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How to Fix Office Apps Crashing on M1 Mac After Migration
Question details
Users experience frequent crashes in Microsoft Office applications on a new Apple Silicon M1 Mac after migrating data directly from an older Intel-based Mac.
- Product
- Microsoft Office
- Device & OS
- Mac (Apple Silicon M1)
- Scenario
- Migrating system data and applications from an Intel Mac to an Apple Silicon Mac.
- Observed behavior
- Word, Excel, and PowerPoint fail to open or crash unexpectedly, often displaying error reports that reference EXC_BAD_ACCESS or a blame module like WinCrypto.
Verify that all your essential documents are backed up to a cloud service or an external drive before attempting to reinstall Office or restore your macOS system.
Restore Mac from a Clean Time Machine Backup
Restoring from a clean Time Machine backup on an external drive can resolve deep-seated architecture conflicts caused by direct Mac-to-Mac migration.
Directly migrating applications via Wi-Fi or Thunderbolt cable from an older Intel architecture to a newer Apple Silicon (M1) architecture can sometimes carry over incompatible binary caches and settings. Utilizing a clean Time Machine backup bridges this gap more reliably.
Plug the external hard drive containing your most recent Time Machine backup into your M1 Mac.
Launch 'Migration Assistant' from the Utilities folder within your Applications directory, and click Continue.
When asked how you want to transfer your information, select 'From a Mac, Time Machine backup or startup disk' and click Continue.
Select your Time Machine backup drive, choose the most recent clean backup, select the data you wish to transfer, and wait for the process to complete.
Boot Mac in Safe Mode to Isolate Add-in Issues
Starting your Mac in Safe Mode disables third-party add-ins and clears system caches, helping to identify if a specific module (like WinCrypto) is causing the crashes.
Perform a Clean Reinstallation of Microsoft Office
Uninstalling the migrated versions and downloading fresh installers ensures you are running the optimized, native Apple Silicon code.
Switch to WPS Office for a Native Apple Silicon Experience
If Microsoft Office applications continue to crash or display EXC_BAD_ACCESS errors after migrating to your new M1 Mac, consider switching to WPS Office. It provides a highly compatible, natively optimized alternative that circumvents legacy architecture conflicts entirely.
- 1. Download for Mac: Visit the official WPS Office website and download the Mac installer specifically optimized for Apple Silicon.
- 2. Install the Application: Open the downloaded file and drag the WPS Office icon into your Applications folder.
- 3. Open Your Documents: Launch WPS Office and instantly open your existing Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files with perfect formatting preservation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do Office apps crash on my M1 Mac after migrating from an Intel Mac?
Migrating directly from an Intel Mac can sometimes transfer incompatible x86 binary caches, outdated system settings, or legacy add-ins. These older files conflict with the native Apple Silicon (ARM) environment on your M1 Mac, causing the applications to crash upon launch.
What does the EXC_BAD_ACCESS error mean in macOS?
EXC_BAD_ACCESS is a memory-related error indicating that an application attempted to access a protected or invalid memory area. In migrated Office apps, it usually points to corrupted installation files or outdated plugins that are failing to execute correctly on the new processor.
How do I remove incompatible add-ins like WinCrypto on Mac?
To bypass incompatible add-ins, boot your Mac into Safe Mode. If the Office application opens successfully, navigate to the 'Insert' tab, select 'Add-ins', and disable or remove any unfamiliar or outdated extensions, such as WinCrypto, before restarting your Mac normally.
