Microsoft Word freezes when a document is opened and Apple Pencil is used

Question

Microsoft Word freezes when a document is opened and Apple Pencil is used

Karen Dailey 0

Situation: I am creating exams for organic chemistry on my PC but I upload them to One Drive to open on my iPad Pro so I can draw out the answer keys by hand. These documents have many inserts from ChemDraw, which should be compatible with Word. Currently, Word on my iPad Pro does not show all of the details of the molecules and the program freezes such that it won't let me draw anything with my Apple pencil. I have to close the app and reopen--which, previously, would buy me some time with a usable program, but now that grace is gone and it won't function at all.

I have been using Word on my iPad to write exams for almost 10 years now with minimal issues so this is new.

I have removed the app and reinstalled. I have restarted the iPad. Honestly, Word is no longer usable on this iPad at all and I am going to have to go to another product to get my work done.

Is there a glitch from a recent update that won't allow Word to function properly?

Any help would be appreciated.

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Answer 1

Lucus-V 13,485 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi Karen Dailey,

I'm sorry to hear this issue is disrupting your workflow.

Since you've already reinstalled Word and restarted the iPad, I'd recommend checking whether the problem is limited to these specific documents or occurs more broadly:

Try with Apple Pencil in a new blank Word document.
Try opening a simpler document that does not contain ChemDraw objects.
If available, test the same document on another iPad or iOS device.

Because this workflow worked for many years and the issue appeared recently, it may be related to a recent Word for iOS or iPadOS change, particularly if the problem only occurs with documents containing ChemDraw content.

Additionally, some iOS users have reported Word stability and responsiveness issues following recent updates, so it may require a future app update from Microsoft to resolve. If possible, you may want to monitor for Word updates over the next few days and see whether a hotfix becomes available.

Please let us know the results of the above tests, and we'll see if we can narrow down whether this is a document-specific issue, a compatibility problem, or a potential app regression.

Lucus-V 13,485 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-09-24T16:36:01.72+00:00

Hi Karen Dailey,

I hope everything is going well on your end. Just wanted to check in and see how things are going for you lately, anything you'd like to share or discuss?
Karen Dailey 0 Reputation points

2026-09-25T17:27:51.0966667+00:00

Since I posted, I have worked with documents that do not have ChemDraw inserts and I am having the same difficulties with Word on my iPad even through the documents do not have ChemDraw pictures. While the ChemDraw-Word documents completely shut down on me and cannot be edited, the other non-ChemDraw documents only make life very difficult. That is, I can work for maybe 5 minutes and then the program stops responding. I often lose my progress because I cannot save when this happens. This situation is making the combination of Word + iPad (even without ChemDraw pictures added) unusable.
Lucus-V 13,485 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-09-27T16:16:06.7966667+00:00

Hi Karen Dailey,

Thank you for the additional information. The fact that the issue also occurs in documents without ChemDraw content is very helpful, as it suggests the problem may not be related to ChemDraw specifically.

Since Word becomes unresponsive even with other documents and you've already reinstalled the app and restarted the iPad, this appears more likely to be an issue with the Word for iPad application itself, the current iPadOS/Word version combination, or a recent update affecting inking and document editing.

Also, has the issue started only recently, perhaps after an update to either Word or iPadOS?

While we cannot confirm a known bug from the community side, some iOS users have reported Word stability and responsiveness issues following recent updates. Given that your workflow functioned normally for many years and now affects both ChemDraw and non-ChemDraw documents, there is a possibility that you are encountering a product-side regression. If so, the resolution may ultimately come through a future Word for iOS update.

I understand how disruptive this is, especially when unsaved work is being lost. Thank you for taking the time to provide these additional details, and I look forward to your update.