A family of Microsoft word processing software products for creating web, email, and print documents.
Run Online Repair from Windows Settings, because it is more thorough than the repair button in Word’s error message.
Perform an Online Repair
Close Word and any other Office applications first.
Windows 11
- Right-click Start and select Installed apps.
- Find Microsoft 365 or Microsoft Office.
- Select the three dots (…) beside it, then select Modify.
- Approve the Windows permission prompt if one appears.
- Select Online Repair, then Repair.
- Follow the prompts and restart the computer when it finishes.
Windows 10
- Right-click Start and select Apps and Features.
- Select Microsoft 365 or Microsoft Office.
- Select Modify.
- Choose Online Repair and then Repair.
- Complete the process and restart the computer.
Online Repair repairs the entire Office suite, even when only Word is affected. If the installer shows only Repair and Continue, use those options; that indicates an MSI-based Office installation.^1^
After restarting, open Word and create a blank document to test it.
If Online Repair does not fix Word
Completely uninstall and reinstall Office:
- Make sure the Microsoft account used to purchase or activate Office is available.
- Run Microsoft’s Office uninstall troubleshooter on the affected computer.
- Allow it to open the Get Help application and follow all prompts.
- When requested, restart the computer.
- Reinstall Microsoft 365 or Office using the same Microsoft account originally associated with the product.^2^
The uninstall troubleshooter requires Windows 10 or later and currently cannot remove Office 2024. For Office 2024, use its documented uninstall method instead.^3^
After reinstallation, open Word and sign in when prompted. Confirm that a blank document opens without the error before restoring add-ins or other customizations.
References