One specific document on WORD is functioning slowly and/or freezing.

Question

One specific document on WORD is functioning slowly and/or freezing.

Nancy L Glass LCSW 0

It takes 5 second for one key stoke to register on the WORD document.

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Answer recommended by moderator

John Korchok 237.1K Volunteer Moderator

Try selecting everything in the problem document except the last paragraph mark. Then create a new blank document and paste in the content from the old file. Save that and see if the performance improves.

To make the paragraph marks visible, click on the backwards P icon on the Home tab.

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1 additional answer

Answer 1

When only one document is slow, the problem is usually something inside that file, not Word itself — which is why a fresh document would feel normal.

First, make a backup copy and work on the copy. If that document has tracked changes or comments, try accepting the changes and removing comments in the copy, then test typing again — a long change history can make every keystroke slow.

The copy-except-the-last-paragraph-mark idea already given here is worth trying for the same reason: the final paragraph mark stores section and style information, and if it is damaged, a clean copy can feel fast straight away. If that copy is fast, keep using the copy as the new file.

If it is still slow, check what is heavy in the file: very large images, many embedded objects, or a lot of unused styles. Saving it as a new .docx and testing that copy is a useful next check.

This answer was prepared with help from Muse.

Microsoft reference: Word slows or stops responding if there are excessive tracked changes or comments