Microsoft Excel/Office

Roudnev, Andrei D 0 Reputation points
2026-08-28T01:15:19.06+00:00

I've been trying to download excel for days now and I ended up giving up because Microsoft 365 and Office would just refuse to download. It kept giving me 2 different error codes that I could not find solutions for. I decided to give up on downloading the software and instead just using the web version of excel. Only issue is, for some odd and ridiculous reason, excel on the web does not have all the features from the actual app. One of the important ones being headers and footers. When I looked up on the search bar for "headers", it gave me the option to open excel. I had no idea I even had excel because it was no where located on my computer. I got really excited all for it to come crashing down to excel giving me an error code and a pointless "Repair Now" button that only serves the purpose of getting my hopes up. Microsoft, please for the love of God fix your apps. They are insufferable to use and barely work. Millions of error codes and absolutely pointless repair services that do nothing. For the mean time, can someone please help me open excel. I just want to do my assignments. The error I get says this "We're sorry, but Excel has run into an error that is preventing it from working correctly. Excel will need to be closed as a result. Would you like us to repair now?" Every time I click "Repair Now" nothing happens and it just shuts down. Please help.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | Other | Windows
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  1. Kai-H 25,345 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-08-28T09:30:22.6966667+00:00

    Hi, Roudnev, Andrei D

    Excel for the web can preserve and print existing headers and footers, but creating or editing them requires the desktop app. The error suggests the desktop installation is incomplete or something loaded during Excel startup is causing it to crash.

    Besides the solutions provided by the Q&A Assist, here are some suggestions you can try:

    Press Windows + R, type excel /safe, and press Enter. If Excel opens, select File > Options > Add-ins. At the bottom, choose COM Add-ins > Go, clear all boxes, and reopen Excel normally. A faulty add-in can prevent Excel from starting.

    Run the official Excel check troubleshooter. Select Open when asked to launch Get Help, then follow its instructions. It checks common startup, crash, add-in, and startup-folder problems.

    If Excel still fails, use the official Office uninstall troubleshooter to completely remove the broken installation. This does not delete your Excel files. Then sign in at Microsoft 365 Apps using the account that owns your Office license and select Install apps to reinstall it.

    Please also note the two original installation error codes. They may identify why the download or reinstall is failing.

    Thank you for your patience in reading, I hope this information has been helpful to you. 

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  2. AI answer

    2026-08-28T01:15:37.0666667+00:00

    The built-in Repair Now button in that Excel error dialog is typically only a quick repair. The supported fix is a full Online Repair of Office.

    1. Restart the PC.
    2. Open Start > Settings.
    3. Go to Apps > Installed apps on Windows 11, or Apps & Features on Windows 10.
    4. Find Microsoft Office or Microsoft 365 in the app list.
    5. Select it, then choose Modify. If needed, use the three dots menu first.
    6. In How would you like to repair your Office Programs, select Online Repair > Repair.
      • Online Repair is more thorough than Quick Repair and is intended to fix corrupted Office files.
    7. Follow the on-screen steps, then try opening Excel again.

    If Office still will not open after Online Repair:

    1. Restart the PC again.
    2. Make sure the latest Windows updates are installed.
    3. Try the Office install again after restart.
    4. Run the System File Checker tool to repair missing or corrupted system files.

    This matches the reported behavior where Excel opens, shows the error, and the in-app repair does not resolve it.

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

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