Forum Discussion
Mac Word receives error messafge fields are nested too deeply
Dear Microsoft Word for Mac expert:
I am using Mac Word version 16.79.1. And on MacOS Ventura `13.6.1.
and when attemnpting to perform word processing tasks such as entering text, changin fonts, I receive an error message "Fields Are Nested Too Deeply" and then a rainbow colored circle cursor appears and rorates approximately 30 seconds and this occurs on average every 20 to 30 minutes when attempting to word process in Mac Word. During the time the rainbow color circle cursor appears the MacBook Pro keyboard is unresponsive, and the so is the trackage. And during the time that this occurs the Mac Word application is entirely disabled from performing any operation. I already deleted the previous version of Microsoft Office 365 that was installed and reinstalled it again from Microsoft Accountt Dashboard but this error is still occurring. Is there a solution to solve the problem. Thank you.
1. manually reduce nesting:
Press Cmd + F9 to display all field codes in the document (e.g. { IF { REF... }).
Find fields with multiple levels of nesting (e.g. { IF { REF { SEQ... } }) and try to use simple text or static content. } }), try replacing the partial nesting with simple text or static content.
Press Cmd + F9 to switch back to normal view and press F9 to update the field.
2. Split complex fields:
Split nested fields into multiple independent fields, for example:
{ IF { REF _Page1 } = "A" }
Change to:
{ SET PageRef { REF _Page1 } }
{ IF { PageRef } = "A" }
3. Rebuild the structure of the document:
Copy the content of the non-fields to a new document:
Create a new blank document, selectively paste the content of the original document (using the Paste Options > Text Only).
Re-insert necessary fields (e.g. table of contents, page numbers) to avoid deep nesting.
Replace Complex Objects:
Convert the results generated by nested fields to plain text (select the field > Ctrl + Shift + F9 to permanently convert to static text).
Note: This operation removes field associations, so use with caution!
4. Update or fix Office
Update Word for Mac:
Open Microsoft AutoUpdate (from the menu bar Help > Check for Updates) and install the latest version.
Microsoft may have optimized the field handling logic in the update.
5. Disable Hardware Acceleration:
Go to Word > Preferences > General, check “Disable Hardware Graphics Acceleration” and restart Word.
6. Use Word for Windows to handle
If the problem persists:
Open the document in Word for Windows (which usually has better compatibility with nested fields).
Simplify the fields and return to your Mac to continue editing!
