Why my Excel documents are not opening in this new PC although Excel is already installed?

Question

I have a new PC where Excel is already installed. Now when I try to open any Excel file, it says the software is not activated and the file closes immediately after just opening.

Answer 1

Hi, I'm John! I will help you with this.

May I ask if this PC came with Microsoft Office pre-installed, or if you signed in using your own Microsoft account and installed it yourself? Sometimes new PCs only include a trial version, which needs to be activated with a subscription.

Please try opening Excel, go to File > Account, and check if it shows “Activated.” If not, sign in with the Microsoft account that has your Office license. Let me know what it shows there, and I’ll be happy to help you further.

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Click "Add comment" to let me know.

Regards,

John J.D.

Answer 2

It sounds like the issue with your Excel documents not opening may be related to the activation status of your Microsoft Office installation. If Excel is not activated, it can prevent you from opening files properly. Here are some steps you can take to resolve this issue:

1. Activate Microsoft Office: Ensure that your Microsoft Office is activated. You can do this by opening any Office application, going to File > Account, and checking the activation status. If it shows that Office is not activated, follow the prompts to activate it.
2. Repair Office: If activation does not resolve the issue, you can try repairing your Office installation. To do this, go to Settings > Apps > Installed apps, find Microsoft 365, click on it, and select Modify. Choose Online Repair and follow the instructions.
3. Check for Updates: Make sure that your Office installation is up to date. Sometimes, updates can resolve bugs that may be causing issues with file opening.
4. Reinstall Office: If the above steps do not work, consider uninstalling and then reinstalling Microsoft Office to ensure a clean installation.

After following these steps, try opening your Excel files again to see if the issue is resolved.