Word Freezes when Updating Styles

Summary: If you have problems with Word freezing at times, it can be very frustrating. Here's a couple of things you can check out if Word freezes when you update styles from a template. (This tip works with Microsoft Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, Word 2003, and Word 2007.)

Michael wrote about a problem he was having with updating styles in a Word document. It seems that whenever he attaches a template to a document, and then selects Automatically Update Document Styles on the Templates and Add-Ins dialog box, Word locks up and he needs to restart the program.

Most likely, this is caused by one or more corrupt styles in a template. If the problem occurs only when attaching a particular template, then the problem is likely with that particular template. If the problem occurs regardless of which template you attach, then the problem is most likely with the Normal template.

To correct the problem, try opening the template file directly and using Save As to save it to a new template file. If that doesn't work, then you will need to create the template from scratch. Don't try to copy styles from the old template to the new one, as that may end up transferring some of the corruption you want to leave behind.

Tip #3450 applies to Microsoft Word versions: 97 | 2000 | 2002 | 2003 | 2007

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Word Freezes when Updating Styles