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Microsoft Word crashes after Catalina upgrade on iMac Pro

Since upgrading to macOS Catalina, Microsoft Word crashes whenever I try to open an existing document or create a new one. None of the other Office 365 apps is affected. Microsoft tech support had me uninstall and reinstall the Office apps, but this didn't help.


Microsoft's conclusion is that I must have had a problem installing Catalina. I doubted this, but reinstalled anyway — however, this didn't resolve the issue.


Screenshot of error message attached.


macOS Catalina

Version 10.15

iMac Pro (2017)

3.2 GHz 8-Core Intel Xeon W

32 GB 2666 MHz DDR4


Microsoft Office 365

Production Release 16.13


iMac Pro

Posted on Oct 9, 2019 10:07 AM

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Oct 9, 2019 10:35 AM in response to Leigh Hanlon

If you haven't already, you may want to check the Microsoft Office for Mac forum. I just glanced briefly and nothing jumped out at me: https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/search/search?SearchTerm=catalina&IsSuggestedTerm=false&tab=&isFilterExpanded=false&searchFormBtn=&CurrentScope.ForumName=msoffice&CurrentScope.Filter=&ContentTypeScope=#/msoffice///1


I'm running Catalina with Office 365 and Word 16.29.1 with no issues.

Oct 10, 2019 8:18 AM in response to tzin63

Re: I can't use back Office mac 2011


Office for Mac 2011 will not run under Catalina. If you are running Catalina you will need to either subscribe to Office 365 or buy a standalone copy of Office: https://products.office.com/en-us/buy/compare-microsoft-office-products-for-mac?ms.officeurl=mac-compare-redir


Other options would be to download and use the free and very good LibreOffice: https://www.libreoffice.org/


or Apple's Pages and Numbers.

Oct 11, 2019 12:01 PM in response to Leigh Hanlon

I'm having the same exact problem, that is, Word 365 quits after opening a blank or previously saved document. Some artifact of it keeps running in the background too, making the processor heat up. I have to go into Activity Monitor and force quit it.


Luckily I can open the Word docs in Pages, but it's a painful workaround.


I've checked the application updater and it says its up to date.


Anyone else having this problem or know how to fix it?


Oct 12, 2019 1:49 PM in response to Karl from So. Carolina

Continuing efforts. I enrolled in Insider>Fast to gt version 16.31. That didn't work.


Uninstalled Word. Reinstalled Catalina. Reinstalled Word 16.29 over the clean reinstall of Catalina. Still doesn't work.


I'm getting that same artifact atthecshore reported after the Word crash requiring a Force Quit of Word in the Activity Monitor.


Only remaining option seems to be to wait on new versions of both.

Oct 12, 2019 2:06 PM in response to Karl from So. Carolina

Another clue: I downloaded Catalina on my home computer, a 2014 Mac mini, a couple of days ago and just now turned it on. I went through the Catalina setup, opened Word and... it works.


So the problem seems to have to do with the chip/chipset of the computer I'm thinking.


BTW, the other computer I reported the problem on is a 2018 MacBook Air. (The problem still exists.)

Oct 14, 2019 8:52 AM in response to compurev

I just got off a two hour phone call with Microsoft tech-support. It's a long story, but basically they (Level 1 and Level 2 reps) tried installing it a couple of times, once doing a complete manual uninstall. Nothing worked. 


The Level 2 rep elevated my call to the "offline engineering team," and said I will get a call from them within the next three days and followed up with an email.


The rep said it's a known issue but they only have a few reports so far. I told him I'd seen lots of reports on these discussion boards and he said it's important for people to send them into Microsoft so this gets elevated.


I'll keep you all informed of what I hear and learn.

Microsoft Word crashes after Catalina upgrade on iMac Pro

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