Office for Mac Issues

Fix Office for Mac Freezing When Creating or Editing Documents

Maira Mehtab Sep 21, 2026 868 views

Question details

Microsoft Office applications unexpectedly freeze and become unresponsive when users try to create blank documents or compose new emails.

Product: Microsoft Office for Mac (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)
Device & OS: macOS
Scenario: Creating new blank documents, composing emails, or attempting to open existing files.
Observed behavior: Applications freeze entirely, requiring a force quit. The system's Activity Monitor shows the app as 'not responding', and crash reports display a SIG_HANG_QUIT error.

Before you start

Before proceeding, ensure you have your Microsoft account login credentials ready, as you may need to completely reinstall the Office suite to resolve this issue.

Solution 1

Test Office in a New macOS User Account

Create a temporary user profile on your Mac to determine if the freezing is caused by corrupted preferences or background conflicts in your current user account.

If Microsoft Office works flawlessly in a new user account, the issue is likely isolated to corrupted cache files or conflicting settings in your primary profile rather than the application itself.

Open System Settings

Click the Apple menu in the top-left corner of your screen and select 'System Settings' (or 'System Preferences' on older macOS versions).

Create a New User

Navigate to 'Users & Groups', click the 'Add Account' button, and create a new Standard or Administrator account.

Sign In and Test

Log out of your current macOS account, sign in to the newly created account, and open Word or Excel to see if the freezing issue persists.

Solution 2Recommended

Perform a Clean Reinstallation of Office for Mac

Completely remove Microsoft Office and reinstall a fresh copy to resolve deep-seated application errors such as SIG_HANG_QUIT.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Switch to WPS Office for a Stable Mac Experience

If Microsoft Office continues to freeze or crash on your Mac, consider switching to WPS Office. It is a lightweight, reliable, and completely free alternative that works smoothly on macOS without draining system resources.

Highly compatible with Microsoft Office formats (.docx, .xlsx, .pptx).Lightweight architecture prevents system freezes and reduces macOS memory usage.All-in-one tabbed interface allows you to manage documents, spreadsheets, and presentations in a single window.Familiar user interface ensures a seamless, zero-learning-curve migration.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the SIG_HANG_QUIT error mean in Microsoft Word for Mac?

This error code indicates that the application stopped communicating with macOS and was forcefully terminated by the operating system because it became completely unresponsive.

Why does Office work in a new Mac user account but not my main one?

This situation usually occurs when your primary user account has corrupted Office preferences, damaged cached files, or conflicting background applications that interfere with the software's normal operation.

How do I force quit a frozen Word document on Mac?

Press Option + Command + Escape simultaneously to open the Force Quit Applications window, select Microsoft Word from the list, and click the 'Force Quit' button. Alternatively, use the Activity Monitor to terminate the frozen process.

Office App Problems