Fix: Microsoft Word Crashing on Windows 11

Windows 11 comes with new features and app compatibility, but many existing apps and services are facing issues. Especially with day-to-day office applications which can hinder your productivity big time. Recently many people started reporting that Microsoft Word is crashing on their Windows 11 PC.

The issue might be due to many reasons varying from corrupt files to corrupt updates. In some cases, it is due to the non-compatibility of Windows files. But do not worry because in this article we are about to explain some possible fixes that you can try to solve this issue by yourself.

Fix: Microsoft Word Crashing on Windows 11

Whenever MS Word crashes on Windows 11, it will give you an error message to work on. Such error messages can help you to understand what exactly went wrong so you can fix that. However, in our case, no error message is shown and Word just crashes randomly!

Fix 1: Check for updates

One of the main reasons why MS Word or any other Microsoft Office products crash is an incomplete update or failed update. So to fix this, you can try updating the office application. To do so,

1. Open Microsoft Word and click on New Blank Document.
2. Click on File and click on About.
3. There you will find an option to Update Office.
   
4. Click on it and let it check for updates.

Once the update is complete, restart the Word application, and it will work normally without crashing.

Fix 2: Repair Office installation

Another critical reason for this crashing issue is that the Word application and its components are corrupt. It could happen due to a misconfiguration or an interrupted office update. To fix this, you can try Repairing the office installation.

1. Press the Windows key and R key simultaneously to open the Run box.
2. Type in Appwiz.cpl and hit enter.
3. From the list of applications installed on your system, search for Microsoft Office.
4. Right-click on it and click on Repair.
   
5. Now you will be given two options for attempting the Repair. One is offline repair and another one is online repair.
6. Offline repair can solve many issues. But if that fails and you are still experiencing crashes, then try doing an Online Repair.
7. Once the repair is complete, you will be able to work with Microsoft Word without any issues.

Fix 3: Re-install MS Office

Now if an Online repair was also not successful, then you have to re-install the office applications. But before doing so, make sure you are having the installation files required to perform the installation. If you do not have the setup files to re-install, do not worry, we can obtain them from Microsoft. You just need to have an internet connection.

Step 1: Download Office setup files:

1. Visit the MS office download page by clicking here.
2. First, you need a Microsoft account if you do not have one, you can create one using the links provided there.
3. In the next step, enter your Product key. This should usually be with the package you bought with Microsoft Office. If you have linked your license to your Microsoft account, you can use the “Install from your Microsoft account” link.
4. Click on the Download button to download the setup file.

Step 2: Remove old Office installation:

If you were able to download the setup file successfully, it is time to uninstall the previous office installation. To do so,

1. Open the Run box (Windows + R) and type in Appwiz.cpl.
2. Right-click on Microsoft office and click on Uninstall.
   
3. Wait for it to complete the uninstallation process and reboot your PC.

Step 3: Install New Setup file

Once you have rebooted the PC, go to the downloads folder. Double click on it and follow the on-screen prompts to install office. Usually, this will take some time depending on the internet speed.

Make sure that you are not interrupting the installation process. Although you can continue to do other works while you wait for the installation to complete. Once the download is complete, you will be notified.

Fix 4: Run windows update and System File Checker

If re-installing the Microsoft office also did not fix your issue, then you can try updating your windows installation.

1. Press the Windows key and the I key at the same time to open Windows settings.
2. Click on Windows update and click on Check for updates.
   
3. Wait for it to check for updates and install them. Usually, this will take some time depending on your internet speed as well as your hardware.
4. Once the update is installed and completed, you will be prompted to restart. Restart your PC and check if that solves your issue.

Fix 5: System File Checker

Windows comes with inbuilt functionality that can help you to understand if there are any issues with the system files. Such system files are important for MS word to run efficiently.

1. Click on the start button.
2. Search for CMD and click on Run as administrator.
3. In the Black box, type in SFC /SCANNOW.
   
4. Now, wait for it to complete as it will take some time.
5. Once it has been completed, reboot your PC and check if the issue has been resolved.

Fix 6: Use Alternative Office Apps

We understand how important Microsoft Office can be and if it crashes randomly on Windows 11, it can be a devastating experience to lose all your unsaved data. So if the above methods do not help you to fix the issue, we recommend you try other office apps alternatives.

Some of the famous and free alternatives to MS Word are Libre Office and WPS office.

Conclusion

So these were some solutions for Microsoft Word crashing in Windows 11. As you can see these are some simple and easy-to-do steps. While many people were able to fix the issue just by performing an Offline repair, some rare cases required re-installing of the Windows OS. But let’s hope that we do not need to go to that extreme.