not able to open word files

ahad shah 0 Reputation points
2026-11-09T06:42:14.9833333+00:00

not able to open word files as it shows word has run in an error which is not currently working

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For home | Windows
0 comments

2 answers

Sort by: Most helpful
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Estrella721 47,675 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-11-09T07:15:33.73+00:00

    Instead of Quick Repair, I suggest trying an Online Repair to thoroughly repair any issues with the Office installation:

    In the search bar, type Control Panel > Programs and Features > find Microsoft 365/Office > right-click it > select Change > then run Online Repair.

    If the issue persists, you can use the Office Uninstall Support Tool (Uninstall Troubleshooter) to completely remove Microsoft Office from your device and then reinstall it:

    https://aka.ms/SaRA-officeUninstallFromPC

    Once you open the link, click Get Help. When the tool launches, select Yes, then click Next. Choose the option to uninstall Microsoft 365 and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.

    To reinstall Office:

    Go to https://account.microsoft.com/services

    Sign in with the Microsoft account associated with your Office license.

    Locate Microsoft Office and click Install.

    Run the downloaded installer and follow the on-screen instructions.

    Once installed, open an Office app such as Word or Excel and sign in with the Microsoft account associated with your purchase to activate Office.

    Was this answer helpful?

    2 people found this answer helpful.
    0 comments

  2. AI answer

    2026-11-09T06:42:35.4833333+00:00

    Try this order for Word on Windows when files fail to open and Word shows an error:

    1. Update Office
      • Open any Office app.
      • Go to File > Account.
      • Under Product Information, select Update Options > Update Now.
      • If Update Now is not available, select Enable Updates first.
    2. Start Word in Safe Mode to check add-ins
      • Open Run.
      • Type winword /safe and press Enter.
      • If Word opens, go to File > Options > Add-Ins.
      • In Manage, select the add-in type and choose Go.
      • Clear add-ins one at a time, select OK, and restart Word normally.
      • Older add-ins such as ABBYY FineReader and Dragon Naturally Speaking are known to cause problems.
    3. Run an Online Repair of Office
      • The built-in Repair Now option is often ineffective.
      • In Windows, open Settings > Apps.
      • Find Microsoft Office.
      • Select Modify > Online Repair.
      • This is more thorough and can reinstall Office as part of the repair.
    4. Restart the PC after repair
      • If repair was already tried from the error dialog, run Online Repair from Windows Settings instead.
    5. If Word opens but a specific file still fails
      • In Word, select File > Open > Browse.
      • Select the file.
      • Select the arrow next to Open and choose Open and Repair.
    6. If the file says it is locked for editing by another user
      • Close all Word windows.
      • Open Task Manager and end all Winword.exe processes.
      • Browse to the folder that contains the document.
      • Delete the owner file that starts with ~$ for that document.
      • Open Word and try the document again.
    7. If double-clicking files opens the wrong app or does nothing
      • Open Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features.
      • Select the Office product and choose Change.
      • Run Quick Repair for file association issues.
      • If needed, manually set the correct default app in Control Panel > Programs > Default Programs.

    If the problem started after a recent Office update and Office 2016 was installed by MSI, installing KB4018295 is the documented workaround for the known issue with KB4011730.

    References:

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

    Was this answer helpful?

Your answer

Answers can be marked as 'Accepted' by the question author and 'Recommended' by moderators, which helps users know the answer solved the author's problem.