On November 19, 1990, When dawn hit its last light in Las Vegas, Microsoft launched its first MS Office app. From then on, its brand value is increasing rapidly.
Microsoft Word is one of the master apps on the MS Office tool, immensely used worldwide for its word processing feature. But sometimes, when a user wants to open a word file, a disturbing message appears: “There was a problem sending the command to the program.”
You may be frustrated when you see this irritating message, right? Don’t worry; this article contains all the modifications you need to apply to resolve this issue.
So read this article thoroughly to fix your problem.
Let’s start!
Why Does My Word Program Not Work?
MS Word program may not work due to outdated Microsoft Office versions, active Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) option, or changes in the Word Properties. Also, when the registry keys are not modified and antivirus software is running in the background, the MS Word app can crash.
Therefore when you face the Microsoft Word not working issue, you must check for updates on both Windows and Word. Because when the two are not compatible with one another, the Word file will not open.
However, when your drivers are up to date, you should modify the MS Word registry to some extent. Additionally, uncheck the Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) option within the Word advance settings.
Sometimes modifying the Microsoft Words properties can solve your problem, so you must try it.
Maybe you are thinking about how I change all these settings all by myself? Be at ease and follow the below steps to sort out your issue.
Also, check out our separate post on how to fix Microsoft Word Table Of Contents Not Updating.
How to Fix MS Word Problem Sending Commands to the Program Error
Suppose you click on a Word file and see the error message that there was a problem sending to the program. Hence you can’t see the opened Word file. There are some methods you can utilize to resolve the issue.
Here are the steps to fix Microsoft Word problem sending the command to program error:
1. Close All the Background MS Office Program
When some Microsoft programs run in the background, sometimes the Word file doesn’t open. Therefore, you need to end the task for all MS applications.
Here are the steps to close all background Microsoft programs:
- Press the CTRL+SHIFT+ESC buttons to open the Task Manager.
- Select all the Microsoft-related programs such as Word, Excel, Powerpoint, etc.
- Click on the End task box.
For most people, these simple steps solve their problems. But if your issue still persists, then follow through with the next methods.
Read more to know how Microsoft Word Read Aloud Stopped Working.
2. Uncheck the Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) Checkbox
The Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) protocol used in the previous Windows app offers a shared message feature between multiple background applications. This option can create this message error, so uncheck this option.
Here are the steps to uncheck the Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) checkbox:
- Open the Microsoft Word application.
- Select the File option.
- Click on the Options section.
- Choose the Advanced section.
- Scroll down and find the General section.
- Uncheck the Ignore other applications that use Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) checkbox.
- Hit the OK box.
- Restart the MS Word application.
If this checkbox is already unchecked, enable it, restart the MS Word program, and then go to the settings and uncheck it.
3. Modify Microsoft Word Properties Option
Changing the MS Word properties to some extent can resolve your issue. So go to the Microsoft Word installation directory and find the WINWORD.EXE setup file.
Here are the steps to modify the MS Word properties option:
- Right-click on the WINWORD.EXE file.
- Select the Properties section.
- Click on the Compatibility tab and check whether you have any tick marks in any compatibility mode options or not; Uncheck all the checkboxes.
- Move to the Change settings for all users tab under the same screen, find similar checkboxes from the compatibility mode options, and Uncheck it all.
- Uncheck the Run as Administrator option.
- Click on the Apply button and then the OK box.
Now open your MS Word file and test whether this method works or not.
4. Modify Registry Keys
Several Microsoft problems are solved when you modify the registry. In this error message case, if you know how to change your registry keys, your issue will dissolve immediately.
Here are the steps to modify the registry keys:
- Press the Windows+R keys to launch the Run program.
- Type Regedit on the Run box and hit the Enter key.
- Move to the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Word.Document.12\shell\Open location.
- Right-click on the ddeexec folder and rename it to ddeexec.old.
- Select the Command folder, double-click the Default key, and replace /e or /dde with “%1” from the Value data box such as “C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office16\WINWORD.EXE” “%1”.
- Select the OK button.
Always backup the registry keys before altering anything from it. Delete the ddeexec keys if you don’t want to modify them and use the Word 7, Word 10, and Word 13 versions.
Also, check out our separate post on how to Fix Find and Replace Not Working On Microsoft Word.
5. Repair the Microsoft Office Program
Due to the faulty installation of the MS Word app, “There was a problem sending the command to the program” error messages can appear. So repair the Microsoft Office app to solve this issue.
Here are the steps to repair the Microsoft Office application:
- Open the Windows Settings by pressing the Win+I keys.
- Select the Apps section and choose the Apps & Features option.
- Click on the Three dots next to the Microsoft Office program.
- Choose the Modify option.
- Select the Quick Repair or Online Repair checkbox and click on the Repair box.
If somehow the previously installed version is damaged, this repair will fix them. Hence resolve the popup message error.
6. Disable Run as Administrator for MS Word
When the Microsoft Word program runs as an administrator, it blocks some unauthorized shared message protocol; therefore, the error message occurs.
Here are the steps to disable the MS Word Run as administrator option:
- Move to the Search bar and type Word.
- Right-click on it and select the Open file location option.
- Select and right-click on the WINWORD.EXE file and choose the Properties option.
- Navigate to the Security section.
- Click on the Advanced box.
- Uncheck the Run as administrator checkbox.
- Hit the OK button.
Check whether this method works for you or not.
7. Clear the MS Word Add-ins Section
Occasionally Microsoft Words add-ins option can be the reason for popup message error. When this happens, you won’t be able to see your Word file.
Here are the steps to turn off the MS Word add-ins section:
- Launch the Microsoft Word application.
- Move to the File option.
- Choose the Options section.
- Navigate to the Add-ins section.
- Select the COM Add-ins from the Manage box.
- Click on the Go option.
- Select the Add-ins available there.
- Click on the Remove option and hit the OK box.
Your message error will be solved if it appears due to the Add-ins section.
Check out our solving post on why Microsoft Word Ctrl+Z not Working.
8. Uncheck the Disable Hardware Graphics Acceleration Checkbox
Hardware graphics acceleration software of MS Word improves the visual quality of texts and characters. But this software can push the Word app to its limit; as a result, the popup error message arises.
Here are the steps to uncheck the Disable Hardware Graphics Acceleration option:
- Open the MS Word program.
- Navigate to the File section.
- Select the Options section.
- Move to the Advanced option.
- Uncheck the Disable Hardware Graphics Acceleration checkbox under the Display section.
- Click on the OK button.
Disabling the Hardware Graphics Acceleration option will solve your message error, but remember, your visual performance will drop to some extent.
9. Disable Antivirus Software
Antivirus software can block some critical files from the MS Word application; therefore, this error message arises. So when you face this issue, ensure your antivirus software is disabled.
Several users claim that disabling their antivirus software resolves the message popup issue. So you must try out this option.
FAQs
How do I open Word in safe mode?
To open the MS Word in safe mode, move to the Search bar, type winword /safe, and press the Enter key to launch the program.
How do you repair Microsoft Word?
MS Word is a product of Microsoft Office, so to repair the Word, you need to repair the MS Office app. Move to the Apps & Features option from Windows, click on the Three Dots option, select the Modify option and Select the Quick Repair or Online Repair option.
Why is my Word file corrupted?
The MS Word file gets corrupted when the Word document or the template in which the doc file exists is damaged.
Bottom Line
When the “There was a problem sending the command to the program” message appears on MS Word, you might feel devastated, but there is no need to worry.
To resolve the message pop-up issue, you must close all the background MS office apps from the task manager or uncheck the Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) option. Also, you can disable the run as administrator feature, modify the registry editor or change the MS Word properties.
If you follow this article thoroughly, you can fix this error message.
Do you have any questions regarding This Article? Let Us Know In The Comment Section.
