Microsoft Word crashes when comparing two documents. Reinstall only temporarily solves the issue.

Question

Microsoft® Word for Microsoft 365 MSO (Version 2306 Build 16.0.16529.20100) 64-bit

O365 Enterprise E3

Win 10 22H2 10.0.19045.3086

User selects two documents of the same type for comparison. The process continues, and word becomes a gray screen. Then the entire application closes with no error message. I purchased my user a new machine and the issue has returned.

There are no third-party add-ons attached to this user's word.

This issue occurs with any comparison done. Regardless of the document(s) selected for comparison.

Reinstalling the O365 suite after a full uninstall solves the issue temporarily. For maybe 1-2 days. Then it returns with no warning.

Answer 1

Dear Conor McCaffrey,

Good day! Thank you for posting to Microsoft Community. We are happy to help you.

Please try the following methods:

1. Repairing Office from the Control Panel:
   Go to Control Panel -> Programs -> right-click on Office applications’ icon -> Change -> Online Repair.
2. Opening Office apps in safe mode to check whether there is an add-in or extension that may be causing a problem on startup.
3. Performing a clean boot in Windows determine whether a background program is interfering with your Office application.

Trying the above steps can greatly help us reduce this phenomenon, thank you for understanding that sometimes the initial suggestion may not help you immediately, if you still experience this situation, please inform us of the following information:

• The version information of Word you are using (File - Account - version information)
• Does this happen with other Office applications (e.g. Excel)?

We look forward to your reply. Thanks for your cooperation.

Sincerely,

Tin | Microsoft Community Moderator