Help me with Word on Mac issue

Did you use Apple's Migration Assistant to transfer Office from another Mac? If so you need to remove & install Office. Migration Assistant works fine for Apple's apps & user data files but often fails with complex integrated suites, especially if the source Mac was running a different edition of the OS.

If it is a new installation try restarting the Mac first. Also, confirm that both the OS & Office are fully updated.

Hi Noma Ochoa

Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Q&A forum and for sharing the details of what you are experiencing.

I understand how disruptive it can be when Word on Mac becomes slow or freezes. Performance issues like the ones you described can be caused by several factors. To isolate the issue:

• Try opening the same document in Word for the Web using your browser. If it runs smoothly there but lags in the desktop Word app, the issue is most likely related to the local client or your system’s cache.
• Create a new blank Word file and test basic typing and scrolling to check whether the problem is document specific.
• I recommend performing a Safe Mode system cycle. Shut down your Mac completely, then turn it on while pressing and holding the Shift key until the login window appears. Log in, wait briefly, then restart your Mac normally. This process resets system caches, font caches, and temporary swap files in one step.
• If performance still feels sluggish afterward, the issue may stem from high graphical overhead in the document. Note: This process reduces image resolution, so I strongly recommend saving a backup copy of your document first to preserve the original high-quality images. Once backed up, open the working copy and go to File > Reduce File Size. Choose a balance such as On‑screen or Print.

You may also want to refer to the MVP’s answer above, which recommends restarting your Mac and ensuring that both macOS and Microsoft Office are fully updated.

Even on brand‑new M4 Macs, Word can occasionally run under Rosetta 2 mode instead of native Apple Silicon if the app was migrated from an older device or installed using certain methods. To verify this: Open Finder > navigate to the Applications folder > right‑click Microsoft Word > select Get Info > look for the option titled Open using Rosetta. If it is checked, uncheck it, then quit and restart Word.

I hope this explanation clears things up and one of these steps gets you back up and running. Please let us know how you get on, as your feedback can help others in the community facing the same problem.

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