When opening Microsoft Word on my MAC it appears The application Microsoft Word can't be opened. How can I fix it?

Question

I am using a 2019 Office version on a MAC. It worked fine until this morning, when the message The application Microsoft Word can't be opened.

Answer 1

If you are encountering the error message "The application Microsoft Word can't be opened" on your Mac, it may be due to the application being moved or duplicated. Here are some steps you can take to resolve the issue:

1. Check the Program Path: Ensure that Microsoft Word is located in the correct directory. The correct path should be:
   • Macintosh HD\Applications\Microsoft Office 2019 If the path differs, move the application folder back to its correct location.
2. Delete Duplicate Entries: Sometimes, duplicate instances of the application can cause this issue. To check for duplicates:
   • Open Finder, select File, and then Find.
   • Type "Word" in the search box and look for duplicate icons. If you find duplicates, move them to Trash.
3. Remove and Reinstall Office: If the problem persists, you may need to uninstall and then reinstall Microsoft Office. To do this:
   • Quit all applications.
   • Open Finder, select Go, then Computer, and navigate to the Applications folder.
   • Drag Microsoft Office 2019 to the Trash and reinstall it from your installation media or download it from the Microsoft website.

After following these steps, try opening Microsoft Word again to see if the issue is resolved.

Answer 2

Hello giovanni zaninotto, welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum.

Here are the steps you can try:

1.Reset Word preferences and cache

• Navigate to (Cmd+Shift+G) > ~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Word/Data/Library/Preferences/ Delete com.microsoft.Word.plist.
• Then clear cache at: ~/Library/Caches/com.microsoft.Word/ Empty the folder and relaunch Word.

2.Check app location and remove duplicates

• Ensure Word is in /Applications and there’s only one Microsoft Word.app.
• To find duplicates: (Cmd+Space) > search “Word” > move any duplicates to Trash.

3.Enable Rosetta (for Apple Silicon Macs)

• Right-click Microsoft Word.app > Get Info > check “Open using Rosetta”.

4.Repair or update via Microsoft AutoUpdate

• Open Excel > Help > Check for Updates.
• Install updates or run repair.

If the issue still persists, reinstall Office 2019 as a last resort.

---

If the initial response doesn’t resolve your issue or if you have any questions about the steps, you can click “Add Comment” to provide more details, or use “Post Answer” if commenting isn’t available. Don’t worry—I’m here to assist you further if needed. 

---

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".  

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.