Microsoft Word Quit Unexpectedly Mac? How to Fix

Jaden updated on Jun 21, 2024 to Mac File Recovery | How-to Articles

Microsoft Word quit unexpectedly on Mac, which is not uncommon. This post will examine the reasons behind these crashes before concentrating on solutions.

Hi, my Microsoft Word has not been opening for the past few weeks. Every time I click on it, it pops up with a "Microsoft Word quit unexpectedly". And note this is on a Macbook. How do I fix this?

 - from Microsoft.com

Microsoft Word is a component of the Office suite. It offers many useful functions and is accessible for Mac and Windows. However, there are occasions when Word on Mac repeatedly crashes, making it impossible for users to access its functions or even to save their current files. Here is a quick way to recover lost Word files on Mac and six other methods to fix this problem.

Recover Unsaved Word Document After Quit Unexpectedly

Unsaved Word documents can vanish when a program like MS or macOS quits. Thus, recovering unsaved Word documents on a Mac is the top priority.

EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac may retrieve files from external and internal hard drives on Mac. You may easily retrieve deleted and unsaved DOC/DOCX files. This procedure is typically quite effective because specialized data recovery software can scan and recover unsaved Word files even during a quit or crash.

⭐This is how to restore Word documents after a crash:

Note: You can create a backup by clicking the "Disk Backup" on the left first. When the disk is damaged or the unsaved document on the disk is accidentally deleted or lost, you can get the data back from the backup image.

Step 1. Select the disk

Launch EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac, hover the mouse over the device where you lost an unsaved file, and click "Search for lost files".

Step 2. Choose unsaved documents

After the scan, click "Type", and expand "Unsaved Documents". Click the exact file type - Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Keynote, Pages, or Numbers you lost without saving.

Step 3. Preview and recover unsaved files

Double-click to preview your unsaved file, select the right version and click "Recover" to save the file to another secure location on Mac.

Many Mac users have proved the efficacy of the tool. If you want to resolve the Mac files recovery issue, share it on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media platforms!

 

Other Ways to Fix Microsoft Word Quit Unexpectedly Mac 

The 6 solutions below can resolve the "Word crashes/quits unexpectedly on Mac" problem after you recover the lost Word documents.

  1. 1. Install and Update Microsoft Word
  2. 2. Check the Hard Drive Name on Mac
  3. 3. Clean the AutoRecovery Folder
  4. 4. Reset the Word Preferences
  5. 5. Open Word in Safe Mode
  6. 6. Boot Mac in Safe Mode

1. Install and Update Microsoft Word

Although Microsoft updates may be downloaded automatically, if you believe there is an update that your device hasn't yet installed, you should verify and update the program manually. The fix for Microsoft Word 2011/2013/2016/2019 crashing on Mac may only be an updated version.

Step 1. Click "Help" > "Check for Updates" in Microsoft Word. If you cannot locate the option to check for updates, you can manually download the update from Microsoft's official page.

Step 2. Enable "Automatically keep Microsoft Apps up to date" so that you'll receive the most recent updates next time around.

Step 3. Select "Update" to get the most recent version. 

2. Check the Hard Drive Name on Mac

You might also need to modify the hard drive's name to resolve this. Here's how to inspect and rename your Mac's hard disk so Word can read it.

Step 1. To access the Applications tab, click the Apple logo in the upper left corner of the desktop. To access the Disk Utilities window, navigate to the utilities section.

Step 2. On the left, select your Mac hard drive; on the right, you may see its name and more information.

Step 3. Ensure that the drive is named and that the name begins with a character.

3. Clean the AutoRecovery Folder

Occasionally, there may be a conflict between the AutoRecovery folder and the application, resulting in errors. You might want to consider clearing it to fix Microsoft Word quit unexpectedly on Mac.

Step 1. Go to Folder by right-clicking on the Finder.

Step 2. Click Go after entering ~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Word/Data/Library/Preferences/AutoRecovery/.

Step 3. Delete every file from this folder or transfer it to a new one if needed later. Start Word again. 

4. Reset the Word Preferences

Incorrect program choices might occasionally cause Microsoft Word to quit unexpectedly when Mac keeps crashing. To fix this, you can try restarting Word and fully resetting the preferences.

Step 1. Click on the desktop icon to select "Word" > "Preferences" from the menu.

Step 2. From this point on, select the "File Locations" button to enter the Word Preferences tab.

Step 3. This will open the screen's File Locations option. Click on "Reset" from the "User templates" menu.

Step 4. To view it, you may click the "Modify" option. This file is a "Normal" file. You can move it to the Trash.

5. Open Word in Safe Mode

Word for Mac may crash due to background-running software. Try booting your device into safe mode and starting Word in safe mode to see if it resolves the crash.

Step 1. Restart your Mac. 

Step 2. Log in by releasing the key as soon as the login window appears.

Step 3. "Safe Boot" is located in the upper-right corner of your window.

6. Boot Mac in Safe Mode

You have the same option to boot your Mac safe mode as Windows. The safe mode automatically activates several secondary operations and is mostly used for troubleshooting. This lets you determine whether the issue is with your Mac computer or the MS Word application. This is how to prevent Microsoft Word from crashing on your Mac when you boot it in safe mode.

Mac Safe Mode | Boot Mac to Safe Mode in macOS

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To Sum Up

Unexpectedly, many users have expressed dissatisfaction with MS Word, which has abruptly ended on Macs. This article aims to explain why a crash of this kind occurs and includes every potential solution. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac is the finest option for recovering lost Word files following "accidents". It is a one-stop shop offering a productive and simple method of recovering all deleted or lost files and solving your problems.

If you find this information helpful, please share it with others on social media to assist them in overcoming this common challenge.