EXCEL IS NOT WORKING

C Nithyakalyani 0 Reputation points
2026-11-12T08:11:30.81+00:00

EXCEL IS NOT WORKING HOW I REPAIR THIS IT COULD NOT OPEN\

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | Other | Windows
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  1. DaveM121 947.9K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-11-12T08:43:08.9666667+00:00

    Hi C Nithyakalyani, 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

    2026-11-12T08:12:17.1266667+00:00

    Repair Microsoft 365 or Office with Online Repair, then restart Windows and test Excel again.

    Repair Excel on Windows

    1. Save any open work and close all Office applications.
    2. Open the repair screen:
      • Windows 11: Right-click Start → Installed apps.
      • Windows 10: Right-click Start → Apps and Features.
    3. Find Microsoft 365 or Microsoft Office.
    4. Select the three dots (if shown) → Modify.
    5. Choose:
      • Online Repair → Repair for the usual Click-to-Run installation, or
      • Repair → Continue if an MSI-based installation is shown.
    6. Follow the prompts, restart the computer, and open Excel.

    Online Repair repairs the entire Office suite, even when only Excel is affected, and is more thorough than Quick Repair.^1^

    If Excel still does not open

    Test whether an add-in is preventing startup:

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

    If Excel opens in Safe Mode:

    1. Select 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 start 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 will not open even in Safe Mode after Online Repair, note the exact error message or error code and whether other Office applications open. Those details are needed to select the next repair path.

    References

    1. Repair an Office application | Microsoft Support
    2. Excel not responding, hangs, freezes or stops working
    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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