Excel is not working

Nilay Kant Mishra 0 Reputation points
2026-11-10T14:59:20.1133333+00:00

Excel is not working. The message given is not it has encountered some problem.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | Other | Windows
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  1. DaveM121 947.3K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-11-10T15:32:26.2166667+00:00

    This seems to be an ongoing bug with the Office apps for a couple of days which may be caused by an update, there are many people reporting this problem.

    1

    The 'Repair Now' button on that error popup dialog only performs a quick repair of the Office apps and that rarely resolves the problem with the Office apps, the best option is to perform a full online repair of your Office installation.

    Before performing this process to ensure you do not loose the Office installation during the repair, please log into your Microsoft account on this link (https://account.microsoft.com/services/) and check to ensure your Office licence or Microsoft 365 subscription is listed correctly on your account.

    Open the Settings App (gear icon on your Start Menu)

    Go to Apps - Installed Apps or Apps and Features

    Then, scroll down to find Microsoft Office or Microsoft 365.

    Select that and choose Modify - Online Repair

    That should fix any issues with your Office Installation.

    2

    If that does not resolve the problem, are you seeing any notification at the bottom right of your screen indicating Smart App Control security is blocking Office.

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  2. AI answer

    2026-11-10T15:01:32.2133333+00:00

    Run Online Repair for Microsoft 365 first; it repairs the whole Office installation and is the most directly applicable fix when desktop Excel cannot open and reports that it “has run into an error.”

    Repair Microsoft 365

    1. Close all Office applications.
    2. Right-click Start:
      • Windows 11: select Installed apps.
      • Windows 10: select Apps and Features.
    3. Find Microsoft 365 or Microsoft Office.
    4. Select the three dots beside it, and then select Modify.
    5. Approve the administrator prompt if one appears.
    6. Select Online Repair → Repair.
    7. Let the repair finish, restart Windows, and try opening Excel.

    Choose Online Repair, not Quick Repair, because it performs the more complete repair. This process repairs the entire Office suite, even though only Excel is affected, and requires an internet connection.[^1^](https://support.microsoft.com/office/-something-went-wrong-error-when-you-try-to-start-a-microsoft-365-app-4b4471dd-cf86-4a37-910d-35a01a6c7d17 ""Something went wrong" error when you try to start a Microsoft 365 app")

    If Excel still does not open

    Test whether an add-in or startup setting is blocking Excel:

    1. Press Windows key + R.
    2. Enter: 
         excel /safe
    3. Select OK.

    If Excel opens in Safe Mode:

    1. Go to File → Options → Add-ins.
    2. At the bottom, set Manage to COM Add-ins, then select Go.
    3. Clear every checkbox and select OK.
    4. Close Excel and reopen it normally.
    5. If Excel now works, enable the add-ins one at a time, restarting Excel after each one, to identify the conflicting add-in.^2^

    If Excel does not open in Safe Mode, skip add-in changes and continue below.

    Run the Excel startup troubleshooter

    On Windows 10 or later, run Microsoft’s Excel check troubleshooter from the Get Help app. It is specifically intended for Excel startup, crash, and hang problems:

    1. Open the Microsoft 365 troubleshooters page on the affected computer.
    2. Start Excel check troubleshooter.
    3. If prompted that the site wants to open Get Help, select Open.
    4. Follow the prompts and review the findings.^3^

    The automated safe-mode troubleshooter can modify registry settings and move Excel startup files, so back up any custom Excel startup files before running it.^2^

    Final fallback: reinstall Microsoft 365

    If Online Repair and the troubleshooter both fail:

    1. Use the Microsoft 365 uninstall troubleshooter in Get Help.
    2. Follow its prompts and restart when requested.
    3. Reinstall Microsoft 365 using the account associated with the subscription.

    The uninstall troubleshooter must run on the same Windows PC and requires Windows 10 or later.[^1^](https://support.microsoft.com/office/-something-went-wrong-error-when-you-try-to-start-a-microsoft-365-app-4b4471dd-cf86-4a37-910d-35a01a6c7d17 ""Something went wrong" error when you try to start a Microsoft 365 app")

    References

    1. "Something went wrong" error when you try to start a Microsoft 365 app
    2. Excel not responding, hangs, freezes or stops working
    3. Microsoft 365 troubleshooters | Microsoft Support
    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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