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Word 365 "Modify Style" Dialog Becomes Unresponsive When Changing Heading Font Settings

Editing built-in heading style font properties causes the Modify Style dialog to freeze or become unresponsive in Microsoft Word 365 when SuperNova is running

A severe issue has been identified in Microsoft Word 365 where the Modify Style dialog becomes unresponsive when users attempt to change font-related settings for built-in heading styles.

The problem occurs when editing styles such as Heading 1 and interacting with font properties, including the font name and font size. During this process, Word may freeze, hang, or become temporarily unresponsive, preventing users from reliably updating style formatting.

A fix for this issue has been developed and is scheduled for release in the next SuperNova update.

Affected Environments

Application

  • Microsoft Word 365

Feature

  • Styles Gallery
  • Modify Style Dialog
  • Built-in Heading Styles (e.g., Heading 1)

Symptoms

Users may experience the following behaviour when modifying a heading style:

  • The Modify Style dialog becomes unresponsive.
  • Word temporarily freezes when adjusting font settings.
  • Changing the font name causes the application to hang.
  • Changing the font size may work intermittently but often results in delays or freezing.
  • Multiple attempts may be required before changes can be applied successfully.
  • Editing heading styles becomes difficult or impractical.

User Impact

This issue can significantly affect users who rely on styles to format professional documents.

Potential impacts include:

  • Delays while editing document templates.
  • Difficulty maintaining document formatting standards.
  • Reduced productivity when creating structured documents.
  • Increased risk of inconsistent styling throughout documents.
  • Frustration caused by repeated application freezes or hangs.

For users working with corporate templates, reports, or accessibility-focused documents, reliable modification of heading styles is essential and the issue can disrupt normal workflow.

Workaround

Until the permanent fix is released, users can configure SuperNova to use the Microsoft Word 2016-2021 map file instead of the default Microsoft Word 365 map file.

This alternative map uses the MSAA detection model, which may provide improved performance and stability within Word's Modify Style and other style-editing dialogs.

Change the Word Map File

  1. Open Microsoft Word.
  2. Press CTRL + SPACEBAR to open the SuperNova Control Panel.
  3. Navigate to File > Edit > Map.
  4. Locate and select the Microsoft Word 365 map file and remove it.
  5. From the map file drop-down list, select Microsoft Word 2016-2021.
  6. Select Properties > Add Application.
  7. Choose winword.exe from the application list.
  8. Edit the newly created rule and enable the Ignore Version option.
  9. Select OK to save the changes.
  10. Reopen Microsoft Word if required.
  11. Test the Modify Style dialog again.

Expected Outcome

Using the Microsoft Word 2016-2021 map file may improve responsiveness and reduce instances of Word freezing or becoming unresponsive when changing font names or font sizes within the Modify Style dialog.

Note: This workaround does not permanently resolve the issue but may provide a more stable experience until the fix included in the next SuperNova update becomes available.

This article was last updated 26/08/2026.