Can't start Office 2016 applications - error 0xc0000142

Hi driverg

My name is Andre Da Costa; an Independent Consultant, Windows Insider MVP and Windows & Devices for IT MVP. I'm here to help you with your problem.

Which Antivirus utility do you have installed? Can you try disabling it temporarily to see if the apps work?

Also, try launching each Office application in safe mode to see if they work. If they do, its possibly a bad add in.

https://support.office.com/en-us/article/open-o...

Press the windows key + R and write the command to open the office app in error, below are the commands to open all office apps:

For Excel: Type excel /safe, and click OK.
For Outlook: Type outlook /safe, and click OK.
For Word: Type winword /safe, and click OK.
For PowerPoint: Type powerpnt /safe, and click OK.
For Publisher: Type mspub /safe, and click OK.
For Visio: Type visio /safe, and click OK.

Disable add ins:
https://support.office.com/en-us/article/view-m...

If the problem persists:

Could you confirm if this also happens in the default Administrator account?

Open Start
Type: cmd
Right click CMD
Click Run as administrator

At the command prompt, type:
net user administrator /active:yes

Hit Enter

Close command prompt, restart, then try signing into the Administrator account.

Try running the applications again.

You can also try repairing the suite:

Open Start > Settings > Apps > Apps & features
Scroll down to Microsoft Office
Select it
Click Change

Now, wait while the repair wizard starts up.

Choose the type of repair you would like to perform. Depending on the severity or availability of your Internet connection, you could try the first option, Quick Repair, which is much faster and tries to fix the problem without a data connection.

If that doesn’t resolve the problem, then go back and try the Online Repair option. For my particular issue, I ultimately had to use the Online Repair.

The repair process is straight-forward following the wizard. Note that you’ll need to save your work and close all Office programs first, and then click Repair.

Then wait while the repair process runs.

You will notice the repair experience is similar to a fresh installation. The amount of time it takes will depend on your connection speed and what the issue is.

You will see your Office apps light up in their respective colors while the repair completes.

Once the installation is complete, restart your computer just to be sure and launch your apps and verify if the problem you were having is resolved.

Press Windows key + R
Type each of the following commands then hit Enter to open the respective application.

Hi Driverg, follow these steps to perform a full repair of your Office installation . . .

Open Control Panel - Programs and Features
Click Microsoft Office in the list of installed applications
At the top, click 'Change'
On the resulting dialog, click 'Repair' - choose the Online Repair, it is a comprehensive fix

That should fix any issues with your Office Installation . . .

Strangely, after the third reboot, the problem went away. Now I'll never know what caused it. Many thanks for your very prompt response to my request for assistance.

Strangely, after the third reboot, the problem went away. Now I'll never know what caused it. Many thanks for your very prompt response to my request for assistance.