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S-Mania's avatar
S-Mania
Copper Contributor
Apr 25, 2026

Word freezes or crashes when pressing the G key in the file search

When pressing the letter G in the file search on Word, it either just freezes and doesn't respond or crashes immediately. Regardless of whether Word is in Safe Mode or not. It also pops up a "Word co...
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Apexx's avatar
Apexx
Copper Contributor
Apr 28, 2026

I’m experiencing the same issue here, although in my case it happens with the letter “P”.

I’ve tried repairing the Windows image, rebuilding the search index, running an online repair of the Office suite, uninstalling the latest Windows 11 update, and checking language packs, but nothing has helped. When I type the letter P in Word’s search box, the application freezes and then crashes.

However, if I press Ctrl + F12 and type the letter P in that search field, the search works correctly.

Best regards,

S-Mania's avatar
S-Mania
Copper Contributor
May 03, 2026

Hi Apexx. Yes, that also works for me as that keyboard shortcut just opens File Explorer which functions normally. However, it's a bit tedious to need to locate my documents (especially OneDrive) all the time when Word can do it for me by using it's search box.

I've also tried the things you did and nothing has helped for me either.

Just to clarify, I've attached two screenshots of the issue and the search box I meant in my original post. In Safe Mode, it doesn't respond before eventually crashing. Outside of Safe Mode (normally), it just crashes the app immediately. Is this also happening to you?

Thanks.