when i am working on Microsoft excel or Microsoft word, it will bring up a dialogue box that says repair and immediately i say repair, it will close the package without letting me save my work

Recover any available AutoRecover copy first, then run a full Online Repair of Microsoft 365 rather than selecting Repair Now in the error dialog.

1. Recover the work that closed without saving

Reopen Word or Excel. If the Document Recovery pane appears:

1. Open the newest recovered version.
2. Immediately select File > Save As.
3. Save it under a new name so the recovered copy does not overwrite a good original.

For Excel, if no recovery pane appears:

1. Open Excel without opening the affected workbook.
2. Select File > Info > Manage Workbook > Recover Unsaved Workbooks.
3. Select the newest available file and click Open.
4. Select Save As immediately.

If the workbook had previously been saved, open it and check File > Info > Manage Workbook for a version marked (when I closed without saving), then select Restore. Recovery is available only if Office created an AutoRecover version.^1^

2. Run a full Online Repair

Close Word, Excel, Outlook, and all other Office applications first. If possible, verify that the Microsoft 365 subscription is associated with the Microsoft account used for Office because Online Repair may require reactivation afterward.

Windows 11

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

Windows 10

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

Online Repair repairs the entire Office suite. Do not choose Quick Repair here; Online Repair is the more complete option for recurring failures.^2^

3. If the prompt continues after Online Repair

Test each application in Office Safe Mode, which starts it without normal add-ins and extensions:

1. Press Windows key + R.
2. For Excel, enter excel /safe.
3. For Word, enter winword /safe.
4. Work in each application long enough to determine whether the repair prompt returns.

If both applications work correctly in Safe Mode, isolate their add-ins:

1. In the Safe Mode application, select File > Options > Add-ins.
2. At the bottom, select COM Add-ins from Manage, then select Go.
3. Clear all add-in checkboxes and restart the application normally.
4. Re-enable add-ins one at a time, restarting after each one.
5. Leave the add-in that causes the failure disabled, or obtain an updated version from its publisher.

If Word or Excel still fails in Safe Mode, the issue is not likely to be an add-in; the supported next paths are repairing Office or uninstalling and reinstalling it.^3^

4. Reduce the risk of losing more work

After Office works normally, open each application and select File > Options > Save, then enable:

• Save AutoRecover information every x minutes
• Keep the last AutoRecovered version if I close without saving

For Microsoft 365 files stored in OneDrive or SharePoint, AutoSave can save changes continuously. For files stored elsewhere, press Ctrl+S regularly.^4^

References

1. Recover an earlier version of an Office file
2. Repair an Office application
3. I get a "stopped working" error when I start Office applications on my PC
4. Help protect your files in case of a crash