Microsoft Word¶

Common Issues & Fixes¶

Recover an Unsaved Document¶

Word auto-saves drafts by default. If Word closed unexpectedly:

1. Reopen Word — it should offer to restore the document automatically via the Document Recovery pane.
2. If not, go to File → Info → Manage Document → Recover Unsaved Documents.
3. AutoRecover files are stored at:

   %appdata%\Microsoft\Word
   

Word Not Responding / Crashing¶

1. Launch Word in Safe Mode to rule out add-in conflicts:

   winword.exe /safe
   

2. If Word works in Safe Mode, disable add-ins one at a time: File → Options → Add-ins → Manage COM Add-ins → Go.
3. Repair the Office installation if the issue persists: Control Panel → Programs → Microsoft 365 → Change → Quick Repair.

Fonts Displaying Incorrectly or Missing¶

• Fonts are per-device — a document opened on another machine will substitute missing fonts.
• Embed fonts before sharing: File → Options → Save → Embed fonts in the file.
• To install a missing font, download the .ttf or .otf file, right-click → Install for all users.

Track Changes Won't Turn Off / Accepting All Changes¶

1. Accept all changes: Review → Accept → Accept All Changes.
2. If changes reappear, check if the document is in a protected state: Review → Restrict Editing — disable if enabled.
3. Remove all comments: Review → Delete → Delete All Comments in Document.

Mail Merge Not Pulling Correct Data¶

• Ensure the data source (Excel or CSV) has headers in the first row with no blank columns.
• If the data source prompts for a table, select the correct worksheet.
• Check field mappings: Mailings → Match Fields.
• For date/number formatting issues in merged output, edit the merge field directly: right-click the field → Toggle Field Codes and append a format switch, e.g. \@ "dd/MM/yyyy".

Document Won't Save (Read-Only or Permission Error)¶

• The file may be open elsewhere — check for a lock file (.~$filename.docx) in the same folder and delete it if Word is fully closed.
• If saved to SharePoint/OneDrive and showing read-only, click Edit Document in the notification bar, or check out the file via the library.

Keyboard Shortcuts¶