OpenFile fails in Word for Mac: "helper application missing"

The OpenFile command in Word 2004 for Mac stopped working on my machine: it threw up am error message "Helper application not present" and froze Word. This was occasionally a real problem, since the same thing happened when trying to download a Word file from a website. But it was in general not critical, since I could work around it by clicking on files in Finder, or on the list of recent files at the foot of the File menu. I assumed that, when I updated, the problem would resolve itself. However, I have now updated Word 2004 to Word 2008; updated Tiger to Leopard; and finally migrated from my original Powerbook to a new iMac. However, the problem has not gone away (though the error message no longer appears). What can I do?

This forum is for troubleshooting Apple Software Update for Windows, a software package for Windows designed to update Apple products that run on Windows, and completely unrelated to Microsoft Office.
You should really consider posting issues with Office on Microsoft's own forums for their Mac products as they would be focused more toward the issue than an Apple forum and there are Microsoft appointed MVPs there to assist.
http://www.officeformac.com/productforums

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Users of Word for Mac: Help on Two Issues!!

I downloaded some fonts I wanted to use in my Word for Mac document. Download went fine and the fonts are happily nestled in the Fonts folder. However, when I open Word, they do not appear on the Font listing. Any thoughts as to how to get them over so I can use them?
Also, I wanted to use the Fonts to create a logo that--ideally--would be a half circle of text over the design. Simple enough, I thought: just go into Toolbox and pull down the styles (like you can in Windows) and choose the style I want.
No such luck (we are dealing with a Mac here so everything is special) but suddenly a "special styles" toolbox appeared with exactly what I wanted--the ability to format a font to a 180' half circle, mirror image text and some other stuff that seemed interesting!
When I went back to the document to format the text the "special styles" toolbox disappeared, never to be found again. Sigh...
Any ideas? Oh, yes, there is a 180' in "Word Art" but I can't get the downloaded fonts into there, so that isn't really a solution.

Okay, here are the details: Word for Mac 2008 Ver. 12.2.8
Yes, I did post to the MS Forums.
Still no answer from either MS or MAC forums.
Sorry, but this doesn't strike me at that tough a question, hence the *****. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who uses Word for Mac and I'm equally sure I'm not the first one to download a font that didn't load into Word for Mac. The answer is out there somewhere....

Word for mac is failing and always asking me to format another disc..kindly help me

Hello there, i'm using macbook pro bought in late 2011. I;m using word for mac and recently the programme kep on crashing and i was not able to autosave my work. ive tried varifying my disc and it still not working. Can i remove and reinstall my mac office. Would it effect my office document that is already saved in my notebook.
Kindly help me..

Which version of Office are you running? If you want to remove and reinstall, follow the remval instructions here - http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2398768?wa=wsignin1.0. Although I expect removing Office isn't going to fix your problem... which version of Office 2011 are you running? There was an update earlier this week for version 14.2.5 - are you sure that you're running the latest version?
I would first make certain that you're running the latest version before you do something as drastic as uninstalling and reinstalling. You might want to take your problem to the Word for Mac user forum - here. Let the community know the problems that you're having and see if there are any solutions that the Word experts may have before doing an uninstall and reinstall.
Good luck,
Clinton

I have created a merged letter (mail merge) using Word for Mac. But I cannot merge the letter to my contacts which are in the Apple Mail Application. Is it possible to do this?

I have created a merged letter (mail merge) using Word for Mac. But I cannot merge the letter to my contacts which are in the Apple Mail Application. Is it possible to do this?
Word for Mac 8
i mac intel

This is the Apple Keynote discussion, you should post in the Microsoft forums where the experts there can help you, there is a dedicated mailmarge discussion here: Microsoft Office Word Mailmerge

Help! Word for mac 2011 won't open files

Hi,
I wasn't able to find a suitable category to place this question under, but hope someone can help all the same.
I have Word for Mac 2011 on my 2011 iMac. In the last couple of days, it has stopped opening files (by double-clicking on them, or by going to File > Open). Instead, I get an error message which reads:
"Document name" uses a file type that is blocked from opening in this version
(The message then continues with smaller print, telling me how this is for security reasons but that I should be able to use File > Open to access the file - which I can't).
The only way I have found to open the files is by using File > Open and in the 'Enable' box choosing 'Recover Text from any file'. However, this is pretty unhelpful because I lose the file's logos and formatting.
Note that this problem happens to all files regardless of which version of Word they were created on.
Please help! I really need to access my Word docs...
Thanks in advance.

I am also suddenly having this problem. It seemed to start after I upgraded to Lion. I had Word 2003 until I upgraded to Word 2011 last year, so I don't have 2008 to go back to. The documents it won't open are just blank. They will open with Open Office. This is just so annoying! I thought it was a Lion incompatibility, but you are saying it is a Microsoft problem?

I updated to Yosemite, now my laptop keyboard does not work in MS Word for Mac. Help!

I updated to Yosemite, now my laptop keyboard does not work in MS Word for Mac. Help! Any suggestions for fixing this?

Did you ever get a solution to your problem? Because I am having the same problem. I was actually in the middle of using Word when the keyboard stopped working. But it works in other apps, including in Excel.
Thing is that my laptop just got back from Apple for repairs and they replaced everything but the display - including the hard drive.
So not only do I have plenty of hard drive space, but it should be virus and error free otherwise.
I have only installed a few programs and redownloaded some of my files from places like Dropbox, but otherwise is essentially a new system.
Oh - and it came with Yosemite, so I did not upgrade to Yosemite and still Word doesn't work.
I've always had trouble getting Word to play nice with my Mac but that was also with the old, full hard drive.
This is a fresh install. And since I lost all my files, I only had like 1 old file I have downloaded from email and accessed and was in the process of
creating a new file when it crashed. I got no error, the keyboard just stopped working (to type). I also cannot even get Word > Preferences to even open,
so it is completely unresponsive.
I did a Google search and under the Microsoft communities two suggestions to that person were that there may be multiple copies installed -
I have only the one - and that one is in the wrong place - again, I only have the one and it installed to the Hard drive (visible in Launchpad / Apps).
Another suggestion was that there was some problem with the updates. I ran updates and they installed fine. That helper suggested that the user
may have had different updates that worked for the other Office apps (Excel, PPT etc.) but not Word and that was at least part, if not all of his problem,
but all my Office apps show the same update version 12.3.6, so that cannot be the issue with me.
I've not yet tried uninstalling and reinstalling, but as I got no errors on the original install or updates, I'm not sure if that would fix it.
I've found that Mac just doesn't play nice with some programs at all.
And even though I have a factory installed version of Yosemite on a new, fresh hard drive, even when I booted up, my iPhoto app (which is empty) crashed. I am not sure if my iPhone or iPad was charging at the time, but I don't think so. iPhoto that I still have not even used has crashed several more times since, most notably when plugging in my iPhone / iPad to charge, namely when I declined to upload photos (by default) to DropBox. That may not be related at all, but thus far seems the only other problem I have encountered until this Word problem.
I'm on a MacBook Pro, Sept. 2009, running OS X Yosemite 10.10.1 factory installed from Apple repairs running Office: 2008 for Mac (Home and Student edition).
Please advise if you found a resolution and what it was.
Thanks

Word for Mac 2011 crash in a random mode. After the last update is the same story...Help

When I use word for mac 2011 (last update), in a random way it crash and i lost my work. I try to repair disk permission but is the same story.
Anyone can help????

Just reinstall Office. Use the uninstaller in the MS Office folder to remove the corrupt preference files that are creating the crashes. And, iMacRDQ has the right idea. Pages is a much better app. Actually, the whole iWork suite is much better than MS Office.
A little note about repairing permissions: It is only applicable for Apple software and not for third party stuff, especially anything made by 'that other company'.

Help!!!! I am downloading word for Mac from my school and the installer program froze

Help!!!! I just bought my Mac earlier today and I began to download a free copy of Word for Mac. The download went great, but the installation is not working. I received a pop up saying I had to close Safari in order to continue. I closed it, hit the continue button and installer froze. Now the pop up keeps blinking on and off and I have this black and white spinning wheel of death. Also the time of the installation keeps increasing. Please help!

Print Shop for Mac

MS Word for Macs 2011 in Mavericks - can you help with text formatting?

When I try to copy and paste text in MS Word for Macs 2011 (14.3.9) the text doesn't retain its formatting. I'm running a year old 27" iMac with OS 10.9.1 Mavericks. My other Mac is still running OS 10.8.5 and the same verision of Word works fine.
Any ideas?

Works fine, here.
I've found it difficult to actually nail down what causes the odd behaviors in Office. I think it is due to the config files scattered all over, never knowing which one to delete.
However, you may be able to isolate the problem to your own account, or to the system by trying two things:
1) Log into another user account (a new one would be good, or Guest) and try there.
2) Boot into Safe Mode and try there: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1564
If it works in 1, then there is something in your account causing the issues.
If it works in 2, then the something is third-party software.

HT5636 I was typing in a word for Mac document and I hit the apple key and the numeral 8 at the same time now all of my documents have these strange symbols please help

I was typing in a word for Mac document and I hit the apple key and the numeral 8 at the same time now all of my documents have these strange symbols please help

Simply type command 8 again. That toggles the "show paragraphs" function.

My Word for Mac 2011 repeatedly fails to display certain text boxes if I apply text changes. How can I view the invisible text?

I have Mac OS X 10.6.8. I recently had to download Office for Mac 2011, as my company mandated this over my objections. On the first 20-page Word file I received, the file looked fine until I applied track changes and made the first edit. At that point, 2 pages of text disappeared (the entire file was Calibri 11 size). The disappearing text was all in a couple of text boxes separate from the rest of the file. If I did a search, it would point to the white screen, but I could not view it except in Web layout, which is unsuitable for track changes. Unfortunately, all my supervisors say they can see the text that I cannot see.
I know that Word 2011 is notorious for not reading fonts, but this file is all in the same font/size. How can I see the hidden text before I lose my job?

Have you tried Word for Mac?
You will need to test if links survive export or printing to .pdf
Peter

I'm trying to install Word for Mac, but it doesn't contain enough memory. Any suggestions?, I'm trying to install Word for Mac on my 10.7.4, but there isn't enough memory. Any suggestions?

I need to install Word for Mac on my MacBook OS X Lion 10.7.4, but there are two problems: 1) Microsoft sells only Office, not the individual programs, and 2) I don't have enough memory to do so (2 GB). Any suggesions? I'm currently using Pages, and it's worthless. Should I install more memory and buy Office for Mac? Is there another decent word processing program (preferably downloadable) that will convert my documents to Word?
Thank you so much for your help and suggestions!

I woud buy a 4 GB RAM package and install it. RAM is cheap these days and the additional RAM would also improve the performance of your other programs as well. I have used MS Office for Mac as well as other free downloads, i.e., Open Office and Libre Office. I have found that Open Office anf Libre Office perform just as well as MS Office and, because they are a free download also save you money. Another advantage is that they also contain a database, which MS Office doesn't have. They allow you to save files in MS format as well as standard text format. I ave also used Pages and feel it is satisfactory, although a little clunky to use. If you feel MS Office is the only program for you, then buy it and install it. You really should consider adding the additional RAM as it will improve the performance of all your applications.

Hiding icons in the Dock and 'Word for Mac'

Hi, I'm new to macs and I'm struggling a little with some of the simpler tasks! I've put Word for Mac Student Edition on my Macbook but can you tell me how I can delete a word document once I've created it? I can't seem to find 'delete.' Also, can somebody help with hiding some of the icons in the dock. I've got loads and I know I won't use many of them.
Thanks for your help!
Macbook Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Thanks for your quick reply! I don't have a right or left click on my Macbook just the mousepad and one bar that runs across the bottom of the pad, It makes no difference if I press the left or right hand side of it, it just keeps initialising the applications.
I've tried dragging the document to the trash can but that won't work either! Should I be pressing a command key before hand?
Sorry, I must have been more entrenched in windows-working than I thought....

Mavericks - Word for Mac, saving docs problem after installing Mavericks

I have Word for Mac. Since installing Mavericks, when I download a document, I am unable to 'save as' to anywhere but downloads folder. When I select the folder I want save the doc to, 'save' greys out. Help!

Try setting up another admin user account to see if the same problem continues. If Back-to-My Mac is selected in System Preferences, the Guest account will not work. The intent is to see if it is specific to one account or a system wide problem. This account can be deleted later.
Isolating an issue by using another user account
If the problem is still there, try booting into the Safe Mode using your normal account. Disconnect all peripherals except those needed for the test. Shut down the computer and then power it back up after waiting 10 seconds. Immediately after hearing the startup chime, hold down the shift key and continue to hold it until the gray Apple icon and a progress bar appear. The boot up is significantly slower than normal. This will reset some caches, forces a directory check, and disables all startup and login items, among other things. When you reboot normally, the initial reboot may be slower than normal. If the system operates normally, there may be 3rd party applications which are causing a problem. Try deleting/disabling the third party applications after a restart by using the application un-installer. For each disable/delete, you will need to restart if you don't do them all at once.
Safe Mode
Safe Mode - About

Conversion from .docx to Word for Mac OR Pages

I'm using a 2009 MacBookPro, IWorks/Pages and 2004 Word for Mac. I'm currently in download ****, courtesy of Microsoft.
I wrote a document using Word for Mac (2004). I sent it to a friend for editing, she returned it in a .docx format. When I tried to read it, I couldn't. THe error said it "Couldn't find a converter for this file format." It offered a download. I download both the updates for Word and the converter. NADA.
I have Pages which is supposed to read all these formats, yet it's not doing it. I've tried the MS route. How can I read this timely document? It's only 1 hour away from White Collar. Help!

According to p34 of the Pages09_UserGuide.pdf:
*Opening a Document from Another Application*
You can create a new Pages document by importing a document created in another
application, such as Microsoft Office 2007 or AppleWorks. Pages can import the
following file formats: plain text (.txt), Rich Text Format (.rtf and .rtfd), AppleWorks 6
word processing (.cwk), and Microsoft Word (.doc).
It does not say it can open .docx
Have you tried opening it with OpenOffice (free)? I think TextEdit might be able to open it as well as it saves to it.
Try this site:
http://www.docx2doc.com/
Peter

OpenFile fails in Word for Mac: "helper application missing"

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