Error message on MS applications

Question

I am able to open any MS application on my laptop, getting a pop with an error message with option as repair now, and then it closes automatically. How could this issue be resolved?

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Moved from: Microsoft 365 and Office | Access | For education | Windows

Answer 1

Dear @Nitasha Aheer, 

Good day! Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum! 

Based on your description, I understand that you’re unable to open any Microsoft applications on your laptop and are seeing a pop‑up error message prompting you to ‘Repair Now’ before the app closes automatically.

I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused by this issue.

To understand the situation better and provide you with the most suitable support, could you confirm the following information: 

• When did this issue start happening? Have there been any recent updates to the system or Microsoft Office before this issue began?
• Are all Microsoft applications affected, for example: Office apps like: Word, Excel, PowerPoint?
• Does the application close immediately after clicking ‘Repair Now,’ or does it run through part of the repair process first or nothing happens?
• If you try to open Word/Excel in Safe Mode (holding Ctrl while clicking the app), does it open successfully?
• Which version of Windows are you currently using? Is it up-to-date?
• I could see that your question is in the "For education" SAP, but to better support you, may I reconfirm: Are you currently signed in to Office apps with your Microsoft 365 educational account?

Your confirmation would be very helpful in ensuring you receive the most suitable support!

If you’re able to share a bit more about your situation, I might be able to suggest some helpful next steps. 

In the meantime, kindly try the following suggestions to check what might have caused the issue:

If the 'Repair Now' option is not working, please kindly refer to this article for step-by-step instructions on how to Repair Office via Quick Repair and Online Repair: Repair an Office application

Please give it a try and open the affected apps again and update me if the issue persists.

Kindly let me know when there are updates or if you need further assistance. Any updates you’re able to share would be really helpful. I appreciate your time and look forward to hearing how things are going! 

Thank you for your time and patience.

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Answer 2

If you're encountering an error message when trying to open Microsoft applications, there are a few steps you can take to resolve the issue:

1. Repair the Office Program: Since you mentioned a repair option appears, you can try using that. To do this:
   • Go to Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features.
   • Find your Microsoft Office installation in the list, select it, and click on Change.
   • Choose the Repair option and follow the prompts.
2. Check for Updates: Ensure that your Office applications are up to date. You can check for updates within any Office app by going to File > Account > Update Options > Update Now.
3. Clear Disk Space: Sometimes, insufficient disk space can cause issues. Use the Disk Cleanup tool to free up space on your hard drive. You can find it by searching for Disk Cleanup in the Start menu.
4. Reinstall Office: If the above steps do not resolve the issue, you may need to uninstall and then reinstall Microsoft Office. Make sure to back up any important documents before doing this.

If the problem persists after trying these steps, consider reaching out to Microsoft Support for further assistance.

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References:

• "Microsoft program cannot be opened because of a problem" error when you start an Office program
• You receive an error message when you try to open an Office document