How to fix Excel error preventing it from opening

Question

When I try opening Excel I'm getting the following message "Excel had run into an error that is preventing from opening. Excel will need to be closed as a result.

Would you like us to repair it.

When I hit Run Repair nothing happens and it closes

How do I repair Excel?

Answer 1

To repair Excel when you encounter the error message stating that it cannot open, you can follow these steps based on your Windows version:

For Windows 10:

1. On the Start screen, type Settings.
2. Select Settings.
3. In the Settings window, select Apps.
4. In the Apps & features window, scroll down to your Office program and select it.
5. Select the Modify button.
6. In the How would you like to repair your Office programs window, select the Online Repair radio button, then select Repair.

For Windows 8:

1. On the Start screen, type Control Panel.
2. Select Control Panel.
3. Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.
4. Select Microsoft 365, then select Change.
5. Select Online Repair, then select Repair. You may need to restart your computer after the repair process is complete.

For Windows 7:

1. Select Start, then select Control Panel.
2. Double-click Programs and Features.
3. Select Microsoft 365, then select Change.
4. Select Online Repair, then select Repair.

After following these steps, check if Excel opens without issues. If problems persist, consider additional troubleshooting methods or reinstalling Office.

---

References:

• Troubleshoot opening a blank screen when you double-click a file icon or file name in Excel

Answer 2

Hello,

Thank you for reaching out.

Sorry about the error you're having with Excel. If the steps that were given did not work. You can try some of these steps that work for me.

First, try opening Excel in Safe Mode by pressing Win + R on your keyboard, typing excel /safe, and pressing Enter; if Excel opens and works fine there, it usually means one of your add-ins is causing the issue, so this step helps us confirm whether the problem is coming from something extra that was installed rather than Excel itself.

This is how you can disable add-ins. Open Excel and go to File > Options > Add-ins, then look at the bottom where it says COM Add-ins and click Go; uncheck everything to turn all the add-ins off, restart Excel, and if it starts working again, turn the add-ins back on one at a time (restarting after each one) until you find which one is causing the problem, so you’ll know exactly what to remove or replace.

Hope that this helps in case it's still not working, and if you have questions, you can leave a comment below.

Thank you,