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Excel/Word crashing

Microsoft 365 & Office KB-054

Summary

This guide helps you troubleshoot and resolve: Excel/Word crashing. Follow the steps below to fix the issue.

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Common Causes

Problem

Microsoft Excel or Word keeps crashing, freezing, or closing unexpectedly while you are working. This issue is a common example of Applications freezing or crashing.

Symptoms

Quick fixes to try first

  1. Press Esc or wait a few seconds — Sometimes it will respond after a moment.
  2. Wait for background tasks — Large files take time to process.
  3. Check for saved version — Look for “Document Recovery” the next time you open the file.

Solutions

Step 1: Determine if the crash is file-specific or application-wide

Before troubleshooting, check whether the crash happens with every file or just one specific document:

  1. Open a different, simple file (such as a blank document or workbook) in the same application.
  2. If the blank file opens and works normally, the issue is likely with the specific file.
  3. If the blank file also crashes, the problem is application-wide and you should continue with Step 2.

Step 2: Try Safe Mode

Starting in Safe Mode disables add-ins and custom settings, helping you isolate whether an add-in is causing the crash:

  1. Close the application completely.
  2. Press and hold Ctrl while clicking the app icon.
  3. When prompted, click “Yes” to open in Safe Mode.
  4. If the application works in Safe Mode, the issue is likely caused by an add-in or custom setting.

If Safe Mode works:

  1. Go to File → Options → Add-ins.
  2. In the “Manage” dropdown, select “COM Add-ins” and click “Go”.
  3. Disable add-ins one by one to find the culprit.
  4. If the problem is related to activation, see Office apps activation issues.

Step 3: Repair Microsoft Office

  1. Press Win + R, type control, and press Enter.
  2. Open “Programs and Features”.
  3. Select “Microsoft 365” or “Microsoft Office”.
  4. Click “Change” → “Quick Repair”.
  5. Wait for the repair to complete, then try opening the app again.
If Quick Repair doesn’t resolve the issue: try “Online Repair” (takes longer but is more thorough).
First-line tool: Run Microsoft’s Support and Recovery Assistant (SaRA) to automatically diagnose and fix Office crashes.

Step 4: Check for updates

  1. Open the app (Word or Excel).
  2. Go to File → Account → Update Options → Update Now.
  3. Install any available updates and restart the application.

You should also run Windows Update to ensure the operating system is up to date. Specifically check for updates to the .NET Framework and Visual C++ Redistributables, as Office relies on these components for stability.

Step 5: Clear the cache

Warning: Deleting or renaming system files may cause loss of custom templates or settings. Before proceeding, back up any files or folders you intend to delete by copying them to a separate folder on your desktop.

For Excel:

  1. Close Excel.
  2. Press Win + R, type %appdata%\Microsoft\Excel\XLSTART, and press Enter.
  3. Back up the contents of the XLSTART folder to another location, then delete the contents.
  4. Optionally, clear temporary files by navigating to %temp% and deleting its contents.

For Word:

  1. Close Word.
  2. Press Win + R, type %appdata%\Microsoft\Templates, and press Enter.
  3. Back up Normal.dotm, then rename it to Normal.old (this resets Word to default settings).
  4. Press Win + R, type %localappdata%\Microsoft\Office\16.0\OfficeFileCache, and press Enter.
  5. Back up the contents of this folder, then delete the files inside it to clear the Office Document Cache.

Step 6: Check file size and content

Large or complex files can cause crashes:

Problematic content includes:

Step 7: Disable hardware graphics acceleration

  1. In the app, go to File → Options → Advanced.
  2. Scroll to the “Display” section.
  3. Check “Disable hardware graphics acceleration”.
  4. Click OK and restart the app.

Step 8: Check for conflicting antivirus software

Third-party antivirus software can sometimes interfere with Office applications:

  1. Open your third-party antivirus programme (not just Windows Security).
  2. Look for exclusions, exceptions, or trusted files settings.
  3. Add exclusions for Excel.exe and Winword.exe, typically located in C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office16.
  4. Temporarily disable the antivirus to test if Office crashes stop, then re-enable it immediately after testing.
For more guidance on handling security alerts, see Antivirus alerts – what to do.

Step 9: Create a new user profile

Warning: Creating a new user profile is an advanced step. It may affect your personal settings and files. Contact your IT support provider before proceeding if you are not confident performing these steps.
  1. Press Win + R, type control, and press Enter.
  2. Navigate to User Accounts → Manage another account.
  3. Create a new local administrator account.
  4. Log in with the new profile and test Office.

Recovery options

AutoRecover:

  1. When you next open Office, look for “Document Recovery”.
  2. Select the recovered file.
  3. Save it immediately with a new name.

To configure where AutoRecover files are saved:

  1. Go to File → Options → Save.
  2. Note the “AutoRecover file location” path.
  3. Ensure “Save AutoRecover information every X minutes” is checked.

Unsaved files:

  1. Go to File → Info → Manage Document.
  2. Select “Recover Unsaved Documents”.

Backup files:

Need more help?

Contact support if:

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Still Having Issues?

Need more help? If the issue persists after trying these steps, please open a support ticket and our team will assist you.

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