows 11) or Apps & features (Windows 10).
3. Find Microsoft 365 (or your Office version), click the … menu (or Modify).
4. Choose Online Repair, then Repair. This downloads fresh files and usually fixes startup crashes. (Try Quick Repair first if you’re offline — it’s faster but less thorough.)

Also make sure Office is current: File > Account > Update Options > Update Now. Outdated builds are a frequent cause of crashes that a single update fixes.

FAQ

Word only crashes when I open one specific file — is it the file? Likely yes. If Word is fine with other documents, the file is probably damaged. Open Word, go to File > Open > Browse, select the file, click the arrow next to the Open button, and choose Open and Repair.

Will disabling add-ins delete my data? No. Add-ins are optional extras layered on top of Word; turning them off only stops them loading. Your documents are untouched.

Does Online Repair remove my settings or files? It reinstalls the Office program files but leaves your documents alone. You stay signed in and your files are not deleted.

Sources: Microsoft Support — Open Office apps in safe mode on a Windows PC, Microsoft Support — I get a “stopped working” error when I start Office applications on my PC