Office for Mac Issues

Fix Word for Mac Crashing on macOS Sonoma When Opening Documents

Bushra Parveen Oct 8, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user needs to stop Microsoft Word for Mac from crashing when attempting to open documents following a macOS Sonoma update.

How to Fix Word for Mac Crashing When Opening Documents on macOS Sonoma

Product: Microsoft Word for Mac
Device & OS: macOS Sonoma 14.4
Scenario: Opening new or existing Word documents after upgrading the Mac operating system.
Observed behavior: Word crashes immediately upon opening files, with the crash report identifying Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) as the faulting module.

Before you start

Before proceeding, ensure you have saved any open work in other applications and fully quit both Microsoft Word and Adobe Acrobat.

Solution 1Recommended

Remove the LinkCreation.dotm Adobe Add-in

Use this method if you have Adobe Acrobat installed, as its outdated add-in is the most common cause of VBA module crashes on macOS Sonoma.

The crash is frequently caused by a conflict between macOS Sonoma 14.4 and LinkCreation.dotm, an older add-in component associated with Adobe Acrobat.

Quit Microsoft Word

Right-click the Microsoft Word icon in your Mac Dock and select 'Quit' to ensure the application is completely closed.

Search for LinkCreation.dotm

Open Finder, click on the search bar in the top-right corner, and type 'LinkCreation.dotm'. Ensure you are searching 'This Mac' to find all instances.

Delete the Add-in Files

Select all copies of the LinkCreation.dotm file found in the search results, right-click, and choose 'Move to Trash'. Empty your Mac's Trash bin afterwards.

Restart Microsoft Word

Launch Microsoft Word again and attempt to open a new or existing document to verify that the crashing issue is resolved.

Remove the LinkCreation.dotm Adobe Add-in

Success Check: If the document opens without triggering the Apple Crash Reporter, the rogue add-in has been successfully removed.

Solution 2

Reset the Word Default Template (Normal.dotm)

Resetting the default template clears out rogue VBA scripts or corrupted template configurations that might be triggering the crash.

Solution 3

Test from Another macOS User Profile

Creating and testing from a new user profile helps determine if the crash is tied to a system-wide bug or specific to your current user environment.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Use WPS Office as a Stable Alternative on Mac

If Microsoft Word continues to crash on your Mac due to persistent VBA or add-in conflicts, consider switching to WPS Office. It provides a highly compatible and stable word processing experience optimized for macOS.

1. Download WPS Office for Mac: Visit the official WPS website and download the free macOS installer.
2. Install and Launch: Follow the standard Mac installation process and open WPS Writer.
3. Open Your Word Documents: Simply drag and drop your existing .docx files into WPS Writer to continue your work without crashes.

Flawless compatibility with Microsoft Word (.docx), Excel (.xlsx), and PowerPoint (.pptx) formats.Lightweight architecture ensures fast launch times and avoids complex add-in crashes on macOS Sonoma.Clean, familiar user interface that requires zero learning curve to switch.Built-in robust PDF editing tools, eliminating the need for third-party Adobe add-ins.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does macOS Sonoma 14.4 cause Microsoft Word to crash?

Major macOS updates like Sonoma 14.4 can introduce strict security or framework changes that disrupt older third-party add-ins. In Word's case, older Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) scripts, like Adobe's LinkCreation.dotm, become incompatible and trigger immediate application crashes.

Where is the Normal.dotm file located on Mac?

The default template file is typically located in a hidden Library folder. You can find it by navigating to /Users/[your username]/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/User Content/Templates/.

Will deleting Normal.dotm delete my saved documents?

No, renaming or deleting Normal.dotm will not affect your saved documents. It only resets your default styles, macros, and formatting preferences. Word will automatically generate a clean, default template the next time you open the application.

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