Buzz
The error 'Microsoft Word has encountered a problem and needs to close' mainly occurs on Mac 2011 and Mac 2008 versions when users attempt to open a document file on their device.
The complete error message displayed on the screen is as follows:
'Microsoft Word encountered an error and must close. We apologize for any inconvenience'.
In the following article, Mytour will guide you through some methods to fix the error 'Microsoft Word has encountered a problem and needs to close' on Mac.
1. Causes of the error 'Microsoft Word has encountered a problem and needs to close'
As mentioned above, there are several causes for the error 'Microsoft Word has encountered a problem and needs to close' on Mac, including:
- Word options are faulty.
- Profile account is flawed.
- Application file is corrupted.
- Other background programs running on Mac hinder Word from operating normally.
For further information on how to fix the error 'Microsoft Word has encountered a problem and needs to close' on Mac, please consult the following section in the article.
2. Fixing the error 'Microsoft Word has encountered a problem and needs to close' on Mac
Method 1: Resetting Word options
One of the causes of the error 'Microsoft Word has encountered a problem and needs to close' is due to corrupted or damaged Word options. The solution to fix this issue is to reset the Word options.
Note: Resetting Word options on Mac may delete any custom settings you have configured. If you have activated specific shortcuts, you will need to set them up again.
Step 1: Close all running programs on your Mac.
Step 2: Access Go => Home => Library.
Try opening the Word file and check if the error still persists. If it doesn't, close the program, then drag and drop the files back to their default location. Open Word again, if the error doesn't show up anymore, proceed to drag the files on the desktop into the Trash.
If the error 'Microsoft Word has encountered a problem and needs to close' persists, follow these steps:
Step 1: Close all running programs and applications on your Mac.
Step 2: Access Go =>Home =>Library.
On Mac OS X 10.7 (Lion) or higher versions, simply click on Go => hold down the Option key => click on Library.
Step 3: Open the Application Support =>Microsoft =>Office =>User Templates folder.
Step 4: In the User Templates folder, locate and drag the Normal.dotm file to the desktop.
Step 5: Try reopening the Word file to see if the error persists. If the error is gone, drag the files into the trash.
If the error still appears on the screen, consider trying another solution below.
Method 2: Create a New Account
Another possible cause of the error 'Microsoft Word has encountered a problem and needs to close' could be a corrupted user account. Therefore, in this case, the solution is to create a new user account.
Method 3: Use the Repair Disk Permissions Option
On Mac OS X 10.2 and above, there is a built-in feature called Repair Disk Permissions. This feature is used to address issues and system-related problems.
If none of the above methods work, the solution is to use the Repair Disk Permissions feature to fix the error 'Microsoft Word has encountered a problem and needs to close' on Mac:
Step 1: Click on Go, then select Utilities.
Step 2: Access Disk Utility.
Step 3: Select your Mac computer's hard drive.
Step 4: Open the First Aid tab.
Step 5: Choose Repair Disk Permissions.
After the scanning process completes, try reopening Word and check if the error persists.
Method 4: Perform Clean Boot / Boot Mac into Safe Mode
The origin of the error 'Microsoft Word has encountered a problem and needs to close' on Mac could be other programs running on the system, preventing Word from functioning properly.
In this case, the solution is to boot Mac into Safe Mode to determine which software or program is causing the issue.
Step 1: Restart your Mac.
Step 2: If you hear the startup sound, press and hold the Shift key on the keyboard.
Step 3: Release your hand from the Shift key when the Apple logo appears on the screen.
Step 4: At this point, the Safe Boot option will be displayed on the Startup window.
Note: To perform a clean boot on Mac, you need to log in to the Admin account.
Method 5: Reinstall Office on your Mac
Corrupted Office application files could also be the cause of Word errors on Mac. Therefore, the solution is to uninstall and reinstall Office on your Mac and see if the error persists.
To download and install Office for Mac, you can visit here: Office 2016 for Mac
In this article, Mytour has just guided you on how to fix the error 'Microsoft Word has encountered a problem and needs to close' on Mac. Additionally, readers can refer to other articles available on Mytour to learn how to fix the issue of Word not displaying on .doc and .docx files.
