How to fix Word and Excel running into error preventing it from working correctly

When I open Word or Excel a message appears "We're sorry, but Word has run into an error that is preventing it from working correctly. Word will need to be closed as a result. would you like to repair now?". Clicking repair now is not fixing. Document stays open and can edit, but Word abruptly shuts down after a few minutes and doesn't save any changes to the Document.

Shut down and ran updates but nothing changed. Opened a document then saved as X in a new folder then reopened from there, same issue.

Hi Brad, Thanks for contacting us and sorry for the inconveniences, - Run the Office application as an administrator. Sometimes, the error can be caused by insufficient permissions or access rights. To run the Office application as an administrator, right-click on the Word or Excel icon, then select Run as administrator. If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation. - Run the Program Compatibility Troubleshooter. Sometimes, the error can be caused by compatibility issues between the Office application and the Windows version. To run the Program Compatibility Troubleshooter, right-click on the Word or Excel icon, then select Troubleshoot compatibility. Follow the instructions on the screen to detect and fix any compatibility problems. - Delete some keys from the Windows Registry. Sometimes, the error can be caused by corrupted or invalid registry entries. To delete some keys from the Windows Registry, follow these steps: - Press Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box. - Type regedit and press Enter to open the Registry Editor. - Navigate to the following key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Word - Right-click on the Word key and select Export. Save the backup file to a safe location. - Right-click on the Word key again and select Delete. Confirm the deletion. - Repeat the same steps for the Excel key under the Office\16.0 folder. - Close the Registry Editor and restart your computer. - Troubleshoot in a Clean Boot state. Sometimes, the error can be caused by other applications or services that interfere with the Office application. To troubleshoot in a Clean Boot state, follow these steps: - Press Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box. - Type msconfig and press Enter to open the System Configuration window. - On the Services tab, check the box that says Hide all Microsoft services, then click Disable all. - On the Startup tab, click Open Task Manager. - On the Startup tab of the Task Manager, disable all the startup items by right-clicking on them and selecting Disable. - Close the Task Manager and click OK on the System Configuration window. - Restart your computer and try to run the Office application again. - If the error is resolved, you can enable the services and startup items one by one to find the culprit. - If the error persists, you can restore the normal startup by undoing the changes in the System Configuration window. - Uninstall and reinstall Office. Sometimes, the error can be caused by a damaged or incomplete installation of Office. To uninstall and reinstall Office, follow these steps: - Press Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box. - Type appwiz.cpl and press Enter to open the Programs and Features window. - Locate Microsoft Office in the list of installed programs and click Uninstall. Follow the instructions on the screen to remove Office from your computer. - Restart your computer and go to Office.com to sign in with your Microsoft account and download the latest version of Office. - Install Office on your computer and activate it with your product key or subscription. - Try to run the Office application again and see if the error is resolved. I hope this helps! Regards, Sola

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As you have observed, Repair Now is often ineffective. Instead, perform a full online repair through Windows Settings as instructed at https://support.office.com/en-us/article/repair-an-office-application-7821d4b6-7c1d-4205-aa0e-a6b40c5bb88b

Microsoft MVP (Word) since 1999
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Last updated February 13, 2024 Views 85 Applies to: