Problem with the Word application.

Create a new blank document, save it locally on the Mac, and test editing, saving, and printing to separate a Word-wide failure from cloud-storage and printer-specific problems.

1. Run a controlled local test

Since updates, add-ins, and multiple existing documents have already been tested:

1. In Word, select File > New and create a blank document.
2. Enter several lines of plain text using a common font.
3. Save it to a local folder such as Documents, not OneDrive or SharePoint.
4. Edit it for a few minutes, save it again, and print it.

Interpret the result:

• Only printing freezes: continue with the printer tests below.
• The local document works but cloud files freeze: test OneDrive synchronization.
• Editing and saving the local document also freeze: proceed to the Safe Mode and Rosetta checks.

Microsoft’s printing guidance uses a new document and a different font to distinguish document/font problems from broader Office or printer problems.^1^

2. If printing triggers the freeze

1. Open Notes, create a short note, and select File > Print.
2. If Notes also freezes, open the printer queue and delete any stalled print job.
3. Remove and re-add the printer:
   • Apple menu > System Settings (or System Preferences) > Printers & Scanners
   • Select the printer and remove it.
   • Add it again, then retest from Word.

If Notes cannot print either, the printer configuration or driver is implicated. If Notes prints normally but Word freezes, the problem is more likely within Office. Microsoft also documents resetting the printing system and replacing printer drivers, but resetting removes configured printers and should be reserved for when re-adding the individual printer fails.^1^

3. Test macOS Safe Mode

First identify the processor under Apple menu > About This Mac.

• Apple silicon: shut down the Mac, hold the power button until startup options appear, select the startup disk, hold Shift, and choose Continue in Safe Mode.
• Intel: restart and immediately hold Shift until the login window appears.

Open Word in Safe Mode and repeat the local-document test, then restart normally and test again. A Word-for-Mac case with similar editing freezes recommends this as a diagnostic cycle.^2^

If Safe Mode works but normal startup does not, record that result for Microsoft Support rather than repeatedly reinstalling Word.

4. Apple-silicon-only check

If the Mac uses Apple silicon:

1. Quit Word.
2. Open Finder > Applications.
3. Right-click Microsoft Word and select Get Info.
4. If Open using Rosetta is selected, clear it.
5. Reopen Word and test again.

This applies only when that option exists and is selected.^2^

5. Cloud-file-only freezes

If the local test succeeds and affected files are stored in OneDrive or SharePoint:

1. Temporarily pause OneDrive synchronization.
2. Reproduce the save operation in desktop Word.
3. If freezing stops, resume synchronization and investigate the OneDrive account or sync state.

Pausing sync is only a diagnostic test, not a permanent workaround. Testing the same document in Word for the web can further distinguish the desktop client from the stored file.^3^

Last resort and escalation

Check Microsoft’s current Word for Mac issue list for a matching known problem.^4^

If no listed issue matches, use Contact Us at the bottom of that page. Provide:

• Exact macOS version
• Word > About Microsoft Word version and build
• Intel or Apple-silicon processor
• Whether files are local, OneDrive, or SharePoint
• Which operation freezes and whether Notes can print
• Whether Word works in macOS Safe Mode

Try a normal Office uninstall/reinstall only after collecting those results. Microsoft’s complete removal procedure is a further last resort when the usual uninstall has failed or Office still cannot reinstall or start. It removes supporting and licensing files, requires administrator access, and can remove Outlook data unless it is backed up.^5^

References

1. [Mac](https://support.microsoft.com/office/troubleshoot-printing-problems-in-microsoft-365-apps#remove-and-reinstall-your-print-driver-files)
2. Help me with Word on Mac issue - Microsoft Q&A
3. Office 365 apps randomly freeze when opening or saving documents - Microsoft Q&A
4. Fixes or workarounds for recent issues in Word for Mac | Microsoft Support
5. Troubleshoot Office for Mac issues by completely uninstalling before you reinstall