Word Slow and Freezing After Updating

Question

Word becomes very slow after downloading 365 updates. If I fully reinstall, it works fine until the updates are re-downloaded. Disabling automatic updates is not an option due to a tool a tool that automatically patches the machine. There aren't any extensions installed, launching in safe mode doesn't make a difference.

One notable thing is that a newly created document has no problems, it's only after the document is saved that things start slowing down.

Answer 1

Dear @Max Erios, 

Thank you for sharing the details of the issue you are experiencing. I understand how disruptive it can be when Word becomes slow or freezes, especially right after updates. This issue can have several different causes.  

Since you didn't specify whether your account is personal or a work or school account, please see the following workarounds that will help you verify the issue:  

Step 1: Confirm whether the slowdown is related to the save location 

Since new documents behave normally until they are saved, please try the following: 

Save a copy of the affected file to a completely local folder such as C:\Temp. 

Turn AutoSave off in the title bar. 

Work in the file for a few minutes and observe performance. 

If the file works normally in this scenario, the issue may be related to the original save path, syncing or coauthoring behavior. If the document is stored in OneDrive or SharePoint, check for any “Upload pending” or sync conflicts, as these can cause delays. 

Step 2: Check for tracked changes or comments if the slowdown is per document 

This is one of the most common reasons for performance issues.  

Open Word and create a new blank file. 

Go to Review, open Tracking and set All Markup. 

Select Show Markup and choose to show only formatting in balloons. 

Use File and then Open to load the slow document. 

If Word becomes responsive after this, review and accept or reject tracked changes and remove comments, especially those connected to tables. 

Step 3: Repair the document in case it is partially damaged 

If the slowdown keeps returning in the same document after every save, you can try: 

Open Word and go to File, Open, select the document, choose the arrow next to Open and select Open and Repair. 

If the issue remains, create a new blank document, then go to Insert and select Text from File. Insert your content into the new file.  

This method avoids copying the original last paragraph mark, which may contain damaged metadata. 

Step 4: Reset Word’s local profile settings 

Close Word app.   

Press Windows + R, type: %appdata%\Microsoft\  

Open the “Templates” folder and delete the file named Normal.dotm.  

Restart Word and create a new document. This will allow Word to generate a fresh Normal.dotm file.  

Reopen Word and test again. 

Step 5: Repair Word app 

Since Word works normally after a fresh install and only slows down once updates are applied, an repair can refresh all Office components. 

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

• While troubleshooting, you may also consider using Word for the web as a temporary workaround, if that fits your workflow.  

Step 6: Submit the issue to Microsoft 

If the issue continues, the next steps depend on the type of account you are using: 

For a work or school account: I recommend reaching out to your IT administrator to create a support ticket via Microsoft 365 Admin Center > Support > Help & Support for further investigation. 

For a personal Microsoft account: You can submit this issue directly from Word by selecting Help > Feedback > Choosing Report a problem. 

As community moderators, we kindly ask for your understanding that our access to internal development details is limited. 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 2

Based on the symptoms, there are two likely causes from the provided information:

1. A problematic recent Office/Word update
2. A document-specific issue (for example, excessive tracked changes or comments that only appear after saving)

Try the following steps in order:

1. Check for known Word performance issues in the current build
   Since the slowdown starts only after Microsoft 365 updates are applied, verify whether the issue matches any of the known, recent Word problems listed in the “Fixes or workarounds for recent issues in Word for Windows” article. If it does, follow the specific fix or workaround in the linked item (for example, issues that cause Word to stop responding or become very slow after certain security updates).
   If a specific KB or issue matches, apply the documented workaround or ensure the fixed build is installed.
2. Test whether tracked changes/comments are causing the slowdown
   Because performance degrades only after saving, the document may be accumulating tracked changes or comments that affect performance in the updated Word build. For a slow document:
   1. Close all instances of Word.
   2. Start Word and open a new blank document.
   3. Go to Review > in the Tracking group set All Markup.
   4. Select Show Markup and set Balloons to Show only comments and formatting in balloons.
   5. Use File > Open to open the problematic saved document.
   6. If Word becomes responsive again, accept/reject tracked changes and remove comments as needed, especially table-related changes (these have the biggest performance effect).
   If this resolves performance for affected documents, repeat for other slow documents or adjust review workflows so tracked changes are periodically accepted/rejected.
3. Repair Office if Word is still slow after updates
   If the issue persists across all documents and is clearly tied to the updated build, perform an Online Repair of Microsoft 365 Apps:
   1. Open Start > Settings > System > Apps > Installed apps.
   2. Find Microsoft 365 (or Microsoft Office), select the three dots, choose Modify.
   3. Select Online Repair, then Repair.
   This will reinstall Office components while keeping activation and most settings, and can correct corruption introduced around the time updates are applied.
4. Check for multiple Office language installations (if performance is still poor)
   If Word remains slow after updates and repair, check whether multiple Microsoft 365 language variants are installed (for example, English, German, French) under Settings > Apps > Installed apps. If several separate Microsoft 365 language entries exist, remove all but the required language. A similar configuration has been reported to cause severe Word slowness until the extra language installs were removed.

After each step, test by:

• Creating a new document, typing for a few minutes, saving it, and continuing to work to see whether latency appears only after saving.
• Opening previously problematic documents and checking whether responsiveness is restored.

If the problem clearly tracks to a specific known issue in the “recent issues” list, continue to monitor that article for updated fixes or guidance.

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References:

• Fixes or workarounds for recent issues in Word for Windows
• Word slows or stops responding if there are excessive tracked changes or comments
• Troubleshoot problems that occur when you start or use Word
• Known issues with Office and Windows 10
• Microsoft Word (365) remains extremely slow - Microsoft Q&A
• we are sorry, but word has run into an error that is preventing it from working correctly. Word will need to be closed as a result. Would you like us to repair now? - Microsoft Q&A
• How can I get office 365 to work? - Microsoft Q&A
• How to fix MS Word has run into an error that is preventing from working properly. Word will need to be closed as a result. - Microsoft Q&A
• Fixes or workarounds for recent issues in Word for Mac
• Word for Mac document stops responding when you try to open a document