Office Apps Crashing

How to Fix Word Crashes with EXC_BAD_ACCESS on M2 Mac

Muhammad Talha Oct 23, 2026 869 views

Question details

User experiences repeated application crashes with an EXC_BAD_ACCESS error when attempting to use Microsoft Word on a new M2 MacBook Air.

How to Fix Word Crashes with EXC_BAD_ACCESS on M2 Mac

Product: Microsoft Word
Device & OS: Mac (Apple Silicon M2)
Scenario: Running Microsoft Word on an M2 MacBook Air after migrating the user profile and application settings from an older Intel-based Mac.
Observed behavior: Word crashes repeatedly displaying an EXC_BAD_ACCESS error code. A standard reinstallation of the application fails to resolve the crashes, indicating the issue is tied to the imported user profile or corrupted Office settings.

Before you start

Ensure your macOS is fully updated to the latest version and temporarily close any background applications to prevent further system conflicts while troubleshooting.

Solution 1Recommended

Test with a New Mac User Account and Perform a Clean Reinstallation

Isolate the issue by creating a fresh Mac user profile to bypass corrupted migrated settings, followed by a complete clean uninstallation of Microsoft Office.

Migrating data from an older Intel Mac to a newer Apple Silicon (M2) Mac can occasionally bring over incompatible preference files or corrupted legacy cache data. Testing Word on a brand-new macOS user account helps determine if the EXC_BAD_ACCESS crash is caused by your specific user profile rather than the app itself.

Create a new user account on your Mac

Click the Apple menu, select 'System Settings' (or System Preferences), and navigate to 'Users & Groups'. Click 'Add Account' and follow the prompts to create a new Standard or Administrator user profile.

Test Word in the new profile

Log out of your current Mac account and log into the newly created profile. Open Microsoft Word. If the app opens and functions without the EXC_BAD_ACCESS crash, the issue is confirmed to be within your original user profile's settings.

Perform a clean uninstallation

Log back into your original user account. You will need to perform a complete removal of Office, which involves deleting the application from the Applications folder as well as manually removing all Microsoft-related container and preference files from your hidden Library folder.

Reinstall Microsoft Office

After thoroughly removing the corrupted files, restart your Mac and download a fresh, Apple Silicon-optimized installer from the official Microsoft portal to reinstall the application.

Test with a New Mac User Account and Perform a Clean Reinstallation

Clean Uninstallation Required: Simply dragging the Word application to the Trash will not delete the corrupted profile settings. You must remove the associated configuration files in the ~/Library folder for the fix to work.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Experience Stable and Seamless Word Processing with WPS Office for Mac

If persistent EXC_BAD_ACCESS crashes or difficult profile migrations are keeping you from your work, consider switching to WPS Office. It is a highly optimized, fully compatible suite designed to run natively and flawlessly on Apple Silicon Macs.

1. Download the Mac installer: Visit the WPS Office website and download the installation package specifically optimized for Mac.
2. Install the application: Open the downloaded file and drag the WPS Office icon into your Mac's Applications folder.
3. Open your Word documents: Launch WPS Office and directly open any existing .docx files to continue working seamlessly without formatting loss.

Native support for Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3) chips for lightning-fast performanceExcellent and strict compatibility with Microsoft Word formats (.docx, .doc)Extremely lightweight installation with no complicated profile migration issuesClean, familiar user interface that requires zero learning curveCompletely free to download and use for your daily document needs

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the EXC_BAD_ACCESS error mean in Word for Mac?

The EXC_BAD_ACCESS error is a macOS system message indicating a memory access violation. It happens when an application attempts to access a restricted or corrupted memory address. In Word, this is often triggered by corrupted preference files, incompatible third-party add-ins, or legacy background files.

Why did this crash start happening after I migrated to an M2 Mac?

When you use Migration Assistant to move data from an Intel-based Mac to an Apple Silicon (M-series) Mac, legacy application caches and preferences are brought over. Because the architectures are different, these old files can confuse the new version of Word, causing immediate memory crashes upon launch.

Will updating Microsoft Word fix the EXC_BAD_ACCESS issue automatically?

Updating the software is always recommended, but if the root cause is corrupted user profile settings located in your Mac's Library folder, a standard app update usually will not resolve the crash. A clean uninstallation and removal of those preference files is required.

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