Fix Word for Mac Freezing When Clicking Footnote References
Question details
Microsoft Word for Mac becomes completely unresponsive when the user clicks on a footnote or endnote reference within a document.
- Product
- Microsoft Word for Mac
- Device & OS
- macOS Monterey
- Scenario
- Editing or reviewing a document containing footnotes or endnotes.
- Observed behavior
- The application completely freezes upon clicking the footnote reference, requiring a force quit to close the software.
Save your current work and ensure that all Microsoft Office applications are fully closed before attempting to clear the application container folder.
Clear the Microsoft Word Container Folder
Resetting the Word container folder clears corrupted preferences and temporary files that may cause the application to freeze on macOS.
macOS uses container folders to store cache and preference data for applications. When this data becomes corrupted, it can cause specific interactions, like clicking footnotes, to freeze the app.
Right-click the Microsoft Word icon in your dock and select 'Quit'. Ensure Excel and PowerPoint are also closed.
Click on your Mac desktop to make Finder active. Press Command+Shift+G to open the 'Go to Folder' dialogue box, enter `~/Library/Containers`, and press Return.
Locate the folder named `com.microsoft.Word` (it may just display as 'Microsoft Word' on newer macOS systems) and drag it to your Mac Desktop.
Open Microsoft Word, open the affected document, and click a footnote reference. If it no longer freezes, you can safely delete the folder you moved to the Desktop.
Update or Reinstall Microsoft Office
If clearing preferences does not resolve the issue, updating to the latest stable build or performing a clean installation can fix persistent bugs.
Switch to WPS Office to Avoid Document Freezes
If Microsoft Word for Mac continues to freeze when managing footnotes, consider trying WPS Office. It provides a highly compatible, lightweight, and completely free alternative for all your word processing needs on macOS.
- 1. Download WPS Office: Download and install the free WPS Office suite for Mac from the official website.
- 2. Open Your Document: Launch WPS Writer and open your existing .docx file directly.
- 3. Edit Footnotes Seamlessly: Click, edit, and manage your footnotes and endnotes smoothly without application freezes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Word for Mac freeze only when clicking on footnotes?
Footnotes rely on complex background formatting and cross-referencing. Corrupted cache files in the macOS container or bugs in outdated beta builds can disrupt this process, causing the application to hang.
Will deleting the com.microsoft.Word folder erase my documents?
No. The container folder only stores application preferences, templates, and cache data. Your saved Word documents are stored safely in your standard user folders (like Documents or Desktop) and will not be affected.
How do I report persistent footnote freezing bugs to Microsoft?
If the issue persists across updates and troubleshooting, open Microsoft Word and navigate to Help > Feedback. You can describe the reproducible bug directly to the Mac development team.
