Get Run-time error 53 message after every update for Microsoft apps running on my MacBook Pro

Question

Every week I get a notification that my Microsoft applications running on my MacBook Pro have updates available via the Microsoft AutoUpdate. Each time I update, I immediately start getting 'Visual Basic for Applications Run-time error 53' messages when I re-open the Microsoft applications. Every time this happens, I go into Templates and Add-ins and uncheck linkCreation.dotm. This fixes the issue, UNTIL the following week when the next Auto Update appears. What is the permanent fix?

Answer 1

Most often, this error is created by an old Adobe Acrobat add-in. The permanent solution is to remove the add-in, but the location of that file varies because Adobe has changed it's installation. Please post at the Adobe Acrobat Community forum to get the most likely locations of the add-in, so you can delete it.

Answer 2

The recurring “Run-time error 53” after every update is caused by an incompatible or faulty add‑in (linkCreation.dotm) that loads when Word starts. Unchecking it in Templates and Add‑ins only disables it for the current session or until the add‑in is restored by the next update. A permanent fix is to remove the problematic add‑in from Word’s startup locations so it cannot be re‑enabled.

Use this approach:

1. Quit all Office apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook).
2. Locate Word’s startup folders and remove the add‑in file:
   • Open Finder and go to the Office startup folder appropriate for the installed version (the documented pattern is that Word loads add‑ins from its Startup folder and from the user’s Word Startup folder).
   • Also open the user startup folder, for example:
     • …/Application Data/Microsoft/Word/Startup (path pattern from the documented Windows example; on macOS, look for a similar Startup folder under the Microsoft/Word path in the user Library).
   • In each Startup folder, look for linkCreation.dotm (or similarly named add‑in) and move it out of the folder (for example, to the Desktop) so Word can no longer load it.
3. Restart Word and confirm that the error no longer appears.

If the error persists after removing the add‑in, repair or reinstall Office and ensure all updates are applied, because incompatible add‑ins in startup folders are the documented cause of Word startup run‑time errors.

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References:

• You receive error messages when you start Word
• Troubleshoot Microsoft AutoUpdate in Microsoft 365 and Office for Mac
• Run-time error '53' - Microsoft Q&A