Word for Mac 2016 crashes when using custom keyboard layouts

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We are seeing reports of Word for Mac 2016 crashing in the following scenario:  

The crash happens when you are using custom keyboard layouts after installing the latest Office for Mac 2016 update (15.17). 

 

We have confirmed this issue and are working on a permanent solution. Method 1 will walk you through how to disable the keyboard layouts for a workaround to this issue. If disabling keyboard layouts isn’t an option, follow the steps in listed in Method 2.

 

Method 1: Disable customer keyboard layouts to do this follow the steps below:

    1. Go to System Preferences > Keyboard > Input Sources
    1. Select a standard keyboard for the layout

 

Method 2: Enable only the “.keylayout” file from custom keyboard bundle

    1. Go to your "~/Library/Keyboard Layouts" folder
    1. Locate the custom keyboard layout file you want to continue using.
      1. It should end in ".bundle". 
      1. Move it out of that folder to the desktop or another folder
    1. In its new location, CTRL-click on the file and choose "Show Package Contents"
    1. Find the file that ends in ".keylayout" in the folder that appears
      1. This is under "Contents/Resources"
    1. Make a copy of the file that ends in ".keylayout" and put it in your "Keyboard Layouts" folder from step 1
    1. Log out and log back in to your machine
    1. Add the custom keyboard layout in "Input Sources" tab of Keyboard System Preferences.
      1. It will be listed under "Other"

 

NOTE: Microsoft will be posting to this blog when we have an update to this known issue.