Quick answer
In Word, go to File → Options → Add-ins, set Manage: COM Add-ins → Go and tick LEAP Office for Word. Untick conflicting add-ins like Adobe PDF. Make sure Word is your default program for documents, and if a document opens in Protected View click Enable Editing so it can save back. Still stuck? Update LEAP, run the LEAP automation repair, then restart.
WHY IT HAPPENS
The bridge between LEAP and Word broke.
LEAP doesn't just launch Word — it uses an add-in (LEAP Office for Word) as a two-way bridge, so documents open into the matter and your edits save straight back. When that bridge fails, documents won't open or your changes vanish. The usual culprits are the add-in being disabled after a slow start, a conflicting add-in such as Adobe PDF fighting for control, Word not being set as the default program, an Office update that reset things, or Word opening the file in Protected View — which quietly blocks saving until you enable editing.
THE FIX
Reset the LEAP–Word connection.
- Make sure LEAP is open and up to dateOpen LEAP and sign in — the Word add-in only works with a running LEAP session. Then check LEAP Menu → About → Check for Updates, because an out-of-date LEAP is a common reason the Word add-in fails to load.
- Re-enable the LEAP add-in in WordIn Word, go to File → Options → Add-ins. At the bottom set Manage: COM Add-ins and click Go, then make sure LEAP Office for Word is ticked and click OK.
- Untick add-ins that conflictWhile you're in that COM Add-ins list, untick third-party add-ins that are known to clash with LEAP — Adobe PDF and Adobe Document Cloud are the common offenders. You can re-enable them later once LEAP is working.
- Make Word the default for documentsIf documents won't open at all, Windows may be sending them to another app. In Windows Settings → Apps → Default apps, set Microsoft Word as the default for .docx and .doc files.
- Clear Protected View if saving failsIf a document opens read-only or your edits won't save back, look for a yellow Protected View banner and click Enable Editing. To stop it recurring, review File → Options → Trust Center → Trust Center Settings → Protected View with your IT provider.
- Check your LEAP email matches Word and OutlookThe integration ties your identity across apps. Confirm the email address on your LEAP account is the same one signed in to Word and Outlook — a mismatch here quietly breaks the connection.
- Run a LEAP automation repair, then restartIf it's still not behaving, run the LEAP automation repair (from LEAP's help/settings), then restart your device and test again. Also make sure Office itself is fully updated via File → Account → Update Options → Update Now.
Handy to know: a deeper repair of the LEAP components can involve the Windows registry, permissions and antivirus exceptions — genuinely a job for experienced IT support, not something to poke at on a live matter. If it's affecting more than one person, or keeps coming back after every Office update, that's a sign the integration needs fixing properly at the source.
