Word or other Office documents won't print
Word, Excel or Outlook won't print while other apps do, or Office freezes when you click Print. Test the printer, start Office in safe mode and repair it.
Quick fix
Print something from Notepad (Windows) or TextEdit (Mac). If that fails too, the problem is the printer or driver, not Office. If it works, start Word in safe mode on Windows by holding Ctrl while you open it; if the document prints in safe mode, an add-in is the cause.
Didn’t work? Go to the full stepsYou might see
- Clicking Print in Word does nothing, or Word freezes
- Other apps print but Office apps do not
- Only one document fails while others print
- Pages print with missing text, wrong fonts or blank areas
- Office says there is a problem with the printer setup
Usually caused by
- A problem with the printer or driver rather than Office
- A faulty add-in
- A damaged document, font or Normal template
- Office program files needing repair or an update
- An old or removed printer selected in Office
Step-by-step fix
Work through the steps in order and check each one off. Most people are printing again before the last step.
Windows 11 / 10
0 of 7 steps tried
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Test another app
Open Notepad, type a line and press Ctrl + P. If that also fails, fix the printer first, because Office uses the same printer and driver. If Notepad prints, carry on.
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Check the printer selected in Office
In Word, choose File > Print and check the printer shown. It may still be a printer you removed, or Microsoft Print to PDF. Pick the right one, or set your printer as the Windows default and restart Word.
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Try a new document
Create a blank document, type a few words and print it. If it prints but your original doesn't, the problem is in that file; go to the step on damaged documents.
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Start Word in safe mode
Close Word, then hold Ctrl while you open it and confirm, or press Win + R and run the command below. If printing works in safe mode, go to File > Options > Add-ins, choose COM Add-ins in the Manage box, click Go and untick add-ins one at a time.
winword /safe -
Repair a damaged document
Choose File > Open > Browse, select the file, click the arrow next to Open and choose Open and Repair. If that doesn't help, copy everything except the final paragraph mark into a new document, or change unusual fonts to a common one such as Arial.
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Reset the Normal template
A damaged Normal template affects every document. Close Word, press Win + R, enter the path below and rename Normal.dotm to Normal.old. Word creates a fresh one next time it opens; custom styles and macros saved in the old template won't carry over, so keep the renamed file.
%appdata%\Microsoft\Templates -
Repair and update Office
In Windows 11, go to Settings > Apps > Installed apps, open the three-dot menu next to Microsoft 365 or Office and choose Modify (Windows 10: Apps & features, select it, Modify). Run Quick Repair, then Online Repair if needed. Afterwards, choose File > Account > Update Options > Update Now in any Office app.
macOS
0 of 5 steps tried
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Test another app
Open TextEdit, type a line and press Command + P. If it fails too, fix the printer first; if it prints, the problem is in Office or the document.
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Print a new document
Create a blank Word document, type a few words and print it. If that works but your file doesn't, the file, its fonts or its images are the cause.
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Save as PDF, then print
In Word, choose File > Save As and pick PDF as the file format, or use the PDF menu in the print window and choose Save as PDF. Open the PDF in Preview and print it from there.
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Update Office
Choose Help > Check for Updates in any Office app to open Microsoft AutoUpdate and install updates. If Office came from the Mac App Store, update it there instead.
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Remove and add the printer
Remove the printer in System Settings > Printers & Scanners and add it again, choosing AirPrint in the Use menu if it's offered. Then reopen Word and print.
Did this fix it?
Good. To confirm everything is healthy, print a test page. It takes a minute and shows any quality problems early.
Try these next
Still stuck? The troubleshooter asks a few questions and narrows it down. If your printer is under warranty, the manufacturer can repair or replace it at no cost. Find their official support site on our brand pages.
Common questions
Why does Word print but Excel doesn't?
Excel has its own print area and page setup for each sheet. Check Page Layout > Print Area, and make sure you aren't printing only a selection or an empty sheet.
Will repairing Office delete my files?
No. Quick Repair and Online Repair fix the Office program files and leave your documents alone. Online Repair takes longer because it reinstalls Office.
Why do some fonts print wrongly from Word?
The font may be damaged, or replaced because it isn't installed on this computer. Switch the text to a common font as a test, and turn on Embed fonts in the file in File > Options > Save when sharing documents.