A family of Microsoft spreadsheet software with tools for analyzing, charting, and communicating data.
Run an Online Repair of Microsoft Office because both Word and Excel are failing; this repairs the entire Office suite rather than only the application shown in the error dialog.^1^
Run Online Repair
- Close Word, Excel, Outlook, and all other Office applications.
- Open the repair screen:
- Windows 11: Right-click Start → Installed apps.
- Windows 10: Right-click Start → Apps and Features.
- Find Microsoft 365 or Microsoft Office.
- Select the three dots (if displayed) → Modify.
- For the common Click-to-Run installation, select Online Repair → Repair.
- Do not select Quick Repair; Online Repair performs the more complete repair.
- If the installer instead displays an MSI-based Change your installation screen, select Repair → Continue.
- Complete the on-screen instructions and restart Windows.
- Open Excel and Word and confirm that both start normally.
Microsoft’s repair procedure applies to the entire suite even when only Word or Excel is selected.^1^
If Online Repair does not fix it
Test each application in Office Safe Mode:
- Press Windows key + R.
- Enter the following command for Excel:
excel /safe
- Repeat with this command for Word:
winword /safe
Safe Mode bypasses most add-ins and custom startup components. If an application works only in Safe Mode, open it in Safe Mode and go to:
File → Options → Add-ins → Manage: COM Add-ins → Go
Clear the enabled add-ins, close the application, and start it normally. Re-enable add-ins individually afterward to identify the one causing the startup failure.^2^
If neither Word nor Excel opens even in Safe Mode after Online Repair, report the Windows version, Office edition, and whether Modify offered Click-to-Run or MSI repair options; those details are needed to select the next supported recovery path.
References