# Word 2016 freezes up



## lewisma9 (Sep 1, 2016)

Hello:
I recently upgraded to Office 2016, and whenever I use Word 2016, it freezes up. It is set to Compatibility Mode, like all my previous versions of Word (except the first one!), because many of my colleagues in small nonprofit organizations have older versions. I have an ongoing malware program and also did a complete scan and found nothing, so it's not a virus. I've also rechecked the settings, but I can't see anything amiss.

The freeze comes like this: When I open an older text (from a colleague so it is in an earlier version of Word), it opens fine. But the first time I try to scroll or page down, it freezes. Also, when I try to save an older text, it freezes. And when I reopen Word and click on the recovered text in the right-hand column, it freezes immediately. I seem to be able to create new texts, and even save them.

Any ideas about how I can fix this? This is my workhorse program so I really need it. Thanks.
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Tech Support Guy System Info Utility version 1.0.0.2
OS Version: Microsoft Windows 10 Home, 64 bit
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-5500U CPU @ 2.40GHz, Intel64 Family 6 Model 61 Stepping 4
Processor Count: 4
RAM: 8094 Mb
Graphics Card: Intel(R) HD Graphics 5500, 1024 Mb
Hard Drives: C: Total - 932249 MB, Free - 656389 MB;
Motherboard: ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC., Q551LNB
Antivirus: Kaspersky Internet Security, Updated and Enabled


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## reticentAJ (Jan 20, 2013)

Couple of questions:
1. You said you upgraded to Office 2016. What did you have before and how did you upgrade?
2. Are you using the web app for Word or is it an actual program on your computer?
3. Do you know if you have the Compatibility Pack installed?

I've found a Microsoft article that says the following:



> We've received reports of crashes that occur when the Office Compatibility Pack add-in is installed. This add-in lets people using older versions of Office, such as Office 2003, Office 2000, or Office XP open, edit, and save documents, workbooks, and presentations that were created in newer versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
> 
> If you're using Office 2010 or later, you can safely uninstall this add-in.


To check to see if you have this addon installed and to remove it:
1. Hit the Windows key on your keyboard
2. Type *Control Panel* and hit Enter
3. Depending on the view you have, either select *Uninstall a program* or *Programs and Features*
4. From here, look for *Compatibility Pack for Office 2007 or 2010*
5. Uninstall it
6. Restart your computer and see if the issue has been fixed


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## lewisma9 (Sep 1, 2016)

Hello reticentAJ,

I thought you had the perfect solution - but unfortunately it didn't work.

To answer your questions: I upgraded from Office 2010 to the current version by clicking on the Microsoft upgrade link that came up from the lower right-hand corner of my computer while using Word. Word is on my computer.

I followed your instructions (from the article) but couldn't locate the Compatibility Pack add-in on the Uninstall page. Instead, the words "Compatibility Mode" appears at the end of the heading on the top of my computer screen (in the blue section) whenever I open a document that was created in an earlier version of Word.

Word still crashes each time I use it. In the screenshot below, it froze when I tried to open a 2014 .pdf file. It also froze (after I reopened) when I tried to move the screen across my desktop. There have been other times when it simply froze after I opened an old document and then clicked on it.

Hope you have more suggestions.... Thx!


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## reticentAJ (Jan 20, 2013)

Unfortunately, I don't see the image you uploaded.

Compatibility Mode should appear in Word when you are opening documents that are pre-2010. The reason I was checking to see if you had the Compatibility Pack is because it's only needed when you have an older version of Word. This allows you to open newer Word documents. But since you have the newest version, this would only cause issues with opening older Word documents.

I'm not sure what you mean by '2014 .pdf file'. I'm assuming the pdf file was create in 2014? Try opening a new that pdf that was created in the last couple of days in Word. Does it still freeze? If so, it's another symptom we can add to help troubleshoot the issue. Additionally, does this occur in any other Office product? For instance, if you try to open an older Excel file in Excel 2016, does it also freeze? Just trying to narrow down the issue.

Because this issue seems to be related to upgrading office, let's try to repair it. Here's the Microsoft article I'm referencing:
1. Hit the Windows key on your keyboard
2. Type *Control Panel* and hit Enter on your keyboard
3. Depending on the view you have, either select *Uninstall a program* or *Programs and Features*
4. Look for *Microsoft Office 2016*, right click on it, and select *Change*. Note: You shouldn't have more than 1 Office installed on your computer. If you do, let me know and provide a screenshot
5. You could choose either *Online Repair* or *Quick Repair*. Quick repair works faster, but doesn't ensure everything gets fixed like online repair. So I would choose *Online Repair*

This will take some time. After it's done, I would restart your computer and then try to see if the issue is still persisting.


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## lewisma9 (Sep 1, 2016)

Hello again AJ,
I apologize for the long delay - I have been dealing with some serious family health issues in another state.

I also must apologize for some mis-information I gave you. I now remember (after searching my hard drive for Office 2016) that my recent upgrade was to Office 365! That's the only program now on my laptop, so my version of Word that has been so troublesome must be Word 365? I don't recall the specifics of the upgrade (and can't find a way to get them - can you suggest how I could do that?) but I believe I asked for the programs to be resident on my computer - not sure tho, it was very late and I was tired after many over-long days of work and stress.

As you suggested, I opened several older Excel files and they all functioned fine, no freezing even when I made edits and re-saved each one.

But even now, when I try to "Save As" a Word 2013 file (written in summer 2015) onto my desktop, it freezes up. Specifically, a box comes up saying that the file will be converted to the new format (Word 2016) but then freezes without saving.

How should I proceed? And thanks again for your help.

Maryellen


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## reticentAJ (Jan 20, 2013)

This Microsoft article explains the difference between Office 365 and Office 2016. Basically, for the purposes of this thread, it's the same.

The issue seems to only be with Word and not with other programs within Office, which will help narrow down the issue. Also, when you open Word, do you have to get to it through a web browser? If not, the program is on your computer.

Did you try what I recommended in my previous post?


> Because this issue seems to be related to upgrading office, let's try to repair it. Here's the Microsoft article I'm referencing:
> 1. Hit the Windows key on your keyboard
> 2. Type *Control Panel* and hit Enter on your keyboard
> 3. Depending on the view you have, either select *Uninstall a program* or *Programs and Features*
> ...


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## lewisma9 (Sep 1, 2016)

HI again, AJ:
I don't have to go thru my browser to use my Office programs, so my Office 365 programs must be resident on my computer. 

I hadn't tried the Online Repair that you recommended because I wasn't sure it would work for Office 365 - but after I got your last post, I went ahead and did the Online Repair - twice! But I still have the same problems with Word (but no problems with Excel). As I wrote earlier:

"As you suggested, I opened several older Excel files and they all functioned fine, no freezing even when I made edits and re-saved each one.
"But even now, when I try to "Save As" a Word 2013 file (written in summer 2015) onto my desktop, it freezes up. Specifically, a box comes up saying that the file will be converted to the new format (Word 2016) but then freezes without saving."

In addition, I discovered today that, when an older Word file opens in Protected Mode (because it has Links, I guess), a box comes up and Word freezes. The box says, "Saving is disabled in Protected Mode. If you trust the source of this file and would like to save, click Enable Saving." But the box is frozen too, so all I can do is use the Task Manager to cl0se Word.

What should I do next? Thanks!


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## reticentAJ (Jan 20, 2013)

On opening Word, hold the *Ctrl* key on your keyboard until you see the screen *Do you want to start Word in safe mode*. Select *Yes. *Try opening older documents now and see if that has resolved the issue. If not, let's make sure updates for Office have been applied.

1. Hit the Windows key on your keyboard, type *Control Panel,* and hit Enter
2. Select *Windows Update*. If you don't see this, click on *System and Security*, then click on *Windows Update*
3. On the left hand side, select *Change Settings*
4. Select *Give me updates for other Microsoft products when I update Windows*
5. Click *Ok*
6. Select *Check for updates
*
Take note of whether there are any Office related updates. Also, make sure to check the *Optional Updates* as well. Apply the updates and restart your computer. Check if issue is resolved.


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## lewisma9 (Sep 1, 2016)

Hmmm...
When I hit the Windows key, the screen/index that comes up HAS NO PLACE TO TYPE ANYTHING! But I had already made a LINK there for Control Panel, so I clicked that LINK and got to Control Panel. There was no Windows Update there, so I clicked on System and Security. There was no Windows Update there. I drilled down into the section on Security, then the section on Maintenance, and STILL couldn't find Windows Update. 
What next? I'm afraid I'm baffled. I used to be able to do this easily with the previous Windows version (I mean, go to Windows Updates and get updates for "other Windows products").


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## DaveA (Nov 16, 1999)

Try Settings?


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## lewisma9 (Sep 1, 2016)

YES!! 
It turns out, I already set Updates to automatically send me updates for other Microsoft programs (under Advanced Options). Right now, this Windows update (KB3189866) is downloading. I don't see the usual "Optional updates" LINK like in previous versions, and in the Update History, I only see Windows Updates back to 9/9/2016. So I don't see any history of Word 2016 updates, nor can I see a way to check if there are any available. Suggestions?


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## reticentAJ (Jan 20, 2013)

I haven't used Windows 10 yet (clearly). There isn't an optional updates section anymore. I didn't realize a lot of little things that were changed. Anyways, in the previous post, I mentioned how to start Word in safe mode. Have you tried that?


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## lewisma9 (Sep 1, 2016)

I'm really sorry for the delay with this reply. I've been trying everything but the kitchen sink to get this thing fixed! I did start Word in Safe Mode as you suggested, but I didn't really know what to do then. I tried it twice, and nothing seemed to change after that. (I didn't know what to expect, though) Then a couple of days ago, a new Office Update came out, and it seems to have fixed some, but not all, of my problems. So I think the problem is with Microsoft! Anyway, at least I can use Word for my work now, and it doesn't freeze up very often, and then I just restart it and go on from there. Annoying but not fatal, I guess. Thanks for all your help!


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## reticentAJ (Jan 20, 2013)

In regards to safe mode, you would have wanted to try opening an older Word document and seeing if it still froze or not like before. 

You said some issues have been fixed, but not all. What are the other issues? I thought you only had the one issue with opening older Word documents.


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## lewisma9 (Sep 1, 2016)

Hi again reticentAJ:

I've had other issues with Word 2016, Outlook 2016 and with Win10 since I upgraded to Office 2016, but I've been hoping that the updates from Microsoft would fix them....

With Win10, I've had a lot of problems with the Start Menu not working, also Cortana, and sometimes with the part of the lower bar on the RH side (I forget what that's called). Those were fixed with the most recent update plus some fiddling.

In Word, I guess the problems are fixed now - but I'm still anxious because I haven't needed to do anything other than the most basic functions in recent days. But I may just be paranoid after Word's disastrous performance over the past few weeks.... Thanks for all your help on that.

In Outlook2016, my current aggravation is that the photos/graphics that come with many HTML emails are largely missing, leaving only a blank space with an X in the upper corner of the space. What the heck is that??! I thought it must be a setting that got changed with the upgrade, but I can't find it anywhere in Outlook nor in my security program Kaspersky Internet Security 16.0. Any ideas on this?

Even so, my life is a lot easier now that Word is running smoothly - Thx!!


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## lewisma9 (Sep 1, 2016)

I was wrong when I wrote that my Word problems are over. This still happens consistently:

Whenever I do something that makes the program send up a message - like "this doc will be converted" or an error report of any kind - the program then freezes. I can't remember every kind of program message, but it has been several varieties, and they all end up freezing the program. I assume this must be a bug that I can't fix myself, but perhaps you have some ideas?


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