Since last night I cannot edit my Word documents on my iPhone or iPad

Question

Since last night I cannot edit my Word documents on my iPhone or iPad

Sandy Weinberg 75

I use Word on my iPad, iPhone as well as my iMac. Since last night some documents load extremely slowly, in fact I receive some supposedly reassuring messages while this is taking place. When and if I finally have a document on one of my iOS devices then I can’t edit this. I know that there have been a lot of updates recently both on iMac and iOS. I’m hoping for a quick resolution. Thanks.

Ash Bates 5 Reputation points

2025-10-18T05:01:07.4+00:00

Same issue, did the iOS26 update only because my Word app was glitching constantly with lag, jumping up the screen randomly, not loading the entire document, freezing , etc. Now the app is entirely non-functional and YES - I have done all the troubleshooting and my subscription is active. This is extremely frustrating and I’m now looking for alternatives for my working documents as the lack of urgency and constant canned responses from Microsoft are very frustrating.
Mahlon Bouldin 0 Reputation points

2025-10-19T03:58:01.83+00:00

Same here. Mostly unresponsive after opening a file. Takes more than a minute to begin working. So frustrated with MS. Wish there were a viable alternative that spread across windows ios and mac.
Dennis Goldensohn 20 Reputation points

2025-10-20T19:53:07.8766667+00:00

I have been having all kinds of issues with Office on my Pad and my wife has been having issues on here iPhone with Excel. The apps don’t allow you to edit saved files. I created a file and saved it. Then when I went to open it, the file wouldn’t open or it opened I couldn’t edit it our copy it. This is since the last update and IOS to 26. And there is NO phone number to call to get this resolved.

Meanwhile on my iMac M4 is see these files and can edit them there. Microsoft needs to fix this. This is just ridiculous. Has anybody gotten any satisfaction or help to resolve the present issues?

Thanks!

DG
Dennis Goldensohn 20 Reputation points

2025-10-20T20:04:44.4833333+00:00

I just looked at the update icon on my iPad Pro and there are three updates one for Excel, One for PPT, and one for Word. I am going to install them and see if these updates solves the issues we are all having.
Dennis Goldensohn 20 Reputation points

2025-10-20T20:14:23+00:00

The same old issues. It now opens the files but when you want to edit them, it still freezes up. I place the cursor at the end of a sentence and then backspace, and it wont delete any of the letters. But the cursor still blinks as if it were ready for typing and or editing. And when I go back to the files the icons of the files usually blink that says that the file has been uploaded back to One Drive. Then when I try to open the file, it opens but I cannot do anything with it.
Dennis Goldensohn 20 Reputation points

2025-10-20T20:31:56.35+00:00

Until this is resolved I will be creating Word Docs on my iMac and then send them via email attachment to myself. Then I will save them on my iPad where I have 512 GIGS of space. I also have alll of my One Drive documents saved on two external drives on my iMac. You cannot trust one source to store all of your documents. The only issue here, is that you cannot access them from anywhere else except on your desktop using this setup unless it is saved on the tablet.
Sandy Weinberg 75 Reputation points

2025-10-20T20:33:10.2166667+00:00

The problem seems to be resolved on my iPad after a Word app update. Unfortunately, even though a similar update was issued on the iPhone that’s still not working for me.
Michelle Gale 0 Reputation points

2025-10-20T21:15:45.7366667+00:00

Same issues here as well even after updating the app
penny newcombe 0 Reputation points

2025-10-21T10:05:44.2133333+00:00

It was on mine too. It now seems to be broken again!
Dennis Goldensohn 20 Reputation points

2025-10-21T13:28:45.36+00:00

And now none of my Word Docs open on my iPad. So I am pretty much out of business utilizing Office on my iPad. If I restart the iPad it will work, but then it goes right back to not working correctly.
Dennis Goldensohn 20 Reputation points

2025-10-21T13:36:54.66+00:00

So, this morning I opened Word and I couldn’t open any documents that I have saved to One Drive. I turned doff my iPad and then booted it up. I opened Word, and it seemed to be working, but when I opened a document and just placed the cursor at the end of a paragraph, I hit the space bar and it worked erratically. It looks like there is a linkage-con edition to the app and the cloud. I then closed Word and opened it agin, and it opened one the docs but I couldn’t edit anything. The cursor stayed where it was and the space bar had no affect on the document. There is in my opinion a synchronizing issue here. What is going on with your experiences. And yes, I loaded the update for Word, Excel, and PPT.
Dennis Goldensohn 20 Reputation points

2025-10-22T15:46:27.9233333+00:00

I just got off the phone with Microsoft on the issues we are experiencing with Office. One Drive and Office 365. They stated that they are aware of the issues being a global node and they are working on it. In my discussions with the representative, I stated that there seems to be a synchronization issue where the apps do not sync with One Drive and when trying to edit it doesn’t allow you to. The representative stated that could be one o the issues that all end users are experiencing. So, it is not an individual user issue, it is an issue for those who are using Office on either an iPad or iPhone using IOS 26. I feel much better that it is not an issue with an individual user. So, we will see how long it takes for them to correct these issues. When the issues are corrected, we should see an update to Word, Excel, and PPT. Hope this answers some of your concerns!
Sandy Weinberg 75 Reputation points

2025-10-22T15:49:35.0133333+00:00

Thanks for sharing Dennis. 🙏
Dennis Goldensohn 20 Reputation points

2025-10-22T15:57:25.83+00:00

I needed to get to the source to find out if it was an individual issue or a global issue. So, we know now what is going on and hopefully in the next few days gthis will be resolved. I have a Case number to reference if I need to call them back. hopefully this will be resolved quickly! Oh, you are welcome!
Mahlon Bouldin 0 Reputation points

2025-10-22T16:41:03.0866667+00:00

Thank you Dennis. Good to know!!

Answer accepted by question author

2 additional answers

Your answer

Ash Bates 5 Reputation points

2025-10-18T05:01:07.4+00:00

Same issue, did the iOS26 update only because my Word app was glitching constantly with lag, jumping up the screen randomly, not loading the entire document, freezing , etc. Now the app is entirely non-functional and YES - I have done all the troubleshooting and my subscription is active. This is extremely frustrating and I’m now looking for alternatives for my working documents as the lack of urgency and constant canned responses from Microsoft are very frustrating.
Mahlon Bouldin 0 Reputation points

2025-10-19T03:58:01.83+00:00

Same here. Mostly unresponsive after opening a file. Takes more than a minute to begin working. So frustrated with MS. Wish there were a viable alternative that spread across windows ios and mac.
Dennis Goldensohn 20 Reputation points

2025-10-20T19:53:07.8766667+00:00

I have been having all kinds of issues with Office on my Pad and my wife has been having issues on here iPhone with Excel. The apps don’t allow you to edit saved files. I created a file and saved it. Then when I went to open it, the file wouldn’t open or it opened I couldn’t edit it our copy it. This is since the last update and IOS to 26. And there is NO phone number to call to get this resolved.

Meanwhile on my iMac M4 is see these files and can edit them there. Microsoft needs to fix this. This is just ridiculous. Has anybody gotten any satisfaction or help to resolve the present issues?

Thanks!

DG
Dennis Goldensohn 20 Reputation points

2025-10-20T20:04:44.4833333+00:00

I just looked at the update icon on my iPad Pro and there are three updates one for Excel, One for PPT, and one for Word. I am going to install them and see if these updates solves the issues we are all having.
Dennis Goldensohn 20 Reputation points

2025-10-20T20:14:23+00:00

The same old issues. It now opens the files but when you want to edit them, it still freezes up. I place the cursor at the end of a sentence and then backspace, and it wont delete any of the letters. But the cursor still blinks as if it were ready for typing and or editing. And when I go back to the files the icons of the files usually blink that says that the file has been uploaded back to One Drive. Then when I try to open the file, it opens but I cannot do anything with it.
Dennis Goldensohn 20 Reputation points

2025-10-20T20:31:56.35+00:00

Until this is resolved I will be creating Word Docs on my iMac and then send them via email attachment to myself. Then I will save them on my iPad where I have 512 GIGS of space. I also have alll of my One Drive documents saved on two external drives on my iMac. You cannot trust one source to store all of your documents. The only issue here, is that you cannot access them from anywhere else except on your desktop using this setup unless it is saved on the tablet.
Sandy Weinberg 75 Reputation points

2025-10-20T20:33:10.2166667+00:00

The problem seems to be resolved on my iPad after a Word app update. Unfortunately, even though a similar update was issued on the iPhone that’s still not working for me.
Michelle Gale 0 Reputation points

2025-10-20T21:15:45.7366667+00:00

Same issues here as well even after updating the app
penny newcombe 0 Reputation points

2025-10-21T10:05:44.2133333+00:00

It was on mine too. It now seems to be broken again!
Dennis Goldensohn 20 Reputation points

2025-10-21T13:28:45.36+00:00

And now none of my Word Docs open on my iPad. So I am pretty much out of business utilizing Office on my iPad. If I restart the iPad it will work, but then it goes right back to not working correctly.
Dennis Goldensohn 20 Reputation points

2025-10-21T13:36:54.66+00:00

So, this morning I opened Word and I couldn’t open any documents that I have saved to One Drive. I turned doff my iPad and then booted it up. I opened Word, and it seemed to be working, but when I opened a document and just placed the cursor at the end of a paragraph, I hit the space bar and it worked erratically. It looks like there is a linkage-con edition to the app and the cloud. I then closed Word and opened it agin, and it opened one the docs but I couldn’t edit anything. The cursor stayed where it was and the space bar had no affect on the document. There is in my opinion a synchronizing issue here. What is going on with your experiences. And yes, I loaded the update for Word, Excel, and PPT.
Dennis Goldensohn 20 Reputation points

2025-10-22T15:46:27.9233333+00:00

I just got off the phone with Microsoft on the issues we are experiencing with Office. One Drive and Office 365. They stated that they are aware of the issues being a global node and they are working on it. In my discussions with the representative, I stated that there seems to be a synchronization issue where the apps do not sync with One Drive and when trying to edit it doesn’t allow you to. The representative stated that could be one o the issues that all end users are experiencing. So, it is not an individual user issue, it is an issue for those who are using Office on either an iPad or iPhone using IOS 26. I feel much better that it is not an issue with an individual user. So, we will see how long it takes for them to correct these issues. When the issues are corrected, we should see an update to Word, Excel, and PPT. Hope this answers some of your concerns!
Sandy Weinberg 75 Reputation points

2025-10-22T15:49:35.0133333+00:00

Thanks for sharing Dennis. 🙏
Dennis Goldensohn 20 Reputation points

2025-10-22T15:57:25.83+00:00

I needed to get to the source to find out if it was an individual issue or a global issue. So, we know now what is going on and hopefully in the next few days gthis will be resolved. I have a Case number to reference if I need to call them back. hopefully this will be resolved quickly! Oh, you are welcome!
Mahlon Bouldin 0 Reputation points

2025-10-22T16:41:03.0866667+00:00

Thank you Dennis. Good to know!!

Answer 1

Hannah Thompson 115

The same thing is happening to a lot of other Word App users since yesterday. I can only guess it’s because of the iOS 26 update, or just another bug that they haven’t fixed. The Word app has been having tons of issues since March and this is just the latest. They’ve been really slow to fix all the other problems and this will probably be the same, unfortunately.

Sandy Weinberg 75 Reputation points

2025-10-17T19:54:26.76+00:00

Thanks for confirming that Hannah.
penny newcombe 0 Reputation points

2025-10-19T08:31:43.11+00:00

Same! This is all on my IpadPro and I’m getting incredible frustrated. I can’t make edits, and sometimes can’t even see the file or move the mouse, or copy the text to paste it elsewhere. It’s seriously making tasks impossible and I have a lot of work to do. I have stuff I urgently need to do today ready for Monday. I’ve deleted the app and reinstalled, I’ve reset my IPad, I’ve downloaded all updates. But I cannot use it at all. What are we meant to do? I’ve paid a small fortune for my word subscription over the many years I’ve used it. I don’t know where to turn for help. This has been happening since Thursday.
JL Toland 0 Reputation points

2025-10-19T14:55:39.05+00:00

I hadn't upgraded to iOS 26 yet and I am having that problem on my work phone (18.6.2) and personal phone (iOS 26), but not on my iPad so far.

Answer 2

John Oliver 2,700 Independent Advisor

Hello Sandy Weinberg, Thanks for posting this in our community. Sorry to hear you're experiencing issues editing your Word documents on your iPhone and iPad. I understand how frustrating this can be, especially when you rely on these tools across multiple devices for work or personal tasks.

Please make sure your Microsoft Word and other Office apps are updated via the App Store. Also, check that your iOS is running on a stable release version. If you're currently using iOS 26 Beta, consider downgrading to iOS 18.5 for better compatibility.

Next, open the Word app on your iPhone or iPad, tap your profile icon, go to Account, then Manage Subscriptions. Confirm that your Microsoft 365 subscription is active and properly linked to your account.

Hope this helps.

Kind regards,

John Oli

Sandy Weinberg 75 Reputation points

2025-10-17T19:56:12.5566667+00:00

Thanks John, No beta versions here. I did reset OneDrive on my iPad. I’m hopeful that this has resolved it.
Michelle Gale 0 Reputation points

2025-10-19T01:49:13.95+00:00

I am having similar issues: documents don’t load. If they do load, I can’t edit them. I have to force the app to close because documents won’t load. This is happening for the last couple of days. My apps are up to date. I’ve uninstalled and reinstalled the app. I’ve restarted my devices.
JL Toland 0 Reputation points

2025-10-19T14:56:33.9333333+00:00

I did all this and still nothing. 2 of my 3 devices are not showing the doc properly.
penny newcombe 0 Reputation points

2025-10-19T18:24:00.3966667+00:00

All of the documents I saved on my iPad are all gone too! Every single one of them. Some I haven’t backed up
Michael Bryant 15 Reputation points

2025-10-19T21:43:29.88+00:00

When I tap my profile icon and go to Account Details there is no option to check my Microsoft 365 subscription, just Delete Account and Sign Out options.
Dennis Goldensohn 20 Reputation points

2025-10-20T20:32:37.98+00:00

Yep that is what I see as well
Michelle Gale 0 Reputation points

2025-10-20T21:14:20.5333333+00:00

This is still happening even after updating the app on my phone and iPad. What’s the status on a fix? This is ridiculous.

Answer 3

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Answer 4

Dennis Goldensohn 20

I just downloaded three updates from Microsoft for Word, Power Point, and Excel and they seem to be opening and edits can be achieved. I then closed the file(s) and then opened them and I can still edit them. I then went to One Drive and opened the same files and at the bottom you can click on Word and the file will open in it and I was able to edit the file and save it. I hope this corrects the issues that we were having. let me know ow if it worked for you. Thanks!

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Since last night I cannot edit my Word documents on my iPhone or iPad

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