PowerPoint and Excel have suddenly disappeared from my PC

John P 20 Reputation points
2026-10-21T16:47:32.57+00:00

I still have a paid for Home & Business Office product on a 2019 PC. However, PowerPoint and Excel mysteriously disappeared overnight. There seems no way to reinstall it via my MS account. And yes a 365 subscription will be a necessity when I replace my creaking PC next year. How can I restore my legitimately paid for programmes in the meantime?

Microsoft 365 and Office | Other
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Ian-T 15,605 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
2026-10-21T23:21:55.7266667+00:00

Hi @John P

You should not need to purchase Microsoft 365 just to restore your existing Office Home & Business 2019 installation.

First, search the Start menu for Excel and PowerPoint, as their shortcuts may simply have disappeared. If Office 2019 is still listed under Settings > Apps, select it, choose Modify, and run Online Repair. This repairs the complete Office suite.

If Office is no longer installed, sign in to Microsoft account Services & subscriptions using the same Microsoft account originally used to activate Office 2019. Look under Products you’ve purchased and select Install beside Office Home & Business 2019.

If the product is not shown, try any other account you may have used when Office was first activated. If Office came preinstalled with the PC, also check Microsoft Store > Library or contact the PC manufacturer for its recovery method.

Do not buy another license yet. Your one-time-purchase license may still be recoverable, although Office 2019 has reached the end of support and no longer receives security updates Hope this helps. Have a nice day!

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  1. John P 20 Reputation points
    2026-10-23T12:39:48.8466667+00:00

    Many thanks Ian. I signed in successfully and reinstalled the Office suite. Here's hoping there are no similar issues and it keeps me going for a while until I upgrade.

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