Visual Basic for Application - Run-time error '53'

Question

Hi. I just bought a new Mac to help me with my PhD studies. Yesterday, I transferred all my files etc from my MacBook Pro to my new Mac. I went onto my university website and downloaded Microsoft, with all the apps (Word, Excel etc) on my new Mac. I did the same to other applications that I use, like Canva, Adobe etc.

But, every time I try to open a Microsoft document, it greets me with the following:

Visual Basic for Applications

Run-time error '53':

File not found: /Library/Application Support/Adobe/MACPDFM/MacPDFM.framework/Versions/A/MacPDFM

II thought hmm how strange? So I uninstalled the Microsoft documents, then redownloaded. Same thing happened with the code. So I uninstalled and then downloaded directly from the App store. Same thing again. So I uninstalled it, and redownloaded oncemore from my university. SAME CODE.

I uninstalled and reinsalled Adobe as well. I have spoken to my university, and IT and Apple, no luck.

When I follow the code, it opens on the terminal. and says the following:

Last login: Tue May 28 16:28:43 on ttys000

taylamounter@iMac ~ % /Library/Application\ Support/Adobe/MACPDFM/MacPDFM.framework/Versions/A/MacPDFM ; exit;

zsh: exec format error: /Library/Application Support/Adobe/MACPDFM/MacPDFM.framework/Versions/A/MacPDFM

Saving session...

...saving history...truncating history files...

...completed.

Deleting expired sessions...none found.

[Process completed]

I AM SO STUCK!! I really need access to Microsoft on the new Mac, I have deadlines approaching but I am not getting anywhere. For clarification, it is ALL the microsoft apps that this message pops up with!

Please help?!

Answer 1

This is not a Word issue, so re-installing Word won't fix it. Instead, please try these steps:

1. Close Word.
2. While pressing the Option key, click on Go in the macOS menu bar and choose Library. Your hidden user library folder opens.
3. Open ~/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/User Content/Startup/Word.
4. Move the linkCreation.dotm file to the trash.
5. You'll get similar messages in Excel and PowerPoint, so while you have the Startup folder open, check the Excel and PowerPoint folders and delete the SaveAsAdobePDF files in those folders.
6. Restart Word to test.

Answer 2

The solution described above had been working well, but now the runtime error '53' issue is back for me when I open a Word file - possibly as the result of a recent Acrobat update.

Specifically, I confirmed that there's no linkCreation.dotm file in ~/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/User Content/Startup/Word but the error is still occurring.

Answer 3

Me too. Exactly. Went through all this six months ago, and now it's back even though that linkcreation.dotm file is not in the stated folder.

Answer 4

Acrobat is not the only add-in that can create a type 53 error. Please post the exact wording of the error message.

Answer 5

I can't say if this is precisely the same error message, but it looks like Acrobat.