Nov 16, 2020 • Filed to: Solve Mac Problems • Proven solutions

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'Why does my Microsoft Word keeps crashing on Mac? I have tried several attempts to resolve it, but I can't seem to fix the issue or get back my lost Word documents.'

This is a query from one of the MS Word users on Mac that we have got recently. As you know, MS Word is a part of the Office suite, which is developed by Microsoft. Apart from Windows, it is also available for Mac and provides tons of utility features. Though, there are times when Word on Mac keeps crashing and users are not able to utilize its features or even save their existing files.

Don't worry! the issue is pretty common and can easily be fixed. In this guide, we will teach you why does Microsoft Word keep crashing on Mac and how to fix this problem in 8 different ways. Apart from that, we will also discuss how to recover Word document after a crashed Mac. Let's begin and start a quick MS Word troubleshooting on Mac.

Part 1: Why Microsoft Word Keeps Crashing on Mac?

Before we discuss issues to fix the Microsoft Word Mac crashing issues, it is important to note what could have caused the problem to begin with. In this way, you would be able to understand why does Word keeps crashing on Mac and can even avoid it in the future.

Mostly, MS Word crashes because of a fault in the Office suite of the tool itself. Chances are that the application could not have been installed probably.
You might be running an old or incompatible version of Word on your Mac.
If you are using a pirated MS Word application, then it could have been corrupted as well.
Sometimes, Mac doesn't give permissions to third-party applications (like Word), making them faulty to work.
The source drive where MS Word has been installed could be corrupt as well.
The location of the MS Word application could have been moved to someplace else.
The application was crashed earlier or closed during processing, making it faulty or corrupt.
Chances are that MS Word could have been infected by malware.

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Part 2: How to Fix 'Microsoft Word Keeps Crashing on Mac'

The good news is that most of these problems can easily be resolved if we follow the right approach. Ideally, you can fix Microsoft Word keeps crashing issue with these solutions.

1. Check the Hard Drive Name

A faulty hard drive name is one of the most common issues for Word to malfunction. This is because Mac provides a more flexible way to name the hard drive while Windows has certain restrictions. If needed, you might need to change the hard drive name as well to fix this. Here's how you can check and rename hard drive on Mac to make it compatible with Word.

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Just click on the Apple logo on the top left corner of the desktop and open the Applications tab. Go to the utility section to open the Disk Utility window.
Select your Mac hard drive from the left and view its name and other details on the right (under the 'Partitions' tab).
Make sure that the drive has a name and it should start from a character. While it can have numbers, it should not have all numbers or any special character. Make the needed changes to rename the hard drive.

Once the hard drive has been renamed, you can restart Mac and try accessing MS Word on it again.

2. Clear the AutoRecovery Folder

As you know, Auto-save is an inbuilt feature in MS Word that automatically saves the running document in the background. It allows us to fetch our files back if they are lost or closed unexpectedly. Though, sometimes the AutoRecovery folder might cause some clash with the application itself, making it faulty. Therefore, you can consider clearing it to fix Word on Mac keeps crashing.

To start with, simply launch Finder on your Mac, and from its menu, click on Go > Go to Folder.
Now, copy and paste the path '~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Word/Data/Library/Preferences/AutoRecovery/' on your Mac (without the quotes).
As you click on 'Go', it will open the AutoRecovery folder on your Mac. From here, you can just delete the auto-saved files so that the folder would be cleared.

3. Reset the Word Preferences

Sometimes, the reason for Microsoft Word Mac crashing could be the wrong preferences on the application as well. To resolve this, you can reset the preferences altogether and try restarting Word.

Firstly, select the Word icon on the desktop and go to the Word > Preferences option from the menu.
As the Word Preferences tab would be opened, click on the 'File Locations' icon from here.
This will open the File Locations feature on the screen. Click on the 'User templates' option and choose to 'Reset' it.
You can also click on the 'Modify' button to view it. Here, you can see a 'Normal' file. You can cut and paste it to any other location (like your desktop) or simply move it to the Trash as well.

After resetting the Word preferences, restart the applications and check if it fixes MS Word crashing on Mac or not.

4. Save the Word Document to another Location

Apart from the MS Word application, there could be a problem with Mac storage. as well. For instance, if the particular partition or sector on the hard drive has been corrupted, then you should try to save your documents somewhere else. This will help you avoid Word crashing on Mac or prevent the loss of your important files as well.

Related: If you get problems with Mac storage, come to know 8 ways of freeing up and managing Mac storage.

Firstly, open the MS Word application on your Mac and try opening the file. If you are lucky, you would be able to open the file without the Word application crashing.
Quickly, go to the File menu and click on the 'Save As' option.
Now, browse to the location where you wish to save your Word document and give it the needed name.

Alternatively, you can also copy your MS Word file and just paste it to any other location as well.

5. Download and Install Word Updates

As stated previously, one of the reasons for Microsoft Word crashing on Mac could be an old version of the application. If the MS Word application has not been updated in a while, then it can encounter compatibility issues with Mac. The best way to fix MS Word crashing on Mac is by updating it. Not only will it fix the Microsoft Word Mac keeps crashing, but it will also make the application more secure by installing the needed patches.

Simply launch the Word application on your Mac and from its menu, go to Help > Check for Updates.
From here, you can enable the automatic update option if you want to. Make the relevant selection and click on the 'Check for Updates' button again.
In no time, MS Word will connect to its server and look for any recently available updates. Once it will notify you the same, you can just select the update and click on the 'Install' button.
Now, you can just wait for a while as Word would install the update and restart in the

How To Check For Microsoft Word Updates On Mac