Word not launching

Question

Level 1

11 points

Word not launching

I have been using Word 2016 on my MacBook Air for over a year with no problems. Now, it won't launch - at all. When I click the icon to open it in the tool bar, it bounces to show it is opening as usual but then just stops and nothing happens. I've also tried opening a Word document through finder, but nothing happens.

However, if I try to remove the app, it says that Word is open and won't let me. So, my Mac thinks that Word is open, but nothing else shows that it is. If I right mouse click on the Word icon, it says that the application is not responding.

I have tried force quit and also rebooting, but it hasn't worked.

Any ideas?

MacBook Air, OS X El Capitan (10.11.6)

Posted on Mar 14, 2018 3:51 AM

Reply

Answer 1

Best reply

fredericv75

Level 1

9 points

Mar 17, 2018 1:50 AM in response to YojRick

had the exact same problem after the last update.

After a long search, i found a couple .dotm files in the folder

/Users/[username]/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/User Content.localized/Templates.localized

after deleting them

Word started up...

hopes it helps you!

Reply

Answer 2

Eric Root

Level 10

684,027 points

Mar 17, 2018 1:50 AM in response to YojRick

Command - option/alt - esc and Force Quit Word.

Do a backup, preferably 2 backups on 2 separate drives.

Go to Finder and select your user/home folder. With that Finder window as the front window, either select Finder/View/Show View options or go command - J. When the View options opens, check ’Show Library Folder’. That should make your user library folder visible in your user/home folder. Select Library. Then go to Preferences/com.microsoft.Word.plist. Move the .plist to your desktop.

Restart the computer, open the application, and test. If it works okay, delete the plist from the desktop.

If the application is the same, return the .plist to where you got it from, overwriting the newer one.

Thanks to leonie for some information contained in this.

Reply

Answer 3

YojRick Author

Level 1

11 points

Mar 17, 2018 1:55 AM in response to fredericv75

Ooh, I think this has worked! I didn't think it had initially, but went back and emptied the trash can after deleting, rebooted and voila - Word has opened!

Thank you so much!

Reply

Answer 4

YojRick Author

Level 1

11 points

Mar 17, 2018 1:48 AM in response to Eric Root

Thank you for the suggestion. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to have changed anything.

Reply

Word not launching

Similar questions