Can't log into Office Products

Question

I try to log into windows office products and get the following message. Helps suggest repairs the office produces through the apps, but I get the same message whenever I try to either modify or uninstall Windows 365.

Answer 1

The error indicates a corrupted Office installation (bad image for AppVIsvSubsystems64.dll), and standard Modify/Uninstall from Apps & Features is failing. The supported way to fix this is to completely remove the broken Office install with the dedicated uninstall tool, then reinstall Office.

Use these steps:

1. Fully uninstall Office with the Microsoft uninstall tool
   • Download and run the Office uninstall troubleshooter (Microsoft 365 Uninstall troubleshooter) as described in the article.
   • Run it on the same Windows device where Office is installed and make sure the device is running Windows 10 or later.
   • Let the tool remove all Microsoft 365/Office components.
   • If the tool reports a problem uninstalling, repeat the run until it completes and Office is no longer listed in Settings > Apps.
2. Manually clean up any remaining Office folders (if still present)
   • After the uninstall tool finishes, check C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office and C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office.
   • If Office folders remain, delete the remaining Word/Excel/PowerPoint/Office16 folders that the tool left behind.
3. Restart the computer
   • Perform a full restart (not just shutdown) to release any locked files and complete removal.
4. Reinstall Office from the account that owns the license
   • Sign in to the correct Microsoft account or work/school account that has the Microsoft 365 or Office license.
   • From the account portal, download the Office installer and run it to install a fresh copy.

If Office still will not activate or sign in after reinstalling, run the Microsoft 365 sign‑in troubleshooter and follow its guidance, or perform an Online Repair from Apps & Features if the suite now appears correctly.

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References:

• Microsoft 365 Apps activation error: "The products we found in your account can't be used to activate"
• Microsoft 365 Apps activation error: "We've run into a problem with your Office 365 subscription"
• Unlicensed Product and activation errors in Office
• Error code 30029-4 when trying to uninstall Office
• Office 2021 desktop apps fail to open, cannot restore or uninstall - Microsoft Q&A

Answer 2

Hello Timothy Howe,

I understand how frustrating this is, especially when you’re just trying to open Word or sign in. 

From the error message you shared (“Bad Image – AppVIsvSubsystems64.dll”, error code 0xc000012f), the issue is actually not at the sign-in stage yet. What’s happening is:

• Word (and other apps in Microsoft 365) cannot even start
• A core Office component (Click-to-Run) is corrupted or not loading properly

Because of that:

• The app fails before sign-in
• Repair, Modify, or Uninstall actions may also fail or loop

So, this is an installation issue, not a problem with your account. My recommended steps to fix the issue:

Step 1: Run Online Repair (most important first step)

Please try the following:

1. Close all Office apps (Word, Excel, Outlook, etc.)
2. Open Settings
3. Go to Apps
4. Select Installed apps (or Apps & features)
5. Find Microsoft 365
6. Click it > choose Modify
7. Select Online Repair (please do not choose Quick Repair)
8. Let the process complete (this may take a few minutes) 
9. Restart your computer

 After restarting, please try opening Word again. 

Step 2: If repair doesn’t work, use Microsoft’s uninstall troubleshooter

If you’re unable to run repair, or it doesn’t resolve the issue, the installation may be too corrupted. In that case:

1. Open Microsoft’s official Office uninstall guide: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/uninstall-microsoft-365-or-office-from-a-pc-9dd49b83-264a-477a-8fcc-2fdf5dbf61d8
2. Choose the option to uninstall using the troubleshooter
3. When prompted, select Open Get Help
4. Follow the on-screen instructions
5. The tool will completely remove Microsoft 365 from your device 
6. Restart your computer when prompted

Step 3: Reinstall Office

 Once the uninstall is complete: 

1. Sign in to your Microsoft account 
2. Download and reinstall Microsoft 365 from the official page 
3. Install it as normal and try opening Word again

Important note: I would strongly recommend not downloading or replacing the .dll file manually from the internet. That file is part of Office’s internal system:

•  Using the wrong version can cause further errors
•  It may make the issue more difficult to resolve
• A clean repair or reinstall is the safest and most effective approach.

I hope this will help with your situation. Please feel free to reach back if you have further update or more questions.

Best Regards,

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