Launching Word in Safe Mode comes in handy when troubleshooting problems with the application. If Word starts successfully in Safe Mode, it can indicate that third party applications are causing the issue.

To run Word in Safe mode, use the /safe switch. You can accomplish this a couple of ways.

1. Press the Windows Key + R to bring up the Run dialog and type winword /safe in the box and click OK.

2. Create a shortcut that points to the location of the Word application.

• Right-click the desktop and select New > Shortcut.
• Click Browse and select the location where Microsoft Word is installed. On my computer it was “C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\winword.exe”.
• Click OK once you have selected where the winword.exe file is.
• The path should now be in the field for Type the location of the item:.
• At the end of this line, put a space and then type /safe. So it should read “C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\winword.exe” /safe
• Click Next and type in a name for the shortcut. Click Finish when you are done.

Your shortcut for running Word in Safe Mode should now be created on the desktop. Try it out. You can verify if Word is running in Safe Mode by the title bar, which should read Microsoft Word (Safe Mode).

Tags: word 2007, safe mode, microsoft, office