Fix Microsoft Word Freezing When Changing Font or Font Size
Question details
Microsoft Word becomes unresponsive or freezes when attempting to change the font style or font size.
- Product
- Microsoft Word
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Editing document formatting by adjusting font styles or sizes.
- Observed behavior
- The application hangs and becomes completely unresponsive, preventing the user from continuing their work. This is typically triggered by selecting a new font or adjusting text dimensions in the formatting menu.
Save your work in other applications and test a completely new, blank document to see if the freezing happens globally or only within a specific file.
Start Word in Safe Mode and Disable Add-ins
Running Word in Safe Mode temporarily disables third-party extensions, helping you identify if a faulty add-in is causing the font menu to freeze.
Many unexpected freezes in Microsoft Word are caused by outdated or conflicting COM add-ins. By starting the application in Safe Mode, you can bypass these extensions. If the problem disappears, you can isolate and remove the problematic add-in.
Hold down the 'Ctrl' key on your keyboard and click the Microsoft Word shortcut to open it, or press 'Win + R', type 'winword /safe', and press Enter.
Create a blank document and try changing the font style and size. If Word does not freeze, proceed to the next step.
Click on 'File' in the top-left corner, select 'Options', and then click on 'Add-ins' in the left sidebar.
At the bottom of the window, change the 'Manage' dropdown to 'COM Add-ins' and click 'Go'. Uncheck all listed add-ins, click 'OK', and restart Word normally.
Verify and Change Default Printer Settings
Word's formatting dialogs communicate with your default printer driver. An invalid or corrupted driver can cause the application to hang.
Edit Documents Smoothly with WPS Office
If Microsoft Word continues to freeze or crash on your PC, consider switching to WPS Office. It provides a fast, lightweight word processing experience that remains responsive even during complex formatting changes.
- 1. Download and Install: Visit the official WPS website to download the free installation package for your operating system.
- 2. Open Your Document: Launch WPS Writer and directly open your existing Word documents with full format preservation.
- 3. Edit Without Interruptions: Enjoy a smooth editing experience where you can change fonts, sizes, and styles instantly without application freezes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does changing fonts in Word depend on my printer settings?
Microsoft Word queries your default printer driver to determine how fonts will be rendered and spaced on the physical page. If the printer driver is corrupted or unreachable, the font menu can freeze while waiting for this data.
How can I tell if my Word document is corrupted instead of the application?
Test the issue by creating a brand-new, blank document. If you can change fonts freely in the new document but experience freezing in the original file, the original file is likely corrupted.
Will reinstalling Microsoft Office fix the font freezing issue?
It might help if core application files are damaged, but because this issue is frequently caused by third-party add-ins or external printer drivers, those underlying problems will often persist even after a complete reinstall. Try Safe Mode first.
