why is my Microsoft power point, excel, word all are not working? all of them are not opening please assist

Question

micro soft word, excel, power point both of them are not working i can not even open my documents please what the problem

Answer 1

Hi @Mbambu Me

Good day to you.

To better understand the issue and provide accurate guidance, could you please help confirm the following:

• Do you receive any error message when opening the applications? If yes, please share the exact message.
• Does this happen with all files or only specific documents?
• Are you using Microsoft 365 or a standalone Office version (e.g., Office 2019/2021)?
• When you try to open the apps, do they not launch at all, or do they open and then close/crash?

Additionally, please provide the following screenshots:

• Screenshot when attempting to open any Office application (Word/Excel/PowerPoint)
• Screenshot of any error message (if available)
• Screenshot showing what happens after double-clicking a file

Kindly ensure that any personal or sensitive information (such as email address or account details) is masked before sharing.

Looking forward to your update.

Answer 2

Follow these steps in order and test Word/Excel/PowerPoint after each step:

1. Run a Quick Repair of Office
   1. Select Start and type Control Panel, then open it.
   2. Go to Programs > Programs and Features.
   3. Select the Microsoft Office / Microsoft 365 product in the list and choose Change.
   4. Select Quick Repair, then Repair and let it finish.
   5. Try opening Word, Excel, and PowerPoint again.
2. If they still don’t open, run an Online Repair Online Repair is more thorough and can reinstall Office components.
   1. Close all Office apps.
   2. Repeat: Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features.
   3. Select the Office product > Change.
   4. Choose Online Repair (if offered) and complete the process.
   5. Restart the computer and test Word/Excel/PowerPoint.
3. If Office apps crash or show “stopped working” errors Some add-ins can prevent apps from starting.
   1. Start an app (for example Word) in Safe Mode by holding Ctrl while clicking the Word shortcut, then choose to start in Safe Mode.
   2. If it opens, disable add-ins:
      • Go to File > Options > Add-ins.
      • At the bottom, in Manage, choose COM Add-ins > Go.
      • Uncheck all add-ins (especially older ones like ABBYY FineReader or Dragon Naturally Speaking) and select OK.
      • Close Word and open it normally.
   3. If it works, re‑enable add-ins one by one to find the problematic one.
4. If files will not open from email or external locations If the problem is only when opening documents from Outlook or the internet:
   • Make sure the Windows Firewall service is running:
     1. Press Windows logo key + R.
     2. Type services.msc and select OK.
     3. In Services, find Windows Firewall (or Windows Defender Firewall), right‑click it, and select Start if it is not running.
   • Try opening the attachments again.
5. If PowerPoint says it can’t read a file or the presentation cannot be opened
   1. Open File Explorer.
   2. Right‑click the problematic file > Properties.
   3. If there is an Unblock checkbox/button, select Unblock, then Apply, then OK.
   4. Right‑click the file again and choose Open.
6. If none of the above works A full removal and reinstall may be required (similar to the moderator guidance in the context):
   1. Uninstall Office from Apps & Features or Programs and Features.
   2. Manually delete any remaining Office folders under C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office and C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office (if present).
   3. Restart the computer.
   4. Sign in to the Microsoft account where the subscription or license is registered and reinstall Office from there.

If the apps still will not open after Online Repair and a clean reinstall, contact Microsoft Support for further investigation.

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References:

• Double-clicking an Office file fails to open it in the correct Office program
• I get a "stopped working" error when I start Office applications on my PC
• Cannot open Word documents or Excel spreadsheets from an external source in Outlook
• Error: Can't read file, or Presentation cannot be opened
• How to fix my MS Word? - Microsoft Q&A
• Office 2021 desktop apps fail to open, cannot restore or uninstall - Microsoft Q&A
• How can I get office 365 to work? - Microsoft Q&A
• My Microsoft365 Office Package no longer works with my iPad Pro - Microsoft Q&A
• Microsoft Office apps for Mac quit unexpectedly - Microsoft Q&A