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How to Fix Mendeley Word Plugin Unresponsive Error on Mac
Question details
The user experiences unresponsiveness in Microsoft Word for Mac when trying to insert citations using the Mendeley Desktop Word plugin.
- Product
- Microsoft Word for Mac, Mendeley Desktop
- Device & OS
- macOS Monterey 12.4 (Apple M1 chip)
- Scenario
- Inserting a citation into a document after manually copying the Mendeley plugin template file (.dotm) to the Word startup folder.
- Observed behavior
- Word triggers an error stating Mendeley Desktop has not been actioned, and then the application freezes and becomes entirely unresponsive.
Before troubleshooting, ensure you have saved your current documents and completely force-quit both Microsoft Word and Mendeley Desktop.
Remove and Reinstall the Mendeley Word Add-in
Clearing out manually copied plugin files and performing a fresh installation often resolves startup conflicts and unresponsiveness.
Manually copying the .dotm template file into the startup folder can cause version mismatches and permission errors on newer macOS environments.
Open Finder, press Command+Shift+G to open the 'Go to Folder' prompt, and paste the path: ~/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/User Content/Startup/Word/
Find the file named 'Mendeley-word2016.1.19.8.dotm' (or similar) in this folder and move it to the Trash.
Open Mendeley Desktop, navigate to the 'Tools' menu in the top bar, and click 'Install MS Word Plugin' to let the software handle the setup automatically.
Update macOS and Microsoft Word
Running outdated software versions can cause compatibility issues with third-party plugins like Mendeley.
Contact Institution and Mendeley Support
If local troubleshooting fails, the issue may be a known bug with the plugin version on specific Apple Silicon Macs.
Try WPS Office for a Stable Document Experience
If third-party plugins like Mendeley continue to cause Microsoft Word to freeze or crash on your Mac, consider switching to WPS Office. It provides a lightweight, highly compatible alternative for seamless document creation without the heavy subscription fees.
- 1. Download the Installer: Visit the WPS Office website and download the Mac version of the software.
- 2. Install and Launch: Run the downloaded file and drag the WPS Office icon into your Applications folder, then launch it.
- 3. Open Word Documents: Simply drag and drop your existing .docx files into WPS Office to continue editing without losing formatting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Microsoft Word for Mac freeze when using the Mendeley plugin?
This usually happens due to compatibility issues between the Mendeley add-in template file (.dotm) and newer versions of Word or macOS, particularly on Apple Silicon Macs, causing the application to hang when trying to communicate with Mendeley Desktop.
Where is the Word startup folder on Mac to manually remove plugins?
The startup folder is typically located at ~/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/User Content/Startup/Word/. You can access this by pressing Command+Shift+G in Finder and pasting the path.
Is Mendeley Cite a better alternative to the old Desktop plugin on Mac?
Yes. Mendeley Desktop is gradually being phased out in favor of Mendeley Reference Manager. Using the new Mendeley Cite add-in, available directly from the Microsoft AppSource store, generally provides better compatibility and stability on newer macOS versions.
