My Ms word not working

Run an Online Repair of the entire Microsoft Office installation, because the repair button shown in the error window may not perform the full repair needed when all Office applications fail to open.

1. Run Online Repair

Windows 11

1. Right-click Start and select Installed apps.
2. Find Microsoft 365 or Microsoft Office.
3. Select the three dots (…) beside it, then select Modify.
4. If prompted for permission, select Yes.
5. Choose Online Repair → Repair.
6. Complete the on-screen instructions, restart the computer, and test Word again.

Windows 10

1. Right-click Start and select Apps and Features.
2. Select Microsoft 365 or Microsoft Office.
3. Select Modify.
4. Choose Online Repair → Repair.
5. Restart the computer afterward.

This repairs the complete Office suite, not only Word. If your installation displays an MSI repair window instead, select Repair → Continue.^1^

Your existing Word documents should remain in their current folders. Nevertheless, do not delete or move them while repairing Office.

2. If only Word remains unable to open

Test Word in Office Safe Mode:

1. Press Windows key + R.
2. Enter the following command, including the space:

winword /safe

3. Select OK.

If Word opens and its title bar indicates Safe Mode, an add-in may be interfering:

1. In Word, select File → Options → Add-ins.
2. At the bottom, choose COM Add-ins from Manage, then select Go.
3. Clear one add-in at a time and restart Word normally.
4. Leave the problematic add-in disabled, or obtain an updated version.

If Word does not open in Safe Mode, add-ins are unlikely to be the issue; proceed to reinstallation.^2^

3. If Online Repair does not work

Completely uninstall and reinstall Office:

1. Use Microsoft’s uninstall troubleshooter on the affected computer.
2. Follow its prompts and restart when requested.
3. Sign in with the Microsoft account associated with Office and reinstall the correct Office version.

The uninstall troubleshooter supports Windows 10 or later and cannot currently remove Office 2024; Office 2024 must use its applicable uninstall method.^3^

If these steps fail, note the exact error message or error code, your Windows version, and whether the product is Microsoft 365, Office 2024, Office 2021, or another version. Those details are needed to identify the next product-specific action.

References

1. [Windows 11](https://support.microsoft.com/office/lifecycle/repair-an-office-application)
2. I get a "stopped working" error when I start Office applications on my PC | Microsoft Support
3. [Click-to-Run](https://support.microsoft.com/office/lifecycle/officeinstall/uninstall-microsoft-365-or-office-from-a-pc)