how to open my microsoft apps

victoria wood 0 Reputation points
2026-06-22T09:07:44.44+00:00

when i open Microsoft apps such as excel to open my documents, a message appears saying " we''re sorry, but excel has run into an error that is preventing it from working correctly and then i try repair it but doesn't work

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | Other | Windows
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  1. DaveM121 897.5K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-06-22T09:43:13.0066667+00:00

    1

    Press and hold the Ctrl key on your keyboard while opening Excel to open Excel in Safe Mode, does Excel open correctly in Safe Mode?

    2

    Of not, the best option is to perform a full repair of your Office installation.

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

    Go to Apps - Installed Apps, then scroll down to find Microsoft 365 (Office).

    Select that and choose Modify - Online Repair

    That should fix any issues with your Office Installation.

    3

    If that does not resolve the problem, click your Start Button, type winver and hit Enter

    Please provide a screenshot of the resulting dialog.

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  2. AI answer

    2026-06-22T09:08:01.85+00:00

    Follow these steps in order until Excel (and other Office apps) open normally.

    1. Close all Office apps
      Make sure Excel, Word, Outlook, etc. are all closed.
    2. Run a full Online Repair of Office
      The in‑app “Repair now” is usually just a Quick Repair and often does not fix this error. Run a full Online Repair instead:
      1. Right‑click the Start button.
      2. Select Apps and Features (Windows 10) or Installed apps (Windows 11).
      3. Find Microsoft 365 or Office in the list.
      4. Select the entry, then choose Modify (or the three dots … → Modify).
      5. Choose Online Repair, then confirm and let it complete. This can take 15–30 minutes; do not cancel it.
      6. Restart the PC when it finishes.
      7. Open Excel and check if it starts normally.
    3. If Excel still fails, try starting in Safe Mode and disable add‑ins
      This checks whether an add‑in is causing the crash.
      1. Press Windows key + R to open Run.
      2. Type excel /safe and press Enter.
        – If Excel does not open in Safe Mode, skip to step 4 (repair again or reinstall).
        – If Excel does open in Safe Mode, continue.
      3. In Excel (Safe Mode), go to File > Options > Add‑Ins.
      4. At the bottom, in Manage, choose Excel Add‑ins (or COM Add‑ins) and select Go.
      5. Clear the check box for one add‑in and select OK.
      6. Close Excel, then open it normally (not in Safe Mode).
        – If Excel opens, the last add‑in you unchecked is the problem. Leave it disabled or visit the add‑in vendor’s site for an updated version.
        – If Excel still does not open, repeat steps 1–6, disabling add‑ins one by one (including COM Add‑ins) until you find the culprit or all are disabled.
    4. If all Office apps are affected and Online Repair didn’t help
      If every Office app (Excel, Word, Outlook, etc.) shows the same error even after Online Repair, the next step is usually a full reinstall of Office, as described in the Q&A references:
      • Uninstall Office from Apps & Features / Installed apps.
      • Restart the computer.
      • Reinstall Office from the Microsoft account or Microsoft 365 portal.

    If Excel opens but files do not, or open to a blank screen, run an Online Repair again as described above.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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