It’s less destructive because settings, templates, and other application data will not be deleted. I do it again, and I get this error — well, now I can’t show you because Excel is refusing to open up at all. The error indicates that my previous open was unsuccessful, and asks if I would like to open Excel in safe mode. So I close Excel, try to open it again without safe mode, and… nothing. Click the Close button, then try your problem Office application again.

Repairing Microsoft Office

Does anyone have any idea how this can be done? Instructions for repairing all seem to rely on them actually showing up as installed. Comments violating those rules will be removed. Comments that don't add value will be removed, including off-topic or content-free comments, or comments that look even a little bit like spam. All comments containing links and certain keywords will be moderated before publication.

Step 1: Run the Office Quick Repair tool

If you’re not sure, the Installed Apps list we started with is a good place to look. If you’re coming from section 2, grab the download link for what Microsoft calls the "uninstall support tool" in its Support pages. Its filename is SetupProd_Offscrub.exe, so I’ve gotten in the habit of calling it "OffScrub" myself.

Beyond Tools: Why a SAM Tool Isn’t a Complete Solution

In my experience, only 1 in 10 Office installations will still fail to work. If yours works, count yourself lucky and get back to your normal routine. Upgrade to Microsoft Edge to take advantage of the latest features, security updates, and technical support. If a Microsoft 365 application such as Word or Excel isn't working correctly, sometimes restarting it will fix the problem. If that doesn't work, you can try repairing it.

How long does a Microsoft Office repair take?

Step 4: Wax off, wax on (remove and replace Office)

One of your Microsoft Office applications starts acting weird or stops responding. Find solutions to common problems or get help from a support agent.

If you’re lucky, you’ll find your problem covered, and SaRA will fix it for you.The installer window changed to an animated display that included what’s shown in Figure 8.If that doesn't work, you can try repairing it.At least two computers at my workplace don't have Office (or its components) showing in the Installed Apps.With the Quick Repair radio button selected, click the Repair button near the bottom right corner of the window.

Unfortunately, there’s no general-purpose Microsoft Office document repair tool. If your documents are the cause of the problem, hopefully you have backup copies that haven’t been damaged. FixTechGuide Office login guide Repairing Microsoft Office will not repair any of your Office data files. If a document has somehow been corrupted, it could crash Office. If the steps above don’t help, the next step is to uninstall and reinstall Office.

That’s good because that’s what you’ll try next. Note that it says "The app’s data will be deleted." This does not include your files. My spreadsheets will still be there no matter what. What a reset does is reset settings, history, and perhaps more that is specific to the configuration of the program. A recovery file of your workbook also helps ensure you'll have access to your data if your workbook is deleted accidentally or if it becomes corrupted.

Like many programs, Microsoft Office’s tools can be extended by third-party add-ons. You can try uninstalling or disabling any you’re aware of. Exactly how you do this will depend on the specific add-on.

At least two computers at my workplace don't have Office (or its components) showing in the Installed Apps. After the list of installed apps populates (it can take some time, depending on how much you have installed), scroll down and look for Microsoft 365 (Office). Then it took another 4 minutes and 24 seconds for the (genuine) progress bar shown above to download all the files. Watching my network access while this was underway, I saw the typical on-again, off-again download behavior for Windows Update occurring here. The download meter ran as high as 180 Mbps, and as low as a few Kbps while the download was underway. Office’s Online Repair option works and goes through exactly the same steps as Quick Repair, so I won’t walk through all those screen shots again.

It includes options for Teams, Office, the Outlook desktop client, Outlook on the web, advanced diagnostics, and more. When you run a Quick Repair operation, Office will attempt simple repairs using local files already on your PC. This usually takes a minute or two to complete. In about 4 cases out of 5, in my personal experience, this step alone is enough to repair Office properly and restore it to working order.