Office for Mac Issues

How to Fix Microsoft Word Lagging on Apple M1 MacBook Pro

Huda Qurayshi Sep 30, 2026 874 views

Question details

The user is experiencing severe lag and performance issues while typing in Microsoft Word on an Apple M1 Mac.

How to Fix Microsoft Word Lagging on Apple M1 MacBook Pro

Product: Microsoft Word
Device & OS: macOS Sonoma on Apple M1 MacBook Pro
Scenario: Typing and editing documents in Microsoft Word after a recent software update.
Observed behavior: Word becomes extremely slow and almost unusable after a few minutes of use. Reinstalling the app and saving documents locally does not resolve the issue.

Before you start

Before modifying your application, ensure you have saved and backed up all important documents, and check your Mac's Activity Monitor to confirm no other background processes are monopolizing system resources.

Solution 1Recommended

Roll Back to a Previous Version of Microsoft Word

Since the lag is often caused by a compatibility bug in recent updates, reverting to an earlier, stable version of Microsoft Word (like 16.84 or 16.81) is the most effective solution.

Many users have reported that version 16.85 of Microsoft Word introduces severe latency on Apple Silicon Macs running macOS Sonoma. Rolling back to a previously stable build bypasses this bug until Microsoft releases an official patch.

Uninstall the Current Version

Open your 'Applications' folder in Finder, locate Microsoft Word, and drag it to the Trash to uninstall the current lagging version.

Download a Previous Build

Visit the official Microsoft Learn website and search for 'Update history for Office for Mac'. Locate the download links for version 16.84 or 16.81 and download the Word installer package.

Install the Older Version

Double-click the downloaded .pkg file and follow the on-screen instructions to install the older version of Microsoft Word onto your Mac.

Disable Automatic Updates

Open Microsoft Word, click on 'Help' in the top menu bar, select 'Check for Updates', and uncheck the 'Automatically keep Microsoft Apps up to date' box to prevent it from automatically upgrading to the buggy version again.

Roll Back to a Previous Version of Microsoft Word

Keep an Eye on Updates: Once Microsoft officially acknowledges that the bug has been patched in a future release, you can safely re-enable automatic updates.

Solution 2

Report the Performance Issue to Microsoft

Providing specific diagnostic details to Microsoft helps their engineering team investigate and release a fix for macOS Sonoma and M1 chips faster.

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If Microsoft Word continues to lag on your M1 MacBook Pro, switch to WPS Office. It is a highly optimized, lightweight, and free alternative that runs seamlessly on Apple Silicon. Enjoy a familiar interface and flawless compatibility with all your existing Word documents, without the frustrating performance drops.

Native support and highly optimized performance for Apple M1 and M2 chips.Fully compatible with Microsoft Word formats (.docx, .doc).Lightweight installation that consumes significantly fewer system resources.Familiar, user-friendly interface that requires no learning curve.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why is Microsoft Word suddenly lagging on my M1 Mac?

Recent updates to Microsoft Word (such as version 16.85) have introduced compatibility bugs with macOS Sonoma on Apple Silicon chips. This can cause high resource consumption, resulting in severe input lag and unresponsiveness while typing.

Will reinstalling Microsoft Word fix the typing lag?

Reinstalling the same buggy version of Word usually will not resolve the lag. To fix the issue, you must either install a newer patched update (if available) or roll back to a previously stable version, such as 16.84.

Where can I safely download older versions of Microsoft Word for Mac?

You can find secure, official download links for older versions by navigating to the 'Update history for Office for Mac' page on the official Microsoft Learn website.

How do I stop Microsoft Word from automatically updating to a buggy version?

Open Microsoft Word, click on 'Help' in the top menu bar, select 'Check for Updates', and disable the 'Automatically keep Microsoft Apps up to date' option within the Microsoft AutoUpdate tool.

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