How to Run Word 2016 in Safe Mode

Word 2010 For Dummies

Safe Mode in Word 2016 works similarly to Startup mode and may provide an answer to a problem you're experiencing in Word. The difference is that Word starts without add-ons, modifications, or custom settings. What you get is the "raw" version of Word with no frills.

Follow these steps to start Word in Safe Mode:

Ensure that Word is closed.
Press the Win+R keyboard shortcut.
Type WINWORD /SAFE into the Run dialog box.
Click OK. Word starts, perhaps even filling the entire screen. The window title reads "Microsoft Word (Safe Mode)." A dialog box appears, explaining what you might do next.
Click the Accept button, if prompted.
Attempt to replicate the problem in Word. Do whatever you did before to see whether the issue arises. If so, the problem is with either the Normal template or an add-on.
Quit Word when you're done troubleshooting.

Do not attempt to create or edit any documents while running Word in Safe Mode. You can poke around, but keep in mind that Safe Mode is for troubleshooting and not for creating or editing documents.

If the problem isn't resolved in Safe Mode, something else is at fault. You may have a PC hardware issue, a problem with Windows, malware, or any of a number of meddlesome issues. Check elsewhere in this chapter for information on troubleshooting document problems as well as using the Office Repair utility.

You can also start Word in Safe Mode by pressing and holding the Ctrl key as Word starts.

About This Article

About the book author:

Dan Gookin has been writing about technology for 20 years. He has contributed articles to numerous high-tech magazines and written more than 90 books about personal computing technology, many of them accurate.
He combines his love of writing with his interest in technology to create books that are informative and entertaining, but not boring. Having sold more than 14 million titles translated into more than 30 languages, Dan can attest that his method of crafting computer tomes does seem to work.
Perhaps Dan’s most famous title is the original DOS For Dummies, published in 1991. It became the world’s fastest-selling computer book, at one time moving more copies per week than the New York Times number-one best seller (although, because it’s a reference book, it could not be listed on the NYT best seller list). That book spawned the entire line of For Dummies books, which remains a publishing phenomenon to this day.
Dan’s most recent titles include PCs For Dummies, 9th Edition; Buying a Computer For Dummies, 2005 Edition; Troubleshooting Your PC For Dummies; Dan Gookin’s Naked Windows XP; and Dan Gookin’s Naked Office. He publishes a free weekly computer newsletter, “Weekly Wambooli Salad,” and also maintains the vast and helpful Web site www.wambooli.com.