Changes to Header Result in a Hung Computer

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated February 5, 2022)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Word in Microsoft 365, and 2021


Norma has a document that she's been working with in Word for a while. If she tries to change or modify the header, she sees a message that "this action is undoable." If she then chooses to proceed with the action, the computer hangs. She wonders if there is any way to correct this.

Chances are good that this is a document-specific issue. You'll want to check other documents in order to confirm this, of course. (If the behavior cannot be replicated with other documents, then the issue is specific to the document at point.)

Document-specific issues are best solved by performing what many people have come to refer to as a "Maggie." This simply means that you recognize that there is some sort of corruption in the document and you want to salvage as much of the information from the document as you can. (The process is called a "Maggie" because of a its promotion by tech writer/editor Maggie Secara.) You can find information about how to perform this process at this tip:

https://tips.net/T13284

You could also find lots of other discussions about the "Maggie" process by doing a search for the phrase "Microsoft word Maggie," without the quote marks.

You should also realize that in the process of moving information to the new document, you may lose some (or all) of your headers and footers. You'll want to double-check that once you are done.

Another thing you can try is to convert the document to a different format and back again:

  1. Using Save As, save your problem document in RTF format.
  2. Restart Word.
  3. Load the RTF file you just saved.
  4. Use Save As again, but this time save as a Word document.

The reasons that this process (including a "Maggie") works is because Word relies on a plethora of internal pointers. If these pointers get out of kilter for some reason, that can cause Word to act unpredictably or to hang when it attempts some operations. The process of copying to a new file or "round tripping" through a different file format can reset those internal pointers and, hopefully, help make the document usable again.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (12836) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Word in Microsoft 365, and 2021.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Collating Copies

When you print multiple copies of worksheets that require more than one page each, you'll probably want those copies ...

Discover More

Using Desktop Themes from Around the World

When you install Windows, it installs desktop themes appropriate to where you live. You can access a number of themes ...

Discover More

Zooming with the Keyboard

Want to zoom in and out without the need to using the ribbon tools? You can create your own handy macros that do the ...

Discover More

The First and Last Word on Word! Bestselling For Dummies author Dan Gookin puts his usual fun and friendly candor back to work to show you how to navigate Word 2013. Spend more time working and less time trying to figure it all out! Check out Word 2013 For Dummies today!

More WordTips (ribbon)

Deleting the Open Document File

Want to delete the document you are currently viewing? Word doesn't provide a way to do it, but you can use the macro in ...

Discover More

Changing the Default File Name

When you first save a new file, Word bases the name of that file on the contents of the start of the first paragraph in ...

Discover More

Extra Document File Being Saved

You may be surprised sometimes to save a document and find out that Word actually saves what appear to be two copies of ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 2 + 8?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the ribbon interface (Word 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the menu interface.

Videos
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.