cannot enter word app

Question

It won't let me close out of the app, can't let me activate it, and I need the app for school. It's all blank and I can't do anything about it.

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Answer 1

Dear @Aoife Grace,

I’m sorry to hear that Microsoft Word is opening as a blank screen and not allowing you to activate, close, or use the app. I understand how frustrating this can be, especially when you need it for school.

For better assist, please kindly let me know some information: 

• Does this issue occur with other Office desktop apps, such as Excel? 
• Your version of Office (e.g. Office 365, 2021)?  
• Are there any specific error messages or codes displayed when the issue occurs?  
• Please take a screenshot of the issue you're experiencing so I can better assist you.

In the meantime, please kindly try these steps below and check if it helps. After each step, reopen Word and check if the issue is resolved.

Step 1. Force-close Word, then reopen it

• Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager
• Find Microsoft Word
• Click End task
• Restart your computer
• Open Word again

Step 2. Repair Office Application: You can refer to Repair an Office application - Microsoft Support

Step 3. Update Microsoft Office

• Open Word (or any Office application such as Excel).
• Select File > Account.
• Under Product Information, select Update Options.
• Choose Update Now and wait for the update process to complete.
• Close and reopen Excel after the update finishes.

Step 4. Sign in to Office in a browser (activation check)

• If the activation screen is blank in the app, verify your account works online:
• Go to https://www.office.com
• Sign in with your school email
• Confirm Word is available there
• If it works in the browser but not the app, the issue is local to the installation

Step 5. Uninstall and reinstall Microsoft Office

• Open Settings > Apps > Installed apps/Apps & features.
• Find Microsoft Office or Microsoft 365 and select Uninstall.
• Restart the computer after uninstalling.
• Go to https://www.office.comand sign in with the correct school or Microsoft account.
• Click Install Office and complete the installation.
• Open Word and sign in again.

Note: If none of the above solutions work, let me know for further investigation. Please note that our initial response does not always resolve the issue immediately. However, with your help and more detailed information, we can work together to find a solution.   

Kindly let me know the outcome after trying the steps above. Thank you very much for your valuable time and your cooperation.

I am looking forward to your response!

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Answer 2

Try these steps in order to get Word working again:

1. If Word shows a blank or frozen activation/start screen, close Word completely and restart it. This can resolve temporary startup/activation glitches.
2. If Word still will not open or keeps showing an error, run an Online Repair of Office:
   • Open the Windows Settings app.
   • Go to Apps (or Apps & features), find Microsoft Office or Microsoft 365 in the list.
   • Select it and choose Modify → select Online Repair, then continue.
   • When the repair completes, restart the computer and try Word again.
3. If the Online Repair does not fix it, completely reinstall Office:
   • Uninstall Office from Apps & features / Programs and Features.
   • Restart the PC (use Restart, not Shut down).
   • Reinstall Office from the Microsoft account or service where it was originally obtained, then start Word and sign in/activate again.

If the issue appears only the very first time Word runs on a new/preinstalled Office 2016 installation and it crashes after the initial “Let’s get started” screen is closed, close Word and reopen it; this is a known temporary issue and should not recur.

If activation/sign-in is failing (for example, blank sign-in page on mobile or Mac, or repeated prompts to activate):

• Make sure the correct Microsoft account or school account that has the subscription is used.
• Verify the username and password work by signing in through a browser.
• On Mac, if repeatedly prompted to activate even after activation, quit the Office app, restart it, and if the problem persists, reset credentials via Keychain and run the Office license removal tool, then reactivate.

If Word still cannot be used after these steps, collect the exact error text or screenshots and contact Microsoft support or post on Microsoft Q&A/Answers with those details for further troubleshooting.

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References:

• Office apps stop working if you close "Let's get started" screen immediately
• What you can do in the Microsoft 365 apps on mobile devices with a Microsoft 365 subscription
• What to try if you can't install or activate Office for Mac
• Sign in issues when activating Microsoft 365 Apps
• 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 to fix my MS Word? - Microsoft Q&A
• how fix run into an error problem - Microsoft Q&A
• How can I get office 365 to work? - Microsoft Q&A
• Cannot activate Office due to blank Sign In page