First I tried to reset word by going to  HKEY_CURRENT_USER > Software > Microsoft> office> word and then delete the key.

then open app-data> roaming> microsoft> and delete word folder:

this fixed problem in one of them. but not in another one. so I continued as follows

If an Office application such as Word or Excel isn’t working correctly, sometimes restarting it will fix the problem or you can try repairing it. When you’re done, you might need to restart your computer.

Repair Office from the Control Panel:

From Category view, under Programs, select Uninstall a program. Click the Office product you want to repair, and then click Change.

Depending if your copy of Office is “Click-to-run or an MSI-based install”( to check this go to Files> account> if you see an update option you have Click to run otherwise an msi ), do the following for your Office installation type:

Click-to-Run installation type:

In How would you like to repair your Office Programs, select Online Repairto make sure everything gets fixed, and then select Repair. (The faster Quick Repair option is also available, but it only detects and then replaces corrupted files.)

MSI-based installation type:

In Change your installation, select Repair and then click Continue.

that should do it.

BUT in my case it was a bit bizarre, I had to uninstall my ID card printer. then it worked like a charm.  // Problem with layout tab of MS office may be related to printer configurations. NOTED!!  //