When Word freezes and the title bar says (Not Responding), your first worry is usually the document you haven’t saved. The good news is that Word often recovers on its own, and when it doesn’t, AutoRecover can bring back most of your work. This guide explains what to do right away, how to recover unsaved changes, and how to fix the add-ins, updates, and file problems that cause Word to hang in the first place.
Quick answer
Wait a minute or two before closing anything, since Word may be saving or processing. If it stays frozen, close it, reopen Word, and check the Document Recovery pane for your file. To stop it happening again, start Word in Safe Mode, disable add-ins, and run Quick Repair on Office.
Step 1: Give Word a moment
Word often freezes briefly while saving a large file, syncing to OneDrive, printing, or opening a document with many images. Wait a minute or two before forcing it to close. If a dialog box is open behind the main window, Word can also look frozen. Press Alt + Tab to check for hidden windows.
Step 2: Close Word and recover your work
If Word is still stuck:
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
- Select Microsoft Word and click End task.
- Open Word again. The Document Recovery pane on the left lists files Word saved automatically. Open each version and save the one you want.
If no recovery pane appears, go to File > Info > Manage Document > Recover Unsaved Documents. You can also look in the AutoRecover folder by pasting %AppData%\Microsoft\Word into the File Explorer address bar.
If the file is stored in OneDrive or SharePoint with AutoSave on, your changes are usually saved every few seconds already. Open the file and check File > Info > Version History if anything is missing.
Step 3: Start Word in Safe Mode
Safe Mode opens Word without add-ins and custom settings, which helps you find the cause.
- Hold Ctrl and click the Word shortcut. Click Yes when asked to start in Safe Mode.
- Or press Windows + R, type winword /safe, and press Enter.
If Word works fine in Safe Mode, an add-in or setting is the likely culprit.
Step 4: Disable add-ins
- Open Word normally (or in Safe Mode if it won’t open otherwise).
- Go to File > Options > Add-ins.
- At the bottom, set Manage to COM Add-ins and click Go.
- Uncheck all add-ins and click OK.
- Restart Word. If the problem is gone, turn add-ins back on one at a time to find the one causing trouble.
Add-ins from PDF tools, grammar checkers, and reference managers are common causes.
Step 5: Update Office
Go to File > Account > Update Options > Update Now. Microsoft regularly fixes freezing and crashing bugs in updates. Install pending Windows updates too.
Step 6: Repair Office
- Close all Office apps.
- Open Settings > Apps > Installed apps (or Apps & features in Windows 10).
- Find Microsoft 365 or Microsoft Office, click it, and choose Modify.
- Select Quick Repair and click Repair. If that doesn’t help, run Online Repair, which takes longer but reinstalls Office.
Step 7: Check the document itself
If only one file freezes Word, the file may be damaged. In Word, go to File > Open > Browse, select the file, click the arrow next to Open, and choose Open and Repair. Very large files with many high-resolution images can also slow Word down. Compress pictures with Picture Format > Compress Pictures.
Other fixes to try
- Printer issues: Word talks to your default printer when it opens and paginates. A disconnected network printer can cause hangs. Set a working printer, or Microsoft Print to PDF, as the default.
- Graphics acceleration: In some versions, File > Options > Advanced > Display has a Disable hardware graphics acceleration option that helps on some PCs.
- Free up resources: Close other heavy programs and browser tabs, and restart the PC.
Protect your work in the future
Turn on AutoSave by saving files to OneDrive, and shorten the AutoRecover interval in File > Options > Save to every 5 minutes or less. Press Ctrl + S often while working.
Related: How to install Microsoft Word.
Frequently asked questions
Will I lose my work if I end task on Word?
You may lose changes made since the last save or AutoRecover save. Reopen Word right away to check the Document Recovery pane.
Why does Word freeze when I open one specific file?
The file may be large, damaged, or contain content that an add-in struggles with. Try Open and Repair or open it in Safe Mode.
Why does Word freeze when I paste?
Pasting complex formatting from websites can overwhelm Word. Right-click where you want the text and choose the Keep Text Only paste option instead.
Kermit Matthews is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with more than a decade of experience writing technology guides. He has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Computer Science and has spent much of his professional career in IT management.
He specializes in writing content about iPhones, Android devices, Microsoft Office, and many other popular applications and devices.