Similarity error on word

Question

Keep getting something went wrong error in word for similarity checker. How do I resolve the issue?

Answer 1

See Jay Freedman's full response in this thread:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/5773716/similarity-checker

Answer 2

Dear @Veronica Ratulowski, 

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum.   

I understand how inconvenient it is when you’re trying to run a similarity check and Word just returns “Something went wrong”. 

I noticed that a few other users have posted the same situation recently. I checked the Service Health section in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center and at this time, there are no reported cases related to the Similarity Checker. 

Please see the following workarounds that will help you verify the issue:  

Ensure your Windows operating system and Word desktop app are fully updated.  

Option 1: Restart Word in Office Safe Mode to rule out add‑ins 

Close Word completely. 

Hold the Ctrl key and open Word. 

Select Yes when prompted to open Safe Mode. 

Try running the Similarity Checker again. 

If it works in Safe Mode, that means an add‑in may be causing the issue. 

To isolate the add‑in: 

Go to File > Options > Add‑ins. 

At the bottom, open COM Add-ins. 

Uncheck one add‑in at a time and restart Word after each change. 

Test the Similarity Checker until the problematic add‑in is identified. 

Option 2: Clear Word cache  

Sometimes cached data interferes with features that connect to online services. 

Follow the steps in this Microsoft Learn article: Clear the Office cache - Office Add-ins | Microsoft Learn 

Option 3: Repair Office apps 

This article provides further guidance on the topic: Repair an Office application - Microsoft Support 

Option 4: Reinstall office apps 

Please uninstall all Office applications and reinstall them via office.com using your school account.  

Navigate to Apps > All apps > Install apps > Choose Microsoft 365 apps > Apps & devices > Install office.   

Option 5: Ask your school IT administrator to verify account settings 

If you are using a school account, your admin can validate whether the feature is available for your license. 

1/ Confirm licensing or policy: 

The feature originated with Microsoft 365 Education A3/A5; if your account uses a different plan or policies have changed, your admin can confirm availability and any restrictions. 

Besides, ask your IT admin to unassign your license and reassign and wait a time to sync all system then try again. 

2/ Contact Microsoft Support: 

If the issue continues after these checks, I sincerely recommend that your IT administrator create a support ticket via the Microsoft 365 Admin Center > Support > Help & Support for further investigation.  

A technical support engineer can perform a remote session to investigate the situation, verify the backend configurations, and run any necessary synchronization tools to resolve the problem. If the issue requires further attention, they can escalate it to a specialized team for deeper analysis.    

As forum moderators, we don’t have access to the detailed logs or backend systems or report, escalate the issue due to privacy and security constraints. Our primary role is to guide users toward the appropriate resources and support channels. While we may not have visibility into performing deeper backend analysis, we’ll continue doing our best to support you within the scope of our responsibilities.  

I hope this information is helpful. If you have any questions or need further support, please don’t hesitate to reach out at any time. Thank you for your patience and understanding. 

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Answer 3

If you're encountering a "something went wrong" error in Word when using the similarity checker, there are a few steps you can take to troubleshoot the issue:

1. Check for Updates: Ensure that your Microsoft Office is up to date. Sometimes, bugs are fixed in newer updates.
2. Repair Office: You can try repairing your Office installation. Go to Windows Settings > Apps > Installed Apps, find your Office product, and select the option for Online Repair.
3. Check Internet Connection: The similarity checker may require an active internet connection. Ensure that your connection is stable.
4. Restart Word: Close and reopen Word to see if the issue resolves itself.
5. Try Different Documents: Check if the error occurs with multiple documents or just one specific document. If it's only one, that document may be corrupted.
6. Contact Support: If the issue persists, consider reaching out to Microsoft Support for further assistance.

These steps should help you address the similarity checker error in Word.

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References:

• How to troubleshoot damaged documents in Word
• Error message: We're Sorry but Word Has Run Into an Error