Word running very slow

Microsoft Word is one of the popular text processing applications available. Though there are many alternate apps, Word is an ultimate document app due to universal use. However, slow performance of Microsoft Word is quite common on many computers due to various reasons. This may result in reduced productivity for business professionals and normal computer users. In this article let us explain how to fix slow Word when opening, typing and saving documents to speedup productivity.

Related: How to fix slow Microsoft Excel and speedup your productivity.

Fix Slow Microsoft Office Problems

Here are the fixes to solve the performance problem with Microsoft Word.

1. Deleting default template file
2. Disable graphics acceleration in Word settings
3. Use registry editor to disable graphics acceleration
4. Install updates
5. Update your OS
6. Reinstall Microsoft Office
7. Delete temporary files
8. Optimize the document
9. Open Word in safe mode
10. Check locked files
11. Disable add-ins

Method #1: Delete Normal.dot File

Microsoft Word uses template files to create documents. Normal.dot is the global template file that Word uses for creating a blank document file. This essentially means, the template file is always in use when Word is in use. Word also stores all style related settings, such as font size and font type in this template. So, problematic or corrupted ‘Normal.dot’ template can cause slow performance when opening or closing your documents.

An effective solution is to delete the Nomal.dot or Normal.dotm template file. You don’t need to worry about deleting this file as Word will recreate a fresh Normal.dot file when you open the application. However, it is a bit tricky task, since Normal.dot or Normal.dotm file is a hidden file. Therefore, you need to first enable the option in Windows to show hidden files. Then save all your open documents and close Microsoft Word.

The file location may be different depending upon your Windows version. Generally you can find the Normal.dot (Word 2007) or Normal.dotm (Word 2007/10) or Normal.dotx (Word 2013 and above) file in the following location:

C:UsersUsernameappdataMicrosoftTemplates

In Windows 10, you can look for the file in the below path:

C:UsersYour User NameAppDataRoamingMicrosoftTemplates

If you use Office on Mac, go to Finder and press “Command + Shift + G” to open “Go to folder” box. Type the following location and press enter key.

~/Library/Application Support/Microsoft/Office/User Templates/

After locating the template file in your PC or Mac, simply delete it. Now, open Microsoft Word to create a new Normal.dot/dotm/dotx file. Check whether this helps to solve the slow processing issues in Microsoft Word.

Related: How to quickly insert dividers in Microsoft Word?

Method #2: Disable Hardware Graphics Acceleration

In some cases, when you type on a Word document, it will lag for few seconds or longer from the moment you press the key. This will badly affect your productivity by causing delay and diverting your concentration when doing important work. Newer Office versions use hardware graphics acceleration to speed up the performance. However, slow computers often have limited hardware resources, which make Word less responsive. Follow these steps to disable hardware acceleration in Word:

• Open Microsoft Word and create a blank document.
• Click “File” menu and choose “Options” in the left pane to go to backstage view.
• On the “Word Options” screen, choose “Advanced” in the left pane.
• Look for “Disable hardware graphics acceleration” option at the right pane under the “Display” section and enable it.
• Click the OK button to apply your changes.

Restart Microsoft Word and verify whether the problem has been resolved.

Method #3: Disable Hardware Acceleration in Registry Editor

If Microsoft Word still performs slowly, it may be a good idea to perform changes in the registry. Note that modifying registry is not recommended and you may not have access in the administered computers. If you have access to registry editor then backup your data and follow the below steps:

• Press “Win + R” keys to open Run prompt. Type the command “regedit” and hit enter. Alternatively, use Windows search box and type in “regedit” to open Registry Editor.
• Navigate to the entry HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftOffice16.0common.
• Note that 16.0 is the version of Microsoft Office 2016, your version could be different.
• Right click on the right pane select “New > Key” to create a new key under the “common” folder.

• Windows will create a key with the name as “New Key #1” with an option to edit. Type in “Graphics” for the name of the key.
• Click the newly created “Graphics” key and right click on the right pane. Select “New > DWORD (32-bit) Value” option.

• Type in “DisableHardwareAcceleration” as the name of the new DWORD value.
• Double click on the new DWORD and change its value from 0 to 1.

Close the registry editor and restart your computer. Check Word works smoother now.

Related: Fix slow Microsoft PowerPoint presentations.

Method #4: Install Latest Updates

If Microsoft Word seems to react poorly to any command for processing a task, you may need to look for updating to the latest service pack. The latest service pack may provide you with bug fixes and performance optimization. Microsoft releases service pack regularly, generally they are installed automatically if you have auto update enabled. Otherwise you need to check and update them manually. Often, by installing a new service pack, you can regain lost performance.

Note that Apple stopped supporting 32-bit applications from macOS Catalina. Hence the 32-bit Mac Word 2011 or 2016 apps will no more work on your Mac. Ensure to purchase Office 365 subscription to work with 64-bit compatible Office apps on your Mac.

Method #5: Update Your OS

Also ensure your Windows OS is getting automatic security updates to make sure that rest of the system is working properly. Microsoft updates Windows 10 automatically, however follow the below steps to check the status and manually update:

• Press “Win + I” keys to open Windows Settings app.
• Click on “Update & Security” section.
• Click on the “Check for updates” button to update your Windows 10 to the latest version.

If you have Mac, you can install the latest updates by following the below instructions:

• Go to “Apple menu” by clicking the Apple icon on top left corner of your Mac.
• Select “System Preferences…” and click on the “Software Update” option.
• Check any update is available and install the latest version.

Related: How to change embedded document name in Word?

Method #6: Reinstall Microsoft Office

If you use Microsoft Office regularly for creating complex documents, spreadsheets and presentations, there’s a possibility that it will become faulty or corrupted. You may remedy it easily by reinstalling Office package. Prepare your Microsoft Office DVD and product key to complete the re-installation process. Follow these steps to uninstall and re-install Office in Windows 10:

• Go to “Control Panel” and choose “Uninstall a program” under “Programs” section.
• Find Microsoft Office and click the “Change” button. Follow steps on the screen to remove the program.
• Use the installation disk or download from the Windows Store for re-installing again.

Note that Word 2000, 2002 and 2003 can be restored to original settings by choosing ‘”Detect and Repair” in the “Help” menu.

On Mac, you can simply drag the application file to trash bin and reinstall from the App Store.

Method #7: Delete “~.dot” or “~.doc” Files

When you open a document, Word will have a temporary file in the same folder indicated by the ~ (tilde) sign at the beginning. Generally, Word will delete them automatically when you save and close your document. however, if you accumulate lot of these temporary files, Word would become slow and sluggish. For example, if you zip the content when the document is open then the compressed folder will include the temporary file in addition to the original file. Follow these steps to cleanup the temporary files:

• Go to Windows Search box and type in ~*.dot.
• Hit enter and wait until you get all the files on your computer. Select all of them, right click and choose “Delete”.
• Repeat the process by typing in ~*.doc in the search box. Also select all of them, right click and choose “Delete”.
• You can also empty your Recycle Bin to save storage space on your PC.

Open Microsoft Word and make sure that the problem has been resolved

Method #8: Optimize Document Files

Often, less optimized document files cause slow performance. Check whether your document has plenty of embedded macros and remove any of them if possible. Many people also put high quality pictures with large resolution inside documents. You need to optimize the pictures by changing the dimension that matches the size of the page. You may also use Adobe Photoshop or Snagit to save these images in optimized format to reduce the file sizes without sacrificing the quality too much.

Method #9: Open Word in Safe Mode

One of the reasons for slow Word app is the corrupted documents. When you try to open corrupted document, Word will show a message like “Microsoft Word is not responding” indicating the problem. You can choose “Restart the program” option to cancel the current operation and try to reopen the file again.

If that does not help, then press “Win + R” keys and open Run Command box. Type “winword /safe” to open Word in safe mode. This will help you to speedup the document as Word will disable extensions and other unnecessary stuffs in safe mode. Sometimes, Word will also suggest to open a document in safe mode. Choose “Yes” to check whether the safe mode can help in improving the performance at least when processing that document.

Related: Fix slow Microsoft Outlook emails.

Method #10: Check File Lock

Some times people share the locked file in chat, emails or SharePoint. When you try to open locked file, Word will show you the “File in Use” warning and ask you to choose the action.

You may notice, slow response time in Word when you open and read locked documents. We recommend you to open the locked file in “Read Only” mode to open it faster. Otherwise, you can request the owner to share the file without edit lock.

Method #11: Disable Add-ins

If you use add-ins to enhance the functionalities then ensure to disable them when you have problem with Word.

• Go to “File > Options” menu in Word.
• Choose “Add-ins” to view all installed on your Word installation. you can click each add-in to check the function it does.
• Select the add-ins type from the “Manage” drop-down and click on “Go…” button.
• Uncheck the add-ins to disable them.

Check whether this helps to resolve your problems. You can enable the add-ins back any time when needed.

Conclusion

Microsoft Word is almost an essential utility in office workers and many user’s daily life. So when you experience slow response, typing delay or any other problem, it is a good idea to check all the above steps. This will ensure to fix the problems and focus on creating documents with improved productivity.

As proposal writers we spend a lot of time in Microsoft Word.  So If Word becomes slow or unstable it multiplies the time and effort, not to mention frustration, it takes to complete our work.  Sometimes the slowdown is outside of our control – such as the unexpected result of a Microsoft Office Update.  But there are also a number of factors we can control to help speedup Microsoft Word and improve its performance.Word performance can be affected by both factors outside of Word as well as settings within Word.  If Word is ended abruptly it can leave behind invisible ‘temp’ files that can continue to cause problems.  Temp files can also be created by ‘Windows Defender’ and other security applications.Sometimes a Word document or template or Word’s own Normal template can become corrupted.  Add-ins and start-up templates can also sometimes conflict with Word’s performance.The following is a list of Windows System troubleshooting steps to consider:

• Remove Temp files by running ‘Disc Clean-up’
• Delete Normal Template  (Note: before Deleting Normal.dotx, consider renaming and archiving it AND/OR contacting your IT Department. If you or your organization has a custom Normal.dot, request it be reinstalled.)
• Reboot
• Set Ribbon Folder as ‘Trusted Location’ in Word Options
• Set Ribbon Folder as ‘Excluded’ in Windows Defender
• Check for and disable other Word add-ins
• Check for and remove Templates from Word Start-up Folder

Since settings in Word can also diminish performance, it is worth reviewing your current settings and content elements. Many settings are found in File > Options while others are specific to content elements such as tables, images and objects.

The following is a list of Microsoft Word troubleshooting steps to consider:

• Save Word in the version that you are using (if you see compatibility mode in title, do a save as and click the ‘advanced options’ button to bring it to current version.)
• Remove or limit timing of background saves
• Disable auto-repagination
• Compress images
• Make images ‘inline’ instead of ‘floating’
• Use styles instead of direct formatting
• Unlink objects if not needed (sometimes pasting from Excel or other apps creates an unintentional link)
• Turn off auto-update of links
• Set Table properties ‘Text-wrapping’ to ‘None’ (text-wrapping makes tables act more like shapes, but this can cause instability when inserting rows or breaking across pages)

One common problem faced on many computers is the slow launching or termination of MS Word.  This problem is usually due to a corrupted or problematic «Normal.dot» template. The «Normal.dot» template is the location where word saves all the default settings (e.g. font type, font size etc.) and it is used with every word file –blank or not- you open.

This tutorial fixes the following problem(s) of Word: Word is to slow to start, load documents or close.

To solve these problems find the word templates location folder and delete the «Normal.dot» (or «Normal.dotm» if you have Word 2007/2010) file. To do this follow these steps:

1. With your MS Word application closed, go to Start > Run

2. At the «Run command box» copy and paste one of the following commands according to your operating system version and then press OK

a. For Windows XP:

• %USERPROFILE%Application DataMicrosoftTemplates

b. For Windows Vista / Windows 7 /Windows 8 & Windows 10:

• %appdata%MicrosoftTemplates

2. Locate the file called «Normal.dot» if you have Word 2003, or the «Normal.dotm» file if you have Word 2007, 2010, 2013 or a later version of MS Office and delete it. Don’t worry about the deletion. Next time you open MS Word, a new, clean Normal Template (Normal.dot, Normal.dotm), will be created.

Now open MS Word and enjoy writing! *

* Additional help: If after performing the above, the Word is still slow when launching or closing then restore it to its default settings by following the steps below:

a. Close Word.
b. Open the Registry Editor. (To do that, at «Run» command box, type REGEDIT and press Enter.)
c. At Registry Editor, navigate to the following registry location according the installed Word (Office) version:

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Here’s a question we got from a reader:

Lately, i am noticing some slow down in my Microsoft Word software performance, this is visible mainly when starting up the software. My feeling is that some additional packages i have installed are causing this. Any ideas from your side?

Why Microsoft Word is slow?

Microsoft Word’s performance is in general reasonable fast but it can definitely deteriorate and significantly slow down if bloated with add-on software or running on dated or inadequate hardware. Same can happen in other MS Office apps, such as Excel and Outlook.

Speed up Microsoft Word if it’s slow

Please proceed as following to speed up Microsoft Word performance on Office 365:

# 1 – Disable Word Add-ins

Microsoft Office software has the capability to host Add-In components. These small software programs extend the capabilities of the standard Office package to improve user productivity. In a way, you can think of those little programs as browser Add-ons, but just for Microsoft Office. The caveat is that sometimes, these Add-Ins slow Word, specially at startup, as the programs are loaded when Word is started causing a noticeable delay. This is probably the most common performance hiccup of Microsoft Office program, so it’s applicable also to Excel, PowerPoint, Access and Visio.

If you notice that Word is slow when your computer starts up, you might want to look into your installed Add-Ins and temporarily disable the ones you don’t currently need. Here’s how to accomplish that:

1. Open Microsoft Word.
2. Hit the ‘File’ button at the top right and choose ‘Options’ at the left side of the screen.
3. Now, click on Add-Ins at the left side of the Windows called ‘Word Options’.

1. Now, Choose ‘Go’ after selecting Manage ‘COM Add-Ins’ at the bottom of the same window.

1. Uncheck the Add-Ins you don’t need in order to disable them.
2. Hit OK.
3. Close Microsoft Word.

Now start Word and see if you notice fast startup performance. If so, you might want to remove the disabled Add-Ins altogether, this will be covered in the next section.

# 2 – Remove unwanted Add-ins

Similar to the previous tip, however, instead of unchecking the COM Add-Ins entries to disable proceed as following:

1. Go ahead and highlight the entry to uninstall
2. Hit Remove.
3. Repeat for all required entries.
4. Once done hit OK.

# 3 – Always work on local documents (rather than remote)

Retrieving document and saving changes into files stored in remote locations (OneDrive, SharePoint libraries,  shared folders etc’) is typically time consuming and depends on your network performance. Therefore, If possible, ensure that the documents you are working are stored in your local drive. Once done, sync your changes into the network location or save a new version of your document so you can share with others contributors or reviewers.

Note: If possible, also ensure that the local drive storing your documents is uncompressed.

# 4 – Disable Auto Correct options

By default, Word checks your spelling and automatically correct any mistakes found in your text. Very useful feature, but has a performance penalty.

To skip auto corrections, proceed as following:

1. Navigate to Options, then navigate to the Proofing tab.
2. Navigate to the lower section of the tab, and uncheck “Check spelling as you type” and “Mark grammar as you type”.
3. Hit OK.

Note: you’ll need to check your spelling and Grammar manually (Review tab>> Spelling and Grammar).

# 5 – Disable Screen Tips

Screen Tips help you receive additional information and guidance when you hover on hyperlinks, comments and so forth. This is useful, but might impact Word performance.

To cancel ScreenTips display in your Word document, proceed as following:

1. Navigate to Options, then in the General tab, navigate to the UI options section.
2. Then, under ScreenTips style, select Don’t Show ScreenTips.
3. Hit OK.

# 6 – Clean Temporary/Unwanted Files

Quite often, cleaning up temporary/unwanted files can significantly improve your personal computer performance. Freeware solutions such as CCleaner and TreeSize Free can be specially helpful. Don’t forget to clean both your Temporary files and the Registry. You  could also remove unwanted software that are installed in your system using the Add/Remove Programs panel.

# 7 – Consider an hardware upgrade

Couple of readers contacted me reporting slow performance issues when working with large files which included pictures, which caused Word to get stuck. One of the solutions would be to upgrade your computer RAM memory to 8 or 16 GB, specially if you run multiple programs in parallel or do some intensive work on image and video editing software.

Hopefully, these steps should make Word much faster. If you don’t notice anything different, leave us a comment below.