Opening Word or Exxel

Repair the Microsoft 365 installation first; having an active license does not prevent Word or Excel program files from requiring repair.

1. Run Online Repair

This repairs the whole Office suite, including Word and Excel.

Windows 11

1. Right-click Start → Installed apps.
2. Find Microsoft 365 or Office.
3. Select the three dots → Modify.
4. Choose Online Repair → Repair.
5. Complete the prompts, restart Windows, and try Word and Excel again.

Windows 10

1. Right-click Start → Apps and Features.
2. Select Microsoft 365 or Office → Modify.
3. Choose Online Repair → Repair.
4. Complete the repair and restart Windows.

Online Repair is more thorough than Quick Repair.^1^

2. If an app opens only in Safe Mode

This indicates that an add-in may be preventing normal startup.

1. Press Windows key + R.
2. Test Word with:

      winword.exe /safe
   

3. Test Excel with:

      excel.exe /safe
   

4. If the app opens, select File → Options → Add-ins.
5. Beside Manage, select COM Add-ins → Go.
6. Clear all add-ins and restart the app normally.
7. Re-enable add-ins individually to identify the problematic one.^2^

3. If you see “Unlicensed Product” or a sign-in message

That is an activation issue rather than an application-startup issue.

1. Sign in to the Microsoft Services & subscriptions page using the account that purchased or received the license.
2. Confirm Microsoft 365 or Office is listed and the subscription is active.
3. Open Control Panel → Programs → Programs and Features and search for Office.
4. If multiple Office versions are installed, uninstall versions you do not use, restart Windows, and try again.
5. On Windows 10 or 11, open the Get Help app and run the Microsoft 365 activation troubleshooter.

Microsoft documents the correct-account, duplicate-installation, subscription-status, and activation-troubleshooter checks in that order.^3^

4. If repair does not resolve it

On Windows 10 or later, run the relevant troubleshooter on the affected computer:

• For Excel startup, hanging, or crashes: run the Excel check troubleshooter through Microsoft Get Help.
• If both apps remain unusable: run the Microsoft 365 uninstall troubleshooter, restart when prompted, and then use the Microsoft 365 setup troubleshooter to reinstall.^4^

Before uninstalling, verify that Office appears under the correct account’s Services & subscriptions page so it can be reinstalled. Uninstalling Office does not normally delete personal Word or Excel documents, but back up important files before making installation changes.

References

1. Windows 11
2. Why won’t Word, Excel, or PowerPoint open in Microsoft 365? - Microsoft Q&A
3. Unlicensed Product and activation errors in Office | Microsoft Support
4. Microsoft 365 troubleshooters | Microsoft Support