Start Word in Safe Mode; if it still closes, perform an Online Repair of Microsoft 365 rather than relying on the repair button in the error dialog.
1. Test Word in Safe Mode
- Press Windows key + R.
- Enter:
winword /safe
- Select OK. There must be a space before
/safe.
Safe Mode starts Word without automatically loading add-ins and other customizations, which helps distinguish an add-in problem from an installation problem.^1^
If Word opens in Safe Mode:
- Select File → Options → Add-ins.
- At the bottom, set Manage to COM Add-ins, then select Go.
- Clear one add-in, select OK, and restart Word normally.
- Repeat until Word opens successfully. Older add-ins such as ABBYY FineReader, PowerWord, and Dragon Naturally Speaking are known to cause startup problems.^2^
- Leave the problematic add-in disabled, remove it, or install an updated version from its publisher.
2. If Safe Mode also fails, run Online Repair
Online Repair repairs the entire Microsoft 365 suite, even though only Word is failing.
Windows 11
- Right-click Start → Installed apps.
- Find Microsoft 365.
- Select the three dots → Modify.
- Select Online Repair → Repair.
Windows 10
- Right-click Start → Apps and Features.
- Select Microsoft 365 → Modify.
- Select Online Repair → Repair.
Follow the prompts, restart the computer if requested, and then open Word normally. Online Repair is more comprehensive than Quick Repair, which only detects and replaces corrupted files.^3^
3. If Online Repair does not fix it
Completely remove Microsoft 365 with Microsoft’s uninstall troubleshooter, restart the computer when prompted, and reinstall Microsoft 365. Run the troubleshooter on the affected PC; it requires Windows 10 or later.^4^
Before uninstalling, ensure the Microsoft account used for the subscription is available so Microsoft 365 can be downloaded and activated again. Uninstalling Office does not normally delete Word documents, but save any open work and back up important files first.
References
- Open Office apps in safe mode on a Windows PC | Microsoft Support
- I get a "stopped working" error when I start Office applications on my PC | Microsoft Support
- Repair an Office application | Microsoft Support
- Microsoft 365 subscription features aren't available in Office apps | Microsoft Support