Microsoft Office is at it again! Just when you thought you could peacefully type an email, write a report, or jot down some notes, Outlook, Word, and OneNote decide to throw a tantrum and crash the party - literally. So, if you have been wondering why your productivity has taken a nosedive, here is your answer: Microsoft's latest glitch is the real MVP of workplace procrastination.

What's Going On?

Microsoft has acknowledged the issue but, surprise, there is no fix in sight. For now, you will just have to suck it up and deal with a workaround.

According to a Microsoft support post, some users are finding that their beloved Office apps are crashing right as they type or use super advanced features like spell check.

The root of this chaos? An outdated language pack. Yes, that little DLL file (C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office16\mscss7xx.dll) is the villain of the story. The xx is the magical placeholder for your language code, like it for Italian or ge for German. The problems seem to occur, if the version of the language pack has not been updated to the current version.

DIY: Fix It Yourself Because Microsoft can't - yet

If you are one of the lucky ones dealing with this issue, do not worry - Microsoft has provided instructions for how you can fix it yourself! Who needs an automatic update when you can roll up your sleeves and dig into the Windows event viewer? Look for an event with ID 1000 or 1001 in the application log, and you are halfway to becoming a Microsoft-certified technician. Currently the Outlook and Office teams are still investigating the issue.

In the meantime, you can use the online repair tool, or manually uninstall and reinstall the problematic language pack. Detailed instructions are available in this support document.

Happy fixing!