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Run-Time Error 53

Susan M. Smith 81 Reputation points
2022-09-14T17:34:08.657+00:00

Every time I open MS Word, I get a Run-Time Error 53 message. It says:

File not found: /Library/Application Support/Adobe/MACPDFM/MacPDFM.framework/Versions/A/MacPDFM

How do I fix this?

Office Mac
Office Mac
Office: A suite of Microsoft productivity software that supports common business tasks, including word processing, email, presentations, and data management and analysis.Mac: A family of Apple personal computers that run the macOS operating system.
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  1. John Korchok 5,446 Reputation points
    2022-09-19T14:58:42.297+00:00

    Sorry that you've been getting Windows advice for your Mac problem. Please try these steps to get rid of the error message:

    1. Close Word
    2. While holding down the Option key, click on the Go menu in the macOS menu bar and choose Library. Your hidden user Library folder opens.
    3. Open ~/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/User Content/Startup/Word.
    4. Drag linkcreation.dotm to the trash.
    5. Restart your computer. Open Word and check that the message does not appear.
    26 people found this answer helpful.
  2. John Korchok 5,446 Reputation points
    2022-11-15T17:46:00.677+00:00

    Yes, removing the .ppam should get rid of the error message.

    4 people found this answer helpful.
  3. Teplitz, Pamela 10 Reputation points
    2023-01-22T01:26:38.4433333+00:00

    Removing SaveAsAdobePDF.ppam in the User Content/Startup/PowerPoint folder works for PPT too. Thank you!

    2 people found this answer helpful.
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  4. Jonri 5 Reputation points
    2024-09-27T09:44:31.9466667+00:00

    I had the same issues for many years on my MAC. The solution that frequently worked was to uncheck the linkCreation in word and delete the file:

    ~/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/User Content/Startup/Word/linkCreation.dotm

    However, this morning this solution did not work anymore. I finally discover that the location of the file was changed and appeard in the following path:

    /Library/Application\ Support/Microsoft/Office365/User\ Content.localized/Startup/Word/

    Probably due to the fact that I used Office365 one some days ago.

    Deleting the linkCreation.dotm in the Word folder and the SaveAsAdobePDF.ppam located in the Powerpoint folder solved the issues with Runtime 53 Error

    1 person found this answer helpful.
  5. Emi Zhang-MSFT 25,796 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor
    2022-09-15T03:14:38.573+00:00

    Hi @Susan M. Smith ,
    Did this problem only appear in Word? How about other Office products?
    Did this problem appear in all Word documents?
    Where did you save the documents?
    You can try to create a new Word document in desktop and check the result.
    I suggest you try to re-set the Word default template, go to C:\Users\user name\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates. Rename the Normal.dotm to Normal.dotm.old, then re-open Word.
    If the issue still existed try to open it in safe mode running the following command: Press Win + R, type "winword/safe" in the blank box, press Enter. If it works fine in safe mode, please check the add-ins in your Word and disable them.
    Just checking in to see if the information was helpful. Please let us know if you would like further assistance.

    If the response is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and upvote it.
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