You try to save a Word document as an XPS file, but the progress bar stalls and Word becomes unresponsive. The problem occurs only when the document contains embedded fonts. This article explains why embedded fonts cause the Save As XPS operation to hang and provides three proven fixes to resolve the issue.
Key Takeaways: Fixing Word’s XPS Export Hang With Embedded Fonts
- File > Options > Save > Embed fonts in the file: Unchecking this option removes embedded fonts before you export to XPS.
- File > Options > Advanced > General > Web Options > Fonts: Setting the proportional font to a standard system font like Calibri prevents Word from embedding non-standard fonts.
- File > Save As > PDF instead of XPS: Using PDF format avoids the XPS font rendering engine that causes the hang.
Why Embedded Fonts Cause the XPS Export to Hang
When you save a document as an XPS file, Word must convert every embedded font into a format that the XPS viewer can render. The XPS format requires all fonts to be subsetted — only the characters actually used in the document are included. Word’s font subsetting engine has a known performance bottleneck when processing certain TrueType and OpenType fonts that contain complex hinting instructions or large character maps. If a document embeds a font with over 20,000 glyphs, such as a CJK or symbol font, the subsetting algorithm can enter a near-infinite loop that causes the Save As dialog to hang indefinitely.
A second cause is font permissions. Some commercial fonts include license restrictions that prevent subsetting. When Word encounters a font with the “no subsetting” flag, it must either skip the font or attempt to embed the full font file. The XPS specification does not allow full-font embedding in all cases, so Word may try to negotiate a fallback that fails silently, leaving the process stuck.
A third cause is font corruption. A font file that has a damaged glyph index or missing table entry can cause the subsetting engine to throw an unhandled exception. Word’s error recovery for this exception is poor, so the application freezes instead of showing an error message.
Steps to Fix the XPS Save Hang Caused by Embedded Fonts
Method 1: Disable Font Embedding Before Export
This method removes all embedded fonts from the document so that Word uses the default system fonts during XPS export. The document will look different on systems that do not have the original fonts installed, but the export will complete.
- Open the document in Word
Launch Word and open the document that hangs when you try to save as XPS. - Go to File > Options > Save
Click the File tab, then Options. In the Word Options dialog, select Save from the left pane. - Uncheck the font embedding option
Under “Preserve fidelity when sharing this document,” uncheck the box labeled “Embed fonts in the file.” Also uncheck “Embed only the characters used in the document” and “Do not embed common system fonts.” Click OK. - Save the document
Press Ctrl+S to save the document with the embedding setting removed. Close and reopen the document to ensure the setting takes effect. - Export as XPS
Go to File > Save As. In the Save as type dropdown, select XPS Document (xps). Click Save. The export should now complete without hanging.
Method 2: Replace Embedded Fonts With Standard System Fonts
If you need to keep the document looking correct on other systems, replace the problematic embedded fonts with standard fonts that Word handles reliably during XPS export.
- Identify the embedded fonts
Go to File > Info. Click the Properties dropdown at the top right and select Advanced Properties. On the Fonts tab, you will see a list of all embedded fonts. Note the names of any non-standard fonts. - Open the Replace Fonts dialog
Press Ctrl+H to open the Find and Replace dialog. Click the Replace tab. Click the More button, then click the Format button at the bottom left. Select Font from the menu. - Select the embedded font to replace
In the Find Font dialog, choose the embedded font from the Font dropdown. Click OK. Then click into the Replace with field and click Format > Font again. Choose a standard system font such as Calibri or Arial. Click OK. - Replace all instances
Back in the Find and Replace dialog, click Replace All. Word will replace every occurrence of the embedded font with the standard font. Repeat this process for each embedded font in the list. - Save and export as XPS
Save the document. Go to File > Save As, choose XPS Document, and click Save.
Method 3: Export to PDF Instead of XPS
If you do not require the XPS format specifically, save the document as a PDF. Word’s PDF export engine handles embedded fonts more reliably than the XPS engine.
- Open the document
Open the document that hangs on XPS export. - Go to File > Save As
Click File, then Save As. Choose a location. - Select PDF from the Save as type dropdown
Choose PDF (pdf) from the list. Click the Options button to verify that “Document properties” and “ISO 19005-1 compliant (PDF/A)” are unchecked for best compatibility. Click OK. - Click Save
Word will convert the document to PDF. The export should complete without hanging. Open the PDF to verify all fonts render correctly.
If Word Still Hangs After the Main Fix
Word Freezes When Saving XPS Even After Removing Embedded Fonts
If the hang persists after you disable font embedding, the issue may be a corrupted Normal.dotm template or a damaged add-in. Close Word. Press Windows+R, type %appdata%\Microsoft\Templates, and press Enter. Rename Normal.dotm to Normal.old. Restart Word and try the XPS export again. If that does not work, disable all COM add-ins by going to File > Options > Add-ins, selecting COM Add-ins from the Manage dropdown, and clicking Go. Uncheck all add-ins, click OK, and retry the export.
XPS Export Produces a Blank Page or Missing Text
A less common symptom is that the XPS export completes but the resulting file has blank pages or missing text. This occurs when a font has a corrupted glyph for a frequently used character such as space or period. Open the document, select all text with Ctrl+A, and change the font to a standard system font like Calibri. Save the document and try the XPS export again.
Word Cannot Save XPS on a Network Drive
If you are saving to a network drive or a cloud-synced folder, the hang may be caused by network latency rather than font embedding. Save the XPS file to your local desktop first. Then copy it to the network location. This separates the font processing from the file write operation.
XPS Export vs PDF Export: Embedded Font Handling
| Item | XPS Export | PDF Export |
|---|---|---|
| Font subsetting behavior | Subsets all fonts; hangs on large glyph sets | Subsets fonts efficiently; handles large glyph sets |
| Font permission handling | Respects no-subsetting flag; may hang | Respects no-subsetting flag; embeds full font when needed |
| Corrupted font recovery | No error handling; application freezes | Shows a warning and skips the corrupted font |
| File size with embedded fonts | Larger due to full font fallback | Smaller due to reliable subsetting |
| Compatibility with Windows versions | Windows 10 and 11 only | All Windows versions plus macOS and mobile |
Word’s XPS export engine has not received significant updates since Windows 8. The PDF export engine is actively maintained and receives regular fixes for font rendering issues. For documents with embedded fonts, PDF is the safer choice.
You can now identify why Word hangs when saving XPS files with embedded fonts and apply one of three solutions: disable font embedding, replace embedded fonts with standard fonts, or switch to PDF format. For future documents, avoid embedding fonts unless absolutely necessary — use the setting File > Options > Save > Embed only the characters used in the document to reduce the font data that Word must process. If you must use XPS, test the export on a small section of the document first by selecting a few pages and using File > Print > Microsoft Print to PDF to verify font compatibility.