Office 365 apps randomly freeze when opening or saving documents

Question

Office 365 apps randomly freeze when opening or saving documents

SteinbacherBaich-4897 170

Office 365 desktop apps (Word, Excel, Outlook) occasionally freeze or stop responding, especially when saving or autosaving files stored in OneDrive or SharePoint.

I sure that apps are updated, and add-ins have been disabled for testing. Network connection and system performance are normal

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Answer 1

Austin-H 8,805 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Dear SteinbacherBaich-4897

Thank you for posting to Microsoft Q&A, and thanks to Harry for the initial response. To better understand the issue, could you please confirm the following:

Which operating system and exact version are you using (Windows or macOS)?
How many OneDrive accounts are currently signed in on your device? (Sometimes multiple accounts can cause sync conflicts. If possible, try signing out of all but one account and see if the issue persists.)
Does the freezing occur in all Office apps or only specific ones (Word, Excel, Outlook)?
Have you tried turning off AutoSave in Word or Excel to see if the freezing still occurs? If possible, please also test opening the same files in Office Online (Word Online, Excel Online) and confirm if the issue happens there as well.
When you mentioned “Office 365 desktop apps (Word, Excel, Outlook) occasionally freeze or stop responding, especially when saving or autosaving files stored in OneDrive or SharePoint,” should I assume this happens with all files stored in OneDrive/SharePoint, or only specific ones?

Looking forward to your reply.

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SteinbacherBaich-4897 170 Reputation points

2025-10-22T08:59:16.29+00:00

Hi, thanks.

I just figured out that the issue comes from our SharePoint settings, and our protection policies may be conflicting with the file’s performance. We’re currently investigating it further, but it has been temporarily resolved. Thank you.
Austin-H 8,805 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-10-22T09:25:33.49+00:00

Dear SteinbacherBaich-4897

Thank you so much for the update!

I’m really happy to hear that the issue has been temporarily resolved. It sounds like you’ve done an excellent job narrowing it down to the SharePoint settings and protection policies and thank you for sharing that insight with us. Your contribution helps nurture a stronger community, and your input will definitely assist others who might face a similar challenge in the future.

If you need any further assistance or if anything else comes up, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Wishing you smooth operations ahead, and thank you again for working with us!

Answer 2

Harry Phan 35,965 Independent Advisor

Hi Stein, the first thing comes to my mind is the OneDrive sync client. Please try pausing syncing for a few minutes in the OneDrive settings and then test the Office apps. If the freezing stops, it indicates a sync conflict. Resetting OneDrive can often resolve this; you can do this by exiting the app, running the command onedrive /reset in an admin command prompt, and then restarting it.

If the issue persists, we should investigate the Office file validation and cache. Please try repairing your Office installation via "Apps & features" in Windows Settings. Additionally, clearing the Office Document Cache from the system tray can eliminate corrupted temporary files that may be causing the hangs during save operations.

I hope one of these targeted solutions resolves the persistent freezing.

SteinbacherBaich-4897 170 Reputation points

2025-10-22T08:59:25.79+00:00

Hi, thanks.

I just figured out that the issue comes from our SharePoint settings, and our protection policies may be conflicting with the file’s performance. We’re currently investigating it further, but it has been temporarily resolved. Thank you.