Microsoft Office Safe Mode

We’ve all bumped into Windows Safe Mode either accidentally or by necessity. We have also experienced how Windows loads with minimal functionality when in safe mode. The idea behind such a setup is to allow the user to debug and fix issues in the machine that are stopping it from booting normally.

  1. A Guide to the MS Office Safe Mode and How It Helps. Open Word in Safe Mode. If you notice that Microsoft Word keeps crashing, try to open the software in Safe Mode. This method is only.
  2. In this video i'm going to show you 'How To Fix Word/Excel - Startup crash, Bex crash error and Safe mode.#SafeMode #wordsafemode #excelsafemode SUB.
  3. A second option is to set a registry key to disable Safe mode. If you are in a hurry, this is obviously the faster fix but you won't be able to use Safe mode in the future (for troubleshooting) until you remove the key. To set the registry key: Open the Registry editor by pressing Windows key + R. Type regedit in the Open: field.
Mode

Jun 27, 2012 The Microsoft Office setup dialog box will pop up and it’ll do some configuration for a few minutes and then finish. You shouldn’t get any errors hopefully and once it’s done, go ahead and try to run Word again. Hopefully, one of the above methods will solve your problem with Word either opening in Safe Mode or crashing when trying to open.

Now, did you know that the MS Office suite has a safe mode of its own? Yes, it’s different from the Windows Safe Mode. However, the fundamentals remain the same and it allows you to do with Office applications what Windows Safe Mode allows you to do with Windows.

Again, the idea here is to start Office programs that have run into issues (and are not starting normally) so that you may debug and fix them.

Cool Tip: Firefox users may find it intriguing to learn about the Safe Mode in Firefox and how it can help.

In safe mode most features remain disabled. Here are few snapshots from the MS Word program in safe mode.

The most important and usable item that’s open is Options. This is where you debug the various settings and disable customizations if required.

Automated Safe Mode

Office programs automatically check for issues and problems when you start them. If they encounter any, it tries fixing them before launching.

At times it may need to disable the function causing the problem. If so, it will ask you first and then do what’s needed.

User-Initiated Safe Mode

When the automated safe mode cannot do enough, you must resort to the user-initiated safe mode. Here, you will have to find and fix the problems by yourself. The most common place to look for issues is add-ins and/or extensions.

Mode

But before you get into debugging you must know how to open an Office program in safe mode. We will show you three ways.

Using Run Dialog: Open the Run dialog by simultaneously pressing the Windows key and R. Then type winword /safe to launch MS Word in safe mode. For other tools, here are the commands to use:

  • MS Excel: excel /safe
  • MS PowerPoint: powerpnt /safe
  • MS Outlook: outlook /safe

Using Search Dialog: The commands remain the same, except that you type them in the Search box as shown below.

Using Ctrl Key: Locate any MS Office file or application shortcut. Then double click on it while holding the Ctrl key. Before it proceeds to launch the application in safe mode, it will ask for confirmation.

Note:Office In order to exit the safe mode you just need to close the application you have opened. Then start the application in the normal way.

Conclusion

Being aware of the safe mode on MS Office suite is really helpful. Sometimes the programs just fail at startup for unknown reasons. The safe mode at least takes you through. And then, you can debug a few things; disable third party add-ins/plugins, remove templates from external sources, disable macros, etc.


The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.

Read Next

6 Best Wireless Chargers for Samsung Phones

Are you looking for a convenient way of feeling your

Microsoft Office In Safe Mode

I’m having an issue with Outlook and one of the suggestions told me to start Outlook from the Run command with the /safe switch and check something. However, I’m in a corporate environment and the Run command has been disabled for us.

Is there an other way to troubleshoot Outlook or get into Safe Mode or should I call my IT department?

Aside from using the Run command, there are also other ways to start Outlook in Safe Mode.

Method 1: Hold CTRL

When you hold the CTRL button on your keyboard when clicking the Outlook shortcut on your Desktop, Taskbar, Start Menu or Start Screen, Outlook will detect this and asks if you want to start Outlook in Safe Mode.

This method works in all versions of Windows and for all versions of Outlook.

Method 2: Windows 7

If you are using Windows 7, then there is a Search box in the Start Menu. Here type; outlook.exe /safe


Starting Outlook in Safe Mode via the Start Menu in Windows 7.

Method 3: Windows 8

Microsoft Office Safe Mode

In Windows 8, the search box will automatically show when you start typing. So simply open the Start Screen and type; outlook.exe /safe


Starting Outlook in Safe Mode via the Start Screen in Windows 8.

Method 4: Windows 10

In Windows 10, there is a search box on the Taskbar by default but if you have set to hide this, it will automatically show when you start typing after opening the Start Menu as well. Here type; outlook.exe /safe


Starting Outlook in Safe Mode in Windows 10.

Method 5: Create a shortcut

You can also create a new shortcut to outlook.exe and add the /safe switch;

First, determine the location of outlook.exe on your system. In general you’ll find it under;

Microsoft Office Safe Mode

  • 32-bit version of Windows
    C:Program FilesMicrosoft OfficeOffice <version number>
  • 64-bit version of Windows
    C:Program Files (x86)Microsoft OfficeOffice <version number>
  • Microsoft 365 installation or Click-to-Run installation
    C:Program FilesMicrosoft OfficerootOffice16

Microsoft Office Safe Mode Fix

If you can’t find it, do a search for outlook.exe or use OutlookTools (free) instead.

Microsoft Office Safe Mode Error

Office

Once you’ve found outlook.exe we create a shortcut to it with the /safe switch to prevent Outlook from opening an extra window each time you click the shortcut or use your keyboard shortcut.

Microsoft Office 2016 Safe Mode

  1. Right click on an empty space on your Desktop and choose New-> Shortcut
  2. Type the path to outlook.exe between quotes or browse to its location via the Browse… button
  3. Type a space behind that and /safe
  4. The entire line should now look like this (example is for a Microsoft 365 installation);
    'C:Program FilesMicrosoft OfficerootOffice16Outlook.exe' /safe
  5. Click Next
  6. Name your shortcut for instance: Outlook Safe Mode
  7. Click Finish

Microsoft Office 365 Safe Mode

Note 1: To further troubleshoot Outlook startup issues see this guide.
Note 2: If you are in a corporate environment, you might find that other troubleshooting measures are also restricted to you. In these cases it is usually best to contact your IT-department and let them take care of it instead.