Word crashes when editing a password-protected document.

Question

Hello,

I upgraded Office 2016 to Office 2021 Pro Plus by purchasing a license (properly uninstalling all previous versions of Office using the Microsoft Office uninstall support tool).

After installing the package and activating it by entering the license code, to start any application I always need to "Run as administrator" otherwise it won't start.

By doing so, Outlook works properly, but Word crashes every time I try to edit a password-protected file.

I have tried all the online advice: safe mode, editing the file online (which is not possible because it is password protected), uninstalling and reinstalling Office, quick repair and online repair, sfc /scannow, but the problem persists.

From my online research, it appears that there is an account issue between the new and old versions of Office or Windows account permissions.

Can someone provide assistance to resolve the issue and explain step-by-step how to fix conflicts between Windows/Office accounts?

Thank you

Answer 1

Hi,

I suggest you check the status of Office license in PC, please follow these steps: Search CMD, right-click the Command Prompt and run as administrator. Then copy and paste the command, click Enter at last:

cscript.exe "%ProgramFiles%\Microsoft Office\Office16\ospp.vbs" /dstatus

If you are running 32-bit Office on a 64-bit operating system:

cscript.exe "%ProgramFiles(x86)%\Microsoft Office\Office16\ospp.vbs" /dstatus

If you can find the Office product key in list, try to remove it by typing the following command with the Last 5 characters of installed product key (I replace it with XXXXX, but what you type in is what you see on your computer) in this interface:

cscript.exe "%ProgramFiles%\Microsoft Office\Office16\ospp.vbs" /unpkey:XXXXX

If the 32bit version of Office installed on a 64bit operation, run the following command:

cscript.exe "%ProgramFiles(x86)%\Microsoft Office\Office16\ospp.vbs" /unpkey:XXXXX

Just checking in to see if the information was helpful. Please let us know if you would like further assistance.

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