No print function or save function in Word on Mac since update yesterday

Question

Yesterday I lost the ability to print or export a file to a PDF. I cannot print a Word document from my Macbook or even send it to a PDF to print. HELP.

Answer 1

Hi Rebecca Sponseller

Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A Forum and sharing your experience. I understand how critical it is to be able to print or export your work.

Immediate workaround (if the issue only occurs in the desktop app):

As a temporary solution, please open a web browser and go to www.office.com, sign in with your Education account, and open your document there. From Word on the web, you should be able to use File > Export > Download as PDF or print directly from the browser.

In addition to the steps already outlined in the Q&A Assist response above, please also try the following:

Reset the macOS printing system, as Word relies on the macOS print framework for PDF export even if you don’t use a physical printer.

• On your Mac, choose Apple menu > System Settings, then select Printers & Scanners.
• Control‑click a printer in the Printers list and choose Reset Printing System.
• If no printers appear, Control‑click the empty list and select Reset Printing System.
• Restart your Mac to ensure the update completed cleanly.

Check whether the issue occurs in a new blank document, which helps determine whether the problem is document‑specific.

If the issue persists after these steps, please clarify your macOS version, Word version, and whether this happens with all documents.

Please let me know how things go on your side as your update can also assist others in the community who may be facing the same issue.

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Answer 2

If you're experiencing issues with the print and save functions in Word on your Mac after a recent update, here are some steps you can take to resolve the problem:

1. Quit All Office Applications: Make sure all Microsoft Office applications are closed.
2. Reinstall Microsoft Office: Go to Finder > Applications, select all Microsoft 365 for Mac applications, and move them to the Trash. After that, delete specific folders in the Library related to Microsoft Office. You can find these folders in ~/Library/Containers/ and ~/Library/Group Containers/. Finally, sign in to your Microsoft account to reinstall the Office apps.
3. Check for Updates: Ensure that you have the latest updates for both macOS and Microsoft Office, as updates can often fix bugs and issues.

If these steps do not resolve the issue, you may want to reach out to Microsoft Support for further assistance.

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References:

• Microsoft Office apps for Mac quit unexpectedly - Microsoft Q&A