11 Ways to Fix Slow Microsoft Word App

Microsoft Word is one of the popular applications available for text processing. Though there are many alternate apps, Word is an ultimate document app due to its 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. Delete Normal.dotm 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. The extension may change like Normal.dot or Normal.dotx or Normal.dotm depending on the Word version and the latest Word app uses .dotm (Macro enabled Document Template format). 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.dotm’ template can cause slow performance when opening or closing your documents.

An effective solution is to delete the Nomal.dotm template file. You don’t need to worry about deleting this file as Word will recreate a fresh Normal.dotm file when you open the application. However, it is a bit tricky task, since 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 template file location may be different depending upon your Windows version. Generally, you can find the Normal.dotm file in the following location in Windows 10 and 11.

C:\Users\<Username>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates

If you are not finding the template file or using older Windows version, you can look for the file in the below path:

C:\Users\<Username>\AppData\Microsoft\Templates

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.dotm or Normal.dot file. Check whether this helps to solve the slow processing issues in Microsoft Word.

Related: How to quickly insert dividers in Microsoft Word?

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.

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_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\common.
• 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.

4. Install Latest Updates

If Microsoft Word seems to poorly respond for any 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.

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 OS automatically, however, follow the below steps to check the status and manually update if required:

• Press “Win + I” keys to open Windows Settings app.
• Go to “Windows Update” section.
• Click on the “Check for updates” button to update your Windows 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 and select “System Settings…”.
• Go to “General” section 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?

6. Reinstall Microsoft Office

If you are always move the files here and there in the system, there is a possibility that some Word files are missing or corrupted. You can fix this easily by reinstalling the Office package. Keep your Microsoft Office product key handy to complete the re-installation process. Product key is not needed for Microsoft 365 subscription as it works based on digital activation. Follow these steps to uninstall and re-install Office in Windows 10/11:

• Right-click on Start menu icon and select “Settings” option.
• When you are in Windows Settings app, go to “Apps > Installed Apps” section.
• Find Microsoft Office and click on the three dots icon showing at the end.
• Select “Uninstall” from the menu and follow steps on the screen to remove the program.
• Use the installation disk or download the app from your Microsoft account or 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 reinstalling it from the App Store or from Microsoft account.

7. Delete “~.dot” or “~.doc” or “~.docx” 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 it automatically when you save and close your document. However, if you accumulate lot of these temporary files, Word will 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 clean up 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 and ~.docx in the search box and delete all the files.
• You can also empty your Recycle Bin to save storage space on your PC.

Open Microsoft Word and make sure that the problem is resolved.

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 apps like Adobe Photoshop or Snagit to save these images in optimized format to reduce the file sizes without sacrificing the quality too much.

9. Open Word in Safe Mode

As mentioned, corrupted documents could be one of the reasons for slow Word app. When you try to open a 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 speed up the document as Word will disable extensions/add-ins and other unnecessary stuffs in safe mode. Sometimes, Word will also suggest opening 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.

10. Check File Lock

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

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.

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 users’ 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.