Can't edit word files on Mac suddenly
August 14, 2023 5:24 PM Subscribe
My wife's Word started acting up and refuses to edit files.
She has an account through the univerity she works at. Yesterday a message saying that she couldn't edit documents on a mac aand should contact her IT department. It's a long weekend, so no IT department.
We have tried the first few pages of googling, including logging off an on, uninstalling, deleting settings and reinstalling, repairing disk permissions, deleting stuff in ~/Library. No dice.
We also tried logging out of her account and logging in with my account from the same university. This worked at first (she could edit documents) but today decided to stop working. We are currently both logged in on our respective computers with my account. I can edit docs, she can't.
Any other ideas?
She has an account through the univerity she works at. Yesterday a message saying that she couldn't edit documents on a mac aand should contact her IT department. It's a long weekend, so no IT department.
We have tried the first few pages of googling, including logging off an on, uninstalling, deleting settings and reinstalling, repairing disk permissions, deleting stuff in ~/Library. No dice.
We also tried logging out of her account and logging in with my account from the same university. This worked at first (she could edit documents) but today decided to stop working. We are currently both logged in on our respective computers with my account. I can edit docs, she can't.
Any other ideas?
It's possible the University uses a license server, and it could be having trouble. Check the Univ. IT website. Is there no after-hours support at all? Put in a ticket if you can do that online, send them email, too.
posted by theora55 at 5:33 PM on August 14, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by theora55 at 5:33 PM on August 14, 2023 [1 favorite]
OpenOffice/LibreOffice has always been the best solution for, well, almost anything.
posted by Windopaene at 6:47 PM on August 14, 2023
posted by Windopaene at 6:47 PM on August 14, 2023
(I’m guessing this is included in the stuff you tried already, but just to double check—you did reboot the computer as well?)
posted by leahwrenn at 7:04 PM on August 14, 2023
posted by leahwrenn at 7:04 PM on August 14, 2023
Could you purchase your own license for Microsoft Office for Macs (tm)? This would let you use Word even if the university can't provide access to the software.
LibreOffice is just as powerful as Word (and better than it in some respects), but IMO the interface has more in common with 2003 Word than 2023 Word.
posted by wandering zinnia at 1:06 AM on August 15, 2023
LibreOffice is just as powerful as Word (and better than it in some respects), but IMO the interface has more in common with 2003 Word than 2023 Word.
posted by wandering zinnia at 1:06 AM on August 15, 2023
IMO the interface has more in common with 2003 Word than 2023 Word.
For some of us, that's a selling point rather than any kind of disadvantage.
posted by flabdablet at 3:21 AM on August 15, 2023 [1 favorite]
For some of us, that's a selling point rather than any kind of disadvantage.
posted by flabdablet at 3:21 AM on August 15, 2023 [1 favorite]
This sounds like a licensing problem that IT would have to fix.
Re your account not fixing the problem, I would see if signing out of your account on your machine allows Word to run under your account on the other computer.
It is possible the licensing server only allows Word to run for a given user on one machine at a time.
posted by zippy at 11:00 AM on August 15, 2023 [1 favorite]
Re your account not fixing the problem, I would see if signing out of your account on your machine allows Word to run under your account on the other computer.
It is possible the licensing server only allows Word to run for a given user on one machine at a time.
posted by zippy at 11:00 AM on August 15, 2023 [1 favorite]
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https://www.libreoffice.org/get-help/install-howto/macos/
posted by kschang at 5:26 PM on August 14, 2023 [1 favorite]