How to Fix Word COM Add-In That Won't Stay Enabled
Question details
The user is experiencing an issue where a custom COM add-in in Microsoft Word unchecks itself and becomes disabled every time the application is restarted.
- Product
- Microsoft Word
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Trying to keep a custom COM add-in persistently enabled across application restarts.
- Observed behavior
- The COM add-in functions correctly when manually selected during a session, but reverts to an unselected or disabled state once Word is closed and reopened, despite attempts to repair Office, adjust LoadBehavior, and clear cache.
Ensure you have administrative privileges on your computer, as modifying COM add-in states and global Word settings often requires elevated permissions.
Disable the Word Start Screen
Bypassing the Start screen upon launch often resolves issues where Word fails to load COM add-ins properly during startup.
In some versions of Microsoft Word, the Start screen can interrupt the initialization process of custom or third-party COM add-ins. By forcing Word to open directly to a blank document, the add-ins can load without interruption.
Launch Microsoft Word, click on the 'File' tab in the top-left corner, and select 'Options' at the bottom of the left-hand menu.
In the Word Options dialog box, ensure the 'General' tab is selected on the left sidebar.
Scroll down to the 'Start up options' section and uncheck the box that says 'Show the Start screen when this application starts'.
Click 'OK' to save the changes. Re-enable your COM add-in from the Add-ins menu, then close and restart Word to verify it remains enabled.
Update or Reinstall the Third-Party Add-in
If the add-in was developed by a third party, compatibility issues with your current Word version might be causing it to disable itself.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why do Word COM add-ins disable themselves automatically?
Word may automatically disable a COM add-in if it causes the application to crash, load too slowly, or if there is a conflict during the startup sequence. This is a built-in resilience feature designed to prevent Word from becoming unresponsive.
What is the LoadBehavior registry key for COM add-ins?
The LoadBehavior registry key determines how and when an add-in loads in Office applications. A value of '3' indicates that the add-in should load automatically at startup. However, Word can forcefully overwrite this to '2' (disabled) if it detects a startup issue.
Can I force a COM add-in to stay enabled using the Trust Center?
Sometimes add-ins are blocked by macro or security settings. You can check this by going to File > Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings > Add-ins, and ensuring that 'Require Application Add-ins to be signed by Trusted Publisher' or 'Disable all Application Add-ins' is not causing the add-in to be silently disabled.
