Office for Mac Issues

How to Fix Microsoft 365 Apps Taking Minutes to Open on Mac

Maira Mehtab Oct 8, 2026 869 views

Question details

Microsoft 365 apps, particularly Word and Excel, take several minutes to launch and often display a persistent 'Verifying Microsoft Word' message.

How to Fix Microsoft 365 Apps Taking Minutes to Open on Mac

Product: Microsoft 365 (Word, Excel)
Device & OS: macOS (Monterey, Ventura)
Scenario: Launching Microsoft Office applications on a Mac computer for daily document tasks.
Observed behavior: The applications exhibit extremely slow startup times, sometimes hanging on a 'Verifying' popup or taking minutes before the user interface finally loads.

Before you start

Ensure you have saved all ongoing work and completely quit all Microsoft Office applications before attempting to modify or clear the system container folders.

Solution 1Recommended

Clear Microsoft Word and Excel Container Folders

Resetting the cache and preference files for Office apps can resolve the slow startup and verifying loops.

macOS stores application caches and user preferences in container folders. Moving these folders forces Microsoft 365 to generate fresh, error-free files upon its next startup, often fixing performance issues instantly.

Quit Microsoft Apps

Ensure both Microsoft Word and Excel are completely closed. You can right-click their icons in the Dock and select 'Quit'.

Open the Library Folder

Open Finder, press the 'Command+Shift+G' keyboard shortcut to bring up the 'Go to Folder' dialog box.

Navigate to Containers

Type '~/Library/Containers' in the search field and hit Return to open the Containers directory.

Move Folders to Desktop

Locate the 'Microsoft Word' and 'Microsoft Excel' folders. Click and drag them to your Mac Desktop as a temporary backup.

Restart Your Mac

Restart your Mac to clear system memory, then open Word or Excel again to see if the startup time has improved.

Clear Microsoft Word and Excel Container Folders

Document Safety: Moving the container folders will not delete your saved documents. It only resets application preferences and clears temporary cache files.

Solution 2

Verify Privacy Permissions and Software Updates

Lack of required permissions or outdated software versions can cause apps to hang during initialization on macOS.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Switch to WPS Office for Fast and Seamless Mac Performance

Tired of slow startup times and endless 'Verifying' messages with Microsoft 365 on your Mac? WPS Office is a lightweight, blazing-fast, and highly compatible alternative that gets you straight to work.

1. Download for Mac: Visit the official WPS Office website and download the macOS installation package.
2. Install WPS Office: Open the downloaded file and drag the WPS Office icon into your Applications folder.
3. Start Editing Instantly: Launch WPS Office in seconds and open your existing Microsoft Word or Excel documents directly.

Installs easily and launches instantly on Mac without 'Verifying' loops or heavy system resource usage.Fully compatible with all standard Microsoft Office formats, including .docx, .xlsx, and .pptx.All-in-one lightweight suite providing Writer, Spreadsheet, and Presentation tools in a single app.Free to use with an intuitive, familiar tabbed interface requiring zero learning curve.

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my Mac say 'Verifying Microsoft Word' every time I open it?

This usually happens due to corrupted cache files or when macOS Gatekeeper repeatedly checks the application's security signature after an update. Clearing the app container folders forces macOS to finalize the verification process.

Will moving the Microsoft Word container folder delete my documents?

No. The container folder only stores application cache, background states, and preference files. Moving or deleting it will not affect any of your saved Word documents or Excel spreadsheets.

What should I do if clearing the containers doesn't fix the slow startup?

If the problem persists, check your Mac's Privacy & Security settings to ensure the apps have required disk permissions. You should also ensure that your macOS (Monterey/Ventura) and Microsoft Office suite are updated to the latest versions.

Office App Problems