My microsoft word, excel file is not working

Nayeem Nizhum 0 Reputation points
2026-11-12T05:59:48.92+00:00

i am unable to open my word and excel file.please resolve the issues

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | Other | Windows
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  1. Kai-H 31,165 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-11-12T11:07:40.59+00:00

    Hi, @Nayeem Nizhum

    Sorry you're stuck with this. Since both Word and Excel are affected at the same time, the problem is usually not the files themselves but the Office installation or its license. A couple of things worth checking that haven't been covered yet:

    First, see if Office actually knows it is licensed. Open Word (even if it only opens for a moment), click your name or picture in the top right corner and sign out. Restart the PC using Restart, not Shut down, then open Word again and sign back in with the Microsoft account you used when you bought Office or Microsoft 365. Also go to account.microsoft.com/services and check that your Office or Microsoft 365 is listed there and not expired. If Office cannot find its license, it will refuse to open or edit files.

    Second, test whether the files are okay. Go to office.com, sign in, upload one Word and one Excel file and open them in the browser. If they open fine there, the files are good and the problem is on your PC. If they don't, the files themselves are damaged.

    Third, if a trial version of Office came preinstalled on your PC, or you have two versions of Office installed, that often breaks things. Go to Settings > Apps > Installed apps and uninstall any extra Office or Microsoft 365 entries, then restart.

    If none of that helps, do a clean reinstall. Run the official uninstall troubleshooter from aka.ms/SaRA-officeUninstallFromPC, restart, then reinstall from account.microsoft.com/services. Your documents stay where they are, only the apps are removed.

    If you still can't get it working, let us know what exactly happens when you double-click a file (an error message, nothing at all, the app closes right away), which Windows version you have, and whether you use Microsoft 365 or a one-time purchase like Office 2021. That will narrow it down a lot.

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  2. AI answer

    2026-11-12T06:00:13.27+00:00

    Try these fixes in this order:

    1. Repair Office
      • Select Start and open Control Panel.
      • Go to Programs > Programs and Features.
      • Select the Office product, then choose Change.
      • Run Quick Repair first.
      • If the issue continues, run Online Repair.
    2. Check file association if files open in the wrong app or do not open correctly
      • Right-click a Word or Excel file and select Properties.
      • On the General tab, check Opens with.
      • Select Change > More apps.
      • Choose the correct app and select Always use this app.
    3. If Excel opens but shows a blank screen
      • Open Excel and go to View > Unhide.
      • If a workbook is listed, select it and choose OK.
      • Also try minimizing Excel and then maximizing it again.
    4. Update Office
      • Open any Office app if possible.
      • Go to File > Account.
      • Under Product Information, select Update Options > Update Now.
    5. If Office apps stop working when starting
      • Start the app in Safe Mode from Run to check whether an add-in is causing the problem.
      • Add-ins can cause Word or Excel to fail at startup.
    6. If files are damaged or corrupted
      • Use the application-specific repair guidance for Word, Excel, or PowerPoint.
    7. If the problem happens when opening Word or Excel files from Outlook or another external source on Windows 8, Windows 8.1, or Windows Server 2012
      • Press Windows key + R.
      • Type services.msc and select OK.
      • In Services, right-click Windows Firewall and select Start.
    8. If Office files are stored in OneDrive or SharePoint and open in download mode instead of Office for the web
      • Save the file in a supported format:
        • Word: .docx
        • Excel: .xlsx or .xlsb

    If repair does not fix the issue, the next supported step is to use the available guided support or contact support from the related Microsoft Support page.

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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