How to Fix Slow Performance and Microsoft Word Issues in macOS Mojave
If you‘ve recently upgraded your Mac to macOS Mojave, you may have noticed some frustrating slowdowns and issues with apps like Microsoft Word not loading properly. Seeing that spinning rainbow wheel or having Word crash repeatedly can make you regret ever making the leap to Mojave.
But don‘t despair! Many users encounter these performance hiccups after a major OS upgrade, and there are several ways to troubleshoot and hopefully resolve them. In this guide, we‘ll walk through the key reasons Mojave may be running slow and the steps you can take to get your Mac humming smoothly again.
Why Is My Mac Slow After Upgrading to Mojave?
There are a few main culprits that could be dragging down your Mac‘s performance in Mojave:
Lack of available storage: If your startup disk is nearly full, there‘s not enough working room for Mojave and it will slow everything down. You generally want to keep at least 10-20GB free.
Not enough RAM: Mojave does best with at least 8GB of memory. Anything less and you‘ll feel the slowdown, especially when multitasking.
Outdated hardware: Older Macs, especially those with spinning hard drives instead of SSDs, will run Mojave slower. Mojave is also the last macOS version to support some older Macs.
App compatibility: Some apps, including Microsoft Office, may have issues running in Mojave at first before updates come out to optimize them. Outdated apps can slow things down.
Software bugs: Apple may have some performance bugs and compatibility issues to iron out in the initial Mojave release. Waiting for the 10.14.1 or later updates is a good idea.
How to Speed Up macOS Mojave
Now that we know some reasons for slowness, let‘s look at hands-on troubleshooting steps you can take:
1. Free Up Storage Space
Click the Apple menu > About This Mac > Storage tab. See how much space is available on your startup disk. If it‘s under 10GB, you need to delete some old files and apps to clear room.
Move files you don‘t need locally to iCloud or an external drive. Uninstall apps you no longer use. Run Disk Utility‘s First Aid to repair any file system issues slowing things down.
2. Check Your RAM
In that same About This Mac window, see how much memory your Mac has under the Overview tab. 4GB is the bare minimum these days, with 8GB being preferable for smooth performance. If your Mac is upgradeable, consider installing more RAM.
3. Update Your Apps
Open the Mac App Store and go to the Updates tab. Install all available updates, especially for major apps like Microsoft Office. This ensures you have the most Mojave-optimized version of each app to prevent slowdowns and incompatibilities.
4. Reduce Login Items and Launch Agents
Having too many apps set to automatically launch at startup can bog down your Mac. Go to System Preferences > Users & Groups > Login Items to disable any unnecessary startup apps.
Also look in the ~/Library/LaunchAgents folder for any background processes you don‘t need running. Removing them can help speed up Mojave.
5. Reset NVRAM
Resetting the non-volatile RAM can clear up some software issues affecting performance. Shut down your Mac, then turn it on and immediately hold Option, Command, P, and R for 20 seconds.
Microsoft Word Won‘t Open in Mojave
If Microsoft Word won‘t load at all in Mojave, showing the "rainbow wheel of death" endlessly when you click it, try these fixes:
1. Reinstall Office – Uninstalling and reinstalling a fresh copy of Office gives you the latest, Mojave-optimized version of Word and the other apps.
2. Use AutoRecovery – If you have an important document that won‘t open, look in the AutoRecovery folder: ~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Word/Data/Library/Preferences/AutoRecovery/
3. Run in Safe Mode – Restart your Mac and hold the Shift key to boot into Safe Mode. Try opening Word here. If it works, restart again normally.
4. Use an Alternative – In a pinch, use Apple Pages or Google Docs to access your files if Word won‘t cooperate. You can always copy the text back into Word later.
The Nuclear Option: Downgrade from Mojave
If you simply can‘t get Mojave running well on your Mac, even after trying all the troubleshooting steps, you may need to downgrade back to High Sierra or an earlier macOS version that worked well for you.
Make a Time Machine backup, then boot from macOS Recovery and restore from that backup to downgrade. Keep in mind that some newer features and security updates will be lost.
Be Patient and Proactive
The takeaway is don‘t panic if your Mac is running slow at first in macOS Mojave, or if Microsoft Word is misbehaving. Work through the troubleshooting checklist here systematically.
In most cases, a few tweaks and app updates will get things running smoothly again in no time. And remember that Apple always refines performance and compatibility in subsequent updates after a major release. The macOS 10.14.1 update may have additional fixes.
If all else fails and you have an older Mac, it may be time to consider upgrading your hardware to enjoy the best possible performance in Mojave and beyond. Maxing out your RAM and swapping a spinning disk for an SSD can make a huge difference.
Hopefully this guide gives you a solid plan of action to address any slowdowns and get Microsoft Word running properly again in macOS Mojave. By taking a proactive and persistent approach, you‘ll be back to full productivity before you know it. Good luck!
