Microsoft Word Won't Open on Mac | 4 Effective Fixes

On this page, we've gathered four practical solutions to help you fix the Microsoft Word won't open on Mac issue. If you suspect a damaged Word file, seek assistance from the reliable Mac document repair software recommended here.

Today, you'll learn four tricks to fix the issue of "Word won't open on Mac." These solutions work for all versions of Word, including 2003, 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and so on.

1. Resolving Microsoft Word Not Opening on Mac with Document Repair Tools

When you find that Microsoft Word is not opening on your Mac, it could be because the Word document you want to open on your Mac has become corrupted or damaged. This is why you need a professional Word repair tool to fix this issue on your Mac.

We highly recommend the Fixo Document Repair tool, which you can download and try out for yourself right now!

If you can't open a Word document on Mac, there's no need to worry. A Mac file repair tool can help you recover corrupted Word file on Mac. It takes only three simple steps to fix a damaged Word document. Check out the written tutorial below and then reopen your Word file on Mac.

Step 1: Download and launch Fixo on your Mac. In the sidebar on the left, choose “File Repair.” Click “Add File” to select the corrupted Office document you want to fix, including Word, Excel, PDF, and more.

Step 2. Click the “Repair All” button to fix all corrupt files at once. If you want to repair a specific document, hover over it and click “Repair.” You can click the eye icon to preview the repaired document.

Step 3: Click “Save” to save the selected files. To keep all the repaired files, choose “Save All.” Once done, click “View Repaired Files” to locate the repaired folder.

You can also use the Mac Word Recovery Converter to fix corrupted Word files, but the Fixo tool fixes more corruption issues and supports more file formats. Don't forget to share this article and product on social media today!

2. Fixing Microsoft Word Not Opening on Mac by Repairing the Mac Disk

Sometimes, due to a corrupted disk or an unexpected disk error, you might not be able to open the Microsoft Word application. It is convenient to use the Mac Disk Utility to repair the Mac disk and fix MS Word errors.

Step 1: Use Spotlight to launch Disk Utility on your Mac.

Open Disk Utility on your Mac.

Step 2: Select your computer's main hard drive, then click the “First Aid” tab.

Step 3: Click “Run” to fix disk volume errors and permissions. When finished, click “Finish.”

3. Fixing Word Not Opening on Mac by Removing Word Preferences

Removing the Word preferences can also help you open the Word app or a document on your Mac. Try these steps:

The first step is to open the “Library” folder. Typically, you do this by going to “Go” → “Go to Folder” and typing in ~/Library .

Step 2: Find the file called “Preferences.”

Step 3: Find a file called com.microsoft.Word.plist, and move it to your desktop.

Please start Word and see if the problem still occurs.

If the issue persists, quit Microsoft Word, and then replace the com.microsoft.word.prefs.plist file with the original file. Proceed to step 4.

If the issue seems to be resolved, you can move the file to the Trash.

Step 4. Quit all Microsoft Office for Mac apps. Then, click the “Word” icon. On the left, click “Preferences.”

Step 5: Click on “File location”.

Step 6: Choose “User Template.”

Select the user template and click “OK” to proceed.

Step 7: Find the file called Normal, and move it to your desktop.

You can also find the Normal file by going to Library > Application Support > Microsoft > Office > User Templates > Normal.

Start Word, and see if the problem persists. If the problem seems to be resolved, you can move the Normal template file to the Recycle Bin.

4. Fix a Word Document That Won't Open on Mac with “Open and Repair”

Microsoft Word has a built-in repair option that can help you quickly fix an unopenable Word document. Follow these steps:

Step 1: Open Word. Click the "File" menu, then click "Open."

Step 2: In the Open dialog box, select the file that you want to open. Click the down arrow on the Open button, and then click Open > Repair.

All four of these techniques have been shown to work, and they come with the added bonus of being easy to share with friends on social media.

Conclusions

Aside from the issues described in Part 1, most users also encountered the following problems:

• Microsoft Word unexpectedly quit
• Microsoft Word encountered a problem and needs to close
• Microsoft Word can't be opened because of a problem. Contact the developer for information about compatibility with this version of Mac OS X.

Given how widely Microsoft Word is used, knowing some basic troubleshooting tips for it is a must-have skill.

If you want to fix a corrupted Word document on your Mac, try using the Fixo Document Repair tool – it's the best solution for this problem!

"Frequently Asked Questions: 'Word Won't Open on Mac'"

This section covers some common issues; for more, see here.

**1. Why won't Word open on my Mac?**

There are several issues that can prevent Word from opening on a Mac:

• Microsoft Word application error
• Corrupted Word document
• Disk damage or error
• ...

**How to Open an Unopenable Word Document on Mac?**

The best way to recover a corrupted Word document on a Mac is by using the Fixo Document Repair tool.

Step 1: Run this Word repair tool on your Mac, click “File Repair”, and then add the corrupted Word file.

Step 2. Use the Fixo Document Repair Tool to fix the selected Word file.

Step 3: The repairing process won't take long, and you can save the repaired Word document on any device.

3. Can I fix the issue of Microsoft Word not opening on my Mac online?

If you find that the issue is caused by a corrupted Word document, you can use professional online Word repair websites to fix this; you can try to repair the damaged Word file online with an online document repair tool.