dialog box open error

Question

I continue to receive an error indicating I cannot perform the function because I have a dialog box open. I have restarted my machine. Didn't work. Closed 365 programs in task manager. Didn't work. I have even uninstalled and reinstalled office 365 two times and performed an online repair but that is not working either. How do I get this error fixed? I am stuck with out access to all my office 365 programs.

Answer 1

Follow these steps in order, testing an Office app after each step:

1. Start Word (or another Office app) in Safe Mode to bypass add-ins:
   1. Press Windows key + R.
   2. Type winword /safe and select OK.
   3. If Word opens without the “dialog box open” error, the issue is likely an add-in.
2. Disable add-ins if Safe Mode works:
   1. In Word, select File > Options > Add-ins.
   2. At the bottom, in the Manage box, select COM Add-ins and choose Go.
   3. Clear all check boxes to disable all add-ins, then select OK.
   4. Close Word and start it normally.
   5. If it now works, re-enable add-ins one by one, restarting Word each time, until the error returns. Leave the problematic add-in disabled or remove it. Pay special attention to older add-ins such as ABBYY FineReader or Dragon Naturally Speaking, which are known to cause issues.
3. Run an Online Repair of Office (full repair):
   1. Right-click the Start button.
   2. Select Apps and Features (Windows 10) or Installed apps (Windows 11).
   3. Select the Microsoft Office product and choose Modify.
   4. Choose Online Repair > Repair and complete the process.
4. If the problem persists across all Office apps even after Online Repair and add-ins are disabled, completely uninstall Office and remove remnants before reinstalling:
   1. Uninstall Office from Apps & Features / Programs and Features.
   2. If the standard uninstall does not fully remove Office, use the Microsoft 365 uninstall troubleshooter. If that still leaves remnants, follow the documented steps to manually uninstall Office.
   3. Restart the PC.
   4. Reinstall Office from the Microsoft account services page.

If after these steps the error still appears, check Windows for updates (Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > Check for updates) and install all available updates, then restart and test again.

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References:

• I get a "stopped working" error when I start Office applications on my PC
• "Something went wrong" error when you try to start a Microsoft 365 app
• "Unable to start Office" or ”Office is busy” error message
• "We are sorry, but Word has run into an error that is preventing it from working correctly. Word will need to be closed as a result. Would you like us to repair now?" - Microsoft Q&A
• How can I get office 365 to work? - Microsoft Q&A