Office programs 'resetting' when locking my computer

Question

Office programs 'resetting' when locking my computer

Adam 5

After the latest update both Word and Excel are acting up after locking my computer. I do not close out of the programs/windows, and after unlocking my Windows machine Word will resize my window and have the pop up of 'Pick up where you last left off' as if I had fully closed the window and reopened it. Excel is doing something similar where my position is being reset to the first sheet and an error about circular logic pops up (I am aware of that, it is needed for that specific sheet). It is very frustrating to have to reset my documents several times during my work day, as we deal with sensitive data and cannot leave our computers unlocked while we are not present.

Is this a problem with the latest update or is there a setting that I can adjust to prevent this from continually happening?

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Answer 1

Francisco Montilla 30,630 Independent Advisor

Hello,

The Office apps might actually be crashing or closing behind the scenes when the lock screen engages. To check if that is happening, you need to look at the Windows logs.

Right-click your Start button and select Event Viewer. Go to Windows Logs > Application. Look for any red error entries referencing WINWORD.EXE or EXCEL.EXE at the specific time you locked or unlocked the computer.

Let me know if you find any application error events there. Also, are you using a docking station or multiple monitors?

Adam 5 Reputation points

2026-01-21T17:22:19.5633333+00:00

When looking at the Event Viewer, I am not seeing a red error, but I am getting yellow Warning notifications. It is "RmUnsupportedRestartEvent" for both Work and Excel.

I am using a docking station for a Dell laptop with multiple monitors.
Francisco Montilla 30,630 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-01-21T18:12:36.72+00:00

I see now.

The event refers to the Restart Manager, which Windows uses to shut down applications when a system component or an update needs to modify files those apps are using. You need to clear this stuck update by performing an Online Repair of Office, which restores integrity.

Right-click your Start button and select Installed Apps (or Apps and Features). Find Microsoft 365 (or Office) in the list, click the menu button next to it to select Modify, and then choose Online Repair.

Make sure to choose Online Repair and not Quick Repair, as the Quick Repair often skips the deep file verification required to break this specific restart loop.

Let me know if this solves the issue.
Perry 0 Reputation points

2026-02-18T09:52:48.86+00:00

Seeing the same behaviour in our environment for a couple of devices. Looks like it may be related to the Office apps trying to update as per the Current Channel release cycle.
Ryan Lally 0 Reputation points

2026-02-23T17:06:13.0766667+00:00

Is there any fix or reason to this? I have one user experiencing this issue. I have done a full uninstall/Reinstall of Office, but it has not made a change. Seems to happen when locking the computer and when docking and undocking as well.

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Office programs 'resetting' when locking my computer

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