need to get excel working

garry flower 0 Reputation points
2026-11-09T13:11:39.4433333+00:00

I can not open my excel spreadsheet, that I use everyday.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | For home | Windows
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  1. DaveM121 947.3K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-11-09T13:49:30.1666667+00:00

    This seems to be a new emerging bug with the Office apps today which may be caused by an update, there are so many people reporting this problem.

    1

    Before performing this process to ensure you do not loose the Office installation during the repair, please log into your Microsoft account on this link (https://account.microsoft.com/services/) and check to ensure your Office licence or Microsoft 365 subscription is listed correctly on your account.

    Open the Settings App (gear icon on your Start Menu)

    Go to Apps - Installed Apps or Apps and Features

    Then, scroll down to find Microsoft Office or Microsoft 365.

    Select that and choose Modify - Online Repair

    That should fix any issues with your Office Installation.

    2

    If that does not resolve the problem, are you seeing any notification at the bottom right of your screen indicating Smart App Control security is blocking Office.

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  2. AI answer

    2026-11-09T13:17:29.38+00:00

    Run a full Online Repair of Microsoft 365 from Windows Settings rather than relying only on the Repair now button in the Excel error window.

    Repair Microsoft 365

    1. Select Close on the Excel error message, then close any other Office applications.
    2. Open the repair settings:
      • Windows 11: Right-click Start → Installed apps.
      • Windows 10: Right-click Start → Apps and Features.
    3. Find Microsoft 365 or Microsoft Office.
    4. Select the three dots → Modify.
      • If Excel was purchased as a standalone application, find Excel instead.
    5. For the usual Click-to-Run installation, select Online Repair → Repair.
      • If the window instead shows an MSI installation, select Repair → Continue.
    6. Complete the prompts and restart the computer if requested.
    7. Start Excel by itself first, then open the spreadsheet.

    Online Repair is the more complete option; Quick Repair only detects and replaces certain corrupted files. Repairing Microsoft 365 repairs the entire Office suite, even when only Excel is affected. ^1^

    If Excel still produces the error

    Test whether an add-in is preventing Excel from starting:

    1. Press Windows key + R.
    2. Enter: 
         excel /safe
    3. Select OK.
    4. If Excel opens successfully in Safe Mode:
      • Go to File → Options → Add-ins.
      • At the bottom, choose COM Add-ins from Manage, then select Go.
      • Clear all add-in checkboxes and select OK.
      • Close Excel and start it normally.
    5. If normal startup now works, re-enable add-ins one at a time, restarting Excel after each one, to identify the conflicting add-in.

    Safe Mode bypasses Excel add-ins, startup locations, and several customized settings, making it useful for isolating a startup conflict. ^2^

    If Excel cannot start even in Safe Mode after Online Repair, note whether other Office applications such as Word also fail and whether the problem affects every workbook or only this particular spreadsheet; those details determine the next troubleshooting path.

    References

    1. Repair an Office application | Microsoft Support
    2. Excel not responding, hangs, freezes or stops working
    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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