Struggling With Office 2016 Crashes? Here’s How to Solve KB5002700 Issues

Why Does Word/Excel 2016 Crash After KB5002700 Update? Fixes You Need Now

Microsoft’s April 2025 security update, KB5002700, was meant to patch vulnerabilities in Office 2016. Instead, it introduced a frustrating problem: Word and Excel 2016 crashing unexpectedly. Let’s break down what’s happening and how you can fix it.

What Went Wrong With KB5002700?

Released on April 8, 2025, KB5002700 aimed to address several critical vulnerabilities:

• Remote code execution in Word and Excel.
• Privilege elevation flaws in Office.
• Security bypass vulnerabilities in Word.

While the update resolved these issues, it inadvertently caused instability in Word and Excel 2016. Users reported crashes during startup, when creating new documents, or even while performing simple actions.

Who’s Affected?

The crashes seem most prevalent among users running Office 2016 MSI installations on Windows 11 (24H2). Interestingly, users on Windows 10 (22H2) have reported no issues.

Reports From Users

Here’s what people are experiencing:

• Startup Failures: Word crashes immediately upon opening for some users.
• Action-Based Crashes: Others report Excel or Word crashing when creating new sheets or documents.
• Existing Documents Work: Opening pre-existing files appears unaffected for most users.

Possible Culprit: Adobe Add-In

One user discovered a connection between the crashes and the Adobe PDFMaker.OfficeAddin plugin. By disabling its load behavior via group policy (setting LoadBehavior to 0), they eliminated the issue entirely.

Solutions to Fix KB5002700 Crashes

Option 1: Uninstall KB5002700

If you’re experiencing crashes, the quickest fix is removing the problematic update:

1. Open Control Panel > Programs and Features > View Installed Updates.
2. Locate KB5002700, right-click, and select Uninstall.

Option 2: Disable Adobe Add-In (If Applicable)

If Adobe plugins are installed:

1. Open the Registry Editor (regedit).
2. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\Word\Addins\PDFMaker.OfficeAddin.
3. Change LoadBehavior from 3 to 0.

Option 3: Install KB5002623 Update (Recommended)

Microsoft released a follow-up update, KB5002623, on April 10, 2025, which resolves the crash issues caused by KB5002700:

Check for updates via Windows Update or download manually from Microsoft’s website.

Option 4: Use Compatibility Mode (Temporary Fix)

For Windows 11 users experiencing crashes:

1. Right-click on the Word/Excel shortcut > Select Properties > Click on the Compatibility tab.
2. Enable Run this program in compatibility mode for Windows 10.

These crashes disrupt workflows and productivity, especially for businesses relying on Office applications daily. While security updates are necessary, stability issues like this create headaches for end-users. If you’re dealing with these crashes, don’t worry—you’re not alone, and fixes are available! Follow the steps above to restore stability to your Office suite quickly and efficiently.