Fix Microsoft Word Not Responding Mac [Top 4 Ways]

Microsoft Word may not be responding due to a slow Internet connection, disk errors, and more. This is really annoying, as you risk losing what you have been doing for a week or more. But do not worry—this post will help you fix Microsoft Word not responding on Mac and save your unsaved Word documents.

First Aid: Recover Unsaved Word Files to Fix Word Not Responding

To recover unsaved Word documents ASAP, the most effective and simplest way is to use some professional data recovery software like EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac.

This data recovery tool for Mac can help you perform Mac unsaved Word recovery and can even recover permanently deleted files on Mac even when you drag the file to the Trash and empty it. Other than Word files, this data recovery tool for Mac from EaseUS can recover unsaved Excel, PPT and more Microsoft documents.

Follow the detailed instructions here to get your Word documents back:

Note: You can create a backup by clicking the "Disk Backup" on the left first. When the disk is damaged or the unsaved document on the disk is accidentally deleted or lost, you can get the data back from the backup image.

Step 1. Select the disk

Launch EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac, hover the mouse over the device where you lost an unsaved file, and click "Search for lost files".

Step 2. Choose unsaved documents

After the scan, click "Type", and expand "Unsaved Documents". Click the exact file type - Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Keynote, Pages, or Numbers you lost without saving.

Step 3. Preview and recover unsaved files

Double-click to preview your unsaved file, select the right version and click "Recover" to save the file to another secure location on Mac.

You are welcomed to share this post to forums like Reddit or social media like Twitter or Linkedin to help more users facing this Word error:

Fix 1. Force Quit and Save the Work to Solve Word Not Responding

If your screen turns semi-transparent but you can do nothing to help, you may try to force quit Microsoft Word like this:

Step 1. Tap the Apple icon in the upper left and choose "Force Quit" from the drop-down menu.

Step 2. Then, a new window will appear, and you just need to highlight Microsoft Word and click the "Force Quit" button to confirm.

Fix 2. Remove the Auto Recovery Folder to Fix Microsoft Word Do Not Respond

If you have tried recovering unsaved Word documents with the auto Recovery folder, but it fails to work, you may remove the Auto Recovery folder from your Mac to see if your Word will be restored.

Step 1. Open Finder > Go to Folder.

Step 2. Type the following path and press Enter:

Step 3. Locate the Auto Recovery folder and drag it to the Trash.

Step 4. Now, you can open Microsoft Word again.

Fix 3. Clear Cache and Temporary Files to Fix Microsoft Word Not Responding Mac

If your Microsoft Word has too many cache or temporary files, you may also encounter situations like Word not responding. In this case, you can clear cache and temporary files like this:

Step 1. Launch Mac Finder, choose "Go" from the menu and select Go to Finder.

Step 2. Now type the following path and tap on "Go":

Step 3. Now, you just need to delete useless files and caches in the Cache folder.

FAQs on Word not Responding on Mac

Here are some frequently asked questions that may help you better understand this Microsoft Word does not respond error:

1. What do you do when Microsoft Word is not responding on a Mac?

You can first try forcing quit Microsoft Word and deleting the auto recovery folder. It is also workable to clear the cache and temporary files. If the methods above help but you have lost the unsaved Word files, try EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac.

2. How do you unfreeze Microsoft Word on a Mac?

Do as follows if your Word freezes:

• Hold Option + Shift + Command + Esc.
• Navigate to Dock. Hold the Option key and double-click the freezing Word for Mac icon.
• Locate the Apple menu and choose "Force Quit".

Conclusion

This post from EaseUS has looked at four reliable ways to solve Microsoft Word not responding Mac. You may try them one by one to save your freezing Microsoft Word. If you have lost unsaved Word documents on your Mac, try EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac.