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Word keeps freezing and showing a dim lit screen

Frances Regan 0 Reputation points
2026-04-01T11:04:22.51+00:00

hello,

I have an iPad and my word app is not working it keeps loading from file then freezing and not responding. I have cleared the catch, reinstalled app and turned off Siri.

Can you please help me fix it

thankyou.

[Moderator note: personal info removed] 

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For education | iOS
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  1. Henry-N 13,640 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-04-01T14:28:48.83+00:00

    Hi @Frances Regan, 

    Thank you for reaching out and for explaining the steps you’ve already tried that’s very helpful. 

    To better understand your situation and assist you more effectively, could you please help clarify the following: 

    • What model of iPad are you using, and which iPadOS version is it currently running? 
    • Does the issue occur with all Word documents, or only with specific files? 
    • Are the files stored locally on the iPad or opening from a location such as OneDrive, SharePoint, or another cloud service? 
    • Are you signed in to Word with your Microsoft work/school account, and are you able to sign in successfully? 
    • Do you see any error messages, or does the app simply freeze while loading? 

    Thank you again for your time and understanding. While my initial response may not resolve the issue immediately, I’d like to gather more details about your situation so I can assist you more effectively.         

    I really appreciate your patience, and I’m here to help. Looking forward to your response!         

    Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread. 

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  2. AI answer

    2026-04-01T11:04:49.4533333+00:00

    On iPad, Word freezing while loading a file is commonly related to either the specific file type or a compatibility issue on the mobile app.

    First, confirm the file type being opened:

    • Word for iPad can fully open and edit: .docx and .dotx.
    • It can open as read-only (not edit) but should still load: binary .doc, .dot, and .odt.
    • It cannot open at all in Word for iPad: .pdf, .rtf, .xml (Word XML/2003 XML/other XML), .htm/.html, .mht/.mhtml, .txt, .wps.

    If the file is one of the unsupported types above, open it on a desktop version of Word, save it as .docx, and then try again on the iPad.

    If the file type is supported (.docx or .dotx) and the app still freezes, the behavior matches known issues that have been resolved by app or system updates on iPad. In that case, ensure:

    1. iPadOS is fully updated from the iPad Settings app.
    2. The Word app is updated to the latest version from the App Store.

    If the problem only happens with one or a few files, those files may be damaged or saved in an older or unusual format; open them on a PC/Mac Word client and re-save as .docx, then sync back to the iPad and test again.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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