Run-time error 53 (re: MacPDFM) in Microsoft Word and Powerpoint

Issue

An error message reporting "Run-time error '53': File not found: /Library/Application Support/Adobe/MACPDFM/MacPDFM.framework/Versions/A/MacPDFM" appears on screen.

Environment

This article applies to Microsoft Word and Powerpoint for Macintosh.

Cause

The Adobe PDFMaker plugin appears to be incompatibile with Word and PowerPoint and will often cause Macintosh versions of the Office applications to present this error message.

Resolution

To fix this:

1. Open Word, go to the Tools menu>Templates and Add-ins..., and uncheck the boxes for linkCreation.dotm. If there are others for EndNotes or Zotero, leave those alone.
2. Quit Word.
3. Open Powerpoint, go to the Tools menu > Powerpoint Add-ins..., and uncheck the box for "SaveAsAdobePDF".
4. Quit Powerpoint.
5. To open your hidden user Library folder, click on the Finder dock icon, then  hold down the Option key while clicking on the Go menu and choosing Library. The Library folder will open.
6. Navigate to Group Containers > UBF8T346G9.Office > User Content >Startup > Word.
7. Drag the Acrobat add-in file LinkCreation.dotm to the trash.
8. Navigate back up to Group Containers > UBF8T346G9.Office > User Content >Startup > Powerpoint.
9. Drag the Acrobat add-in file SaveAsAdobePDF.ppam to the trash.
10. Restart Word and Powerpoint to test that the crash is gone by opening a new blank document and repeating the steps that led to the initial problem appearing.