Office Apps Freezing

Fix Microsoft Word Freezing When Opening File or Closing Documents

Olivia Miller Oct 10, 2026 871 views

Question details

The user needs to resolve an issue where Microsoft Word becomes unresponsive or hangs when attempting to access the File menu or close an active document.

How to Fix Microsoft Word Freezing When Opening or Closing Documents

Product: Microsoft Word
Device & OS: Windows
Scenario: Accessing the File menu backstage view or attempting to close a currently open document.
Observed behavior: Microsoft Word hangs, freezes, or completely stops responding, often preventing the user from saving work or exiting the application normally.

Before you start

Ensure you have your Microsoft account login credentials available, as you will need them to reactivate your software if a complete removal and reinstallation of Office is required.

Solution 1Recommended

Start Word in Safe Mode and Disable Add-ins

Running Word in Safe Mode helps isolate the issue to determine if a third-party add-in is causing the application to freeze.

Often, incompatible or outdated COM add-ins interfere with the File menu or document closing sequences. Safe Mode bypasses these add-ins, allowing you to disable the problematic extensions manually.

Launch the Run dialog

Press the Windows key + R simultaneously to open the Windows Run dialog box.

Enter Safe Mode command

Type 'WINWORD /safe' (without the quotes) into the text box and press Enter to launch Microsoft Word in Safe Mode.

Navigate to Add-ins settings

If Word opens without freezing, click on the 'File' menu, select 'Options' at the bottom left, and then click 'Add-ins' on the left sidebar.

Manage COM Add-ins

At the bottom of the window, ensure the Manage drop-down list is set to 'COM Add-ins' and click the 'Go' button.

Disable and test

Uncheck all active add-ins in the list to disable them, then click 'OK'. Close Word and restart it normally. If the freezing stops, re-enable your add-ins one by one to identify the culprit.

Start Word in Safe Mode and Disable Add-ins

Add-in Isolation: Isolating add-ins one at a time is the safest way to keep your useful extensions while permanently removing the exact one causing the freeze.

Solution 2

Completely Uninstall and Reinstall Microsoft Office

If Safe Mode does not resolve the issue, deeply corrupted Office components must be completely wiped and reinstalled using Microsoft's specialized tool.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Try WPS Office for a Stable, Freeze-Free Document Experience

If Microsoft Word continues to freeze or requires frustrating reinstallations, consider switching to WPS Office. It is a highly stable, lightweight alternative that prevents application hangs while offering full compatibility with all your existing Microsoft Office files.

1. Download the installer: Visit the official WPS Office website and click the free download button to get the lightweight installation file.
2. Install the software: Run the downloaded executable file. The highly optimized installation process typically completes in just a few minutes.
3. Open your documents: Launch WPS Writer and seamlessly open your existing .docx files to continue working immediately without experiencing any application freezes.

Fully compatible with Microsoft Word (.docx), Excel (.xlsx), and PowerPoint (.pptx) file formats.Lightweight architecture ensures it runs smoothly on older Windows computers without freezing or hanging.Free to use with a familiar tabbed interface, requiring absolutely no learning curve for former MS Word users.Consumes fewer system resources, completely preventing the sluggish backstage view issues seen in other suites.

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Microsoft Word freeze only when I click the File menu?

This specific freezing behavior is usually caused by incompatible COM add-ins trying to load elements in the backstage view, or by corrupted recent document cache files struggling to sync with cloud services like OneDrive.

Will reinstalling Office using the support tool delete my Word documents?

No, completely uninstalling and reinstalling Microsoft Office only removes the application files and registry keys. Your personal documents, whether saved locally on your hard drive or in the cloud, will remain safe and untouched.

How do I know exactly which add-in is causing Word to hang?

After disabling all add-ins in Safe Mode, you must re-enable them one by one. Restart Word normally after enabling each individual add-in. When the freezing issue returns, the last add-in you activated is the culprit and should be permanently removed.

Is there a way to repair Word without doing a complete reinstallation?

Yes, you can attempt an Online Repair. Go to Windows Settings > Apps > Installed apps, locate Microsoft Office, click the three dots (or select it), choose Modify, and select Online Repair. If this fails, the complete uninstall support tool is the next required step.

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