Receiving an error message when trying to access Excel for the first time on a MAC

Question

I'm sure this is an easy question but not readily seeing the pathway forward to redownload Excel. I'm receiving the error message below, I've downloaded the lates MAC OS, reinstalled the Microsoft 365 loader and still running into this for Excel only. (OneNote, Powerpoint both work)

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

Hello,

If you are still experiencing the same issue, follow the steps to completely remove the installed Office apps, then reinstall them.

1. Quit all Office applications.
2. Open Finder > Applications.
3. Use Command button +click to select all of the Microsoft 365 for Mac applications.
4. Ctrl+click the application you selected and click Move to Trash.

Once done, in the Finder, click GO in the menu bar and go to folder - ~/Library/Containers/

Delete the folders starting with,

com.microsoft.Word

com.microsoft.Excel

com.microsoft.Powerpoint

com.microsoft.Outlook

com.microsoft.OneNote

Go back to the Library folder and open Group Containers. if present, and Move to Trash.

UBF8T346G9.ms

UBF8T346G9.Office

Once done, sign in with your Microsoft account here to reinstall the Office apps.

https://account.microsoft.com/services

Let me know if you still need more help.

Answer 2

Hello, thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A.

If you are running the latest version of macOS, Tahoe 26.2, the Office applications should work without any issues.

If you are experiencing this error only with Excel, open Finder > Applications, then drag the Excel application to the Trash.

After that, try installing an older version of Excel and check whether it works normally on your computer.

https://officecdn.microsoft.com/pr/C1297A47-86C4-4C1F-97FA-950631F94777/MacAutoupdate/Microsoft_Excel_16.106.26020821_Updater.pkg

Let me know the results.

Answer 3

If you're receiving an error message when trying to access Excel for the first time on a Mac, it could be due to several reasons such as corrupted preferences, background applications interfering, or issues with the installation. Here are some steps you can take to troubleshoot the problem:

1. Check for Corrupted Preferences: Sometimes, Excel preferences can become corrupted. You can try deleting the preferences file:
   • Quit all Microsoft Office applications.
   • Open the hidden Library folder by holding down the OPTION key while selecting the Go menu.
   • Navigate to the Group Containers folder and look for a folder ending with ".Office". Inside, find and delete the Com.microsoft.officeprefs.plist file.
   • Restart Excel to see if the issue is resolved.
2. Repair Disk Permissions: If you're using macOS X 10.2 or later, you can use the Disk Utility to repair disk permissions:
   • Open Disk Utility from the Utilities menu.
   • Select your primary hard disk and choose the First Aid tab, then select Repair Disk Permissions.
   • After the process completes, try opening Excel again.
3. Create a New User Account: If the problem persists, try creating a new user account to see if the issue is related to your user profile:
   • Go to System Preferences > Accounts and create a new account.
   • Log into the new account and check if Excel opens without errors.
4. Reinstall Office: If none of the above steps work, you may need to remove and reinstall Microsoft Office. Make sure to completely uninstall the current version before reinstalling it.

These steps should help you resolve the issue with Excel on your Mac. If the problem continues, consider checking for any updates or patches that may be available for Microsoft Office or your macOS.