Intel-based Mac: Microsoft Office doesn't launch

Products Affected

Desktop Computers, Portable Computers, Microsoft Office

Symptoms

If you install Motion 2.1, part of Final Cut Studio 5.1, or other applications that use "split segment" non-system libraries on an Intel-based Mac, then Microsoft Office applications may fail to launch.

Resolution

If this happens to you, just update pre-binding to resolve the issue. Follow these steps:

  1. If you haven't already, log into the computer as a user who has an administrator account.
  2. Navigate to the Utilities folder, inside the Applications folder.
  3. Open Terminal.
  4. Type: sudo update_prebinding -root / -force
  5. Press Return.
  6. When prompted for a password, enter your admin password, and press Return again.
    Note: Pre-binding will take a few minutes to complete. You may see messages indicating that temp files are missing. These are harmless, and you can ignore them. When pre-binding has been completed, the Terminal prompt (usually a dollar sign, "$") returns.
  7. Type: exit
  8. Press Return.
  9. Quit Terminal.
Important: Information about products not manufactured by Apple is provided for information purposes only and does not constitute Apple’s recommendation or endorsement. Please contact the vendor for additional information.
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