Microsoft 365 applications close moments after opening

Question

In Excel and Word the applications close moments after I open them.

Answer 1

Restart your computer and then run an Office repair; see https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/repair-an-office-application-7821d4b6-7c1d-4205-aa0e-a6b40c5bb88b .

Answer 2

The behavior matches known crash issues with Microsoft 365 apps. The most reliable fix is to repair or update the Office installation, depending on the scenario.

Follow these steps in order:

1. Make sure Office is fully updated
   • Open any Office app (if it stays open long enough) and go to:
     • File → Account → Update Options → Update Now.
   • If apps close too quickly, skip to step 2.
2. Run an Online Repair of Microsoft 365
   • Close all Office apps.
   • Open Windows Settings → Apps → Installed apps.
   • Find Microsoft 365 (or Microsoft Office) in the list.
   • Select it → Modify.
   • Choose Online Repair and confirm.
   • Wait for the repair to complete, then restart the PC and test Excel and Word again.
3. If the issue persists after Online Repair
   • Completely uninstall Office from Settings → Apps → Installed apps.
   • Restart the PC (not just shut down).
   • Reinstall Office from the Microsoft account services page.
4. If using Windows Server 2016 and crashes started after a recent update
   • Check if the version is 2412 (Build 18324.20168 or 18324.20190). If so, either:
     • Update to Version 2412 (Build 18324.20194) or later, or
     • Temporarily revert to Version 2411 (Build 18227.20152) using:
       1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator.
       2. Run:
          • cd %programfiles%\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\ClickToRun
          • officec2rclient.exe /update user updatetoversion=16.0.18227.20152

If all apps (Word, Excel, Outlook, etc.) close shortly after opening, step 2 (Online Repair) and, if needed, step 3 (full uninstall/reinstall) are the primary resolutions.

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References:

• Word, Excel, and PowerPoint close unexpectedly when trying to open cloud documents in Office Version 2205
• Office applications using en-gb language pack may close when displaying a dialog window
• Outlook, Word, or OneNote unexpectedly close when typing
• Office apps stop working if you close "Let's get started" screen immediately
• Classic Outlook and Microsoft 365 applications crashing on Windows Server 2016
• I get a "stopped working" error when I start Office applications on my PC
• When I open an excel file it shows - We're sorry, but excel has run into an error that is preventing it from working correctly, Excel will need to be closed as a result. would you like us to repair now? then shows the option "repair now","help","close" - Microsoft Q&A
• How can I get office 365 to work? - Microsoft Q&A
• 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 to fix MS Word has run into an error that is preventing from working properly. Word will need to be closed as a result. - Microsoft Q&A