When using Word the file jumps around on my Mac

this seems to occur in files with complex formatting, tracking and embedded images. postings re word for windows suggest a solution exists re disablling image playing, but it didn't seem to work on word for mac. however, a workaround that works for me is switching in word to view>outline layout, which simplifies the view of formatting, but does at least stop the wild jig, so that you can see what's on the page.

Hello and Welcome.

What to do?

Update both macOS and Office to current. macOS 13.5.1 is current. See if that works better.

Some of the ways to update Microsoft Office:

… https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/update-office-for-mac-automatically-bfd1e497-c24d-4754-92ab-910a4074d7c1

How to update macOS:

… Update macOS on Mac - Apple Support

If Office continues to be problematic here, you will want to check with and seek assistance in the Microsoft Q&A forums. Those are where most of the folks that know this app tend to be.

Office for Mac Q&A forum:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/tags/330/office-mac

if Office is not working for your needs, consider migrating to and use other tools. Apple iWork Pages is free, and can read and write most Word documents. There are other fine choices including LibreOffice, and various of those choices can read and write Office documents.

Here is an introduction to: iWork - Apple

LibreOffice: https://www.libreoffice.org/

Alternatives to Word: https://alternativeto.net/software/microsoft-word/?platform=mac

PS: We’re not people that work for Apple. We’re other users, like you. Some here are third-party developers working on apps for Apple platforms. If you want an official answer about this or any another question, best to check with Apple. Apple is also unlikely to provide an official answer for a Microsoft or other third-party app.

Microsoft 365 has long had somewhat of a reputation around issues with its handling large and complex documents, probably due to the inherent tensions between trying to be both a word processor and a document formatter.

If you have issues with Microsoft 365, those would best be reported to Microsoft, or best discussed over in the Microsoft Q&A forums. The folks that know the Microsoft tooling best tend to be over there.

More pragmatically, I prefer to use a dedicated writing tool such as Scrivener, and to handle the document formatting as a separate operation. This is an old-fashioned approach, of course.