Microsoft word will not open. I have Microsoft 365. It worked previously

Question

I installed and purchased Microsoft 365 family. I was able to use Microsoft word until last week. It is now saying word could not start last time and safe mode could help but that isn't working. I previously had an old Microsoft program that had word on it. I am able to open excel but not word. I have tried numerous fixes from suggestions on the internet. Any suggestions?

Answer 1

Hi, I'm John! I will help you with this.

Have you tried manual repair instead? If you haven't tried it yet, please follow the steps below.

First, please check if your Microsoft 365 is active or if your Office license is listed. You can do this by signing in at https://account.microsoft.com/services if the subscription is active or if your Office license is listed, try these steps:

Repair Office apps:

• Press Windows + R, type appwiz.cpl and press Enter.
• Find Microsoft 365 or Office in the list, select it, then choose Change > Quick Repair.
• If that doesn’t help, run the repair again but select Online Repair instead.

Check for updates:

• Open any Office app (if it opens even briefly), go to File > Account > Update Options > Update Now.
• Restart your device after repair and try opening the apps again.

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If issue still persists:

Before installing, it’s a good idea to uninstall all existing versions of Office to avoid conflicts.

Here’s how:

• Open the Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features.
• Look for any version of Microsoft Office or Office apps, right-click, then choose Uninstall. Please uninstall all Office apps.
• Once that’s done, restart your computer just to be safe.

Then, to reinstall Microsoft Office:

• Go to https://account.microsoft.com/services
• Sign in using the same Microsoft account linked to your license.
• Find your Microsoft 365 Subscription and click the "Install".
• That will download the installer for the Office apps, just run it and follow the steps.

If anything’s unclear or the "Install" option still doesn’t show, feel free to let me know. I’ll be happy to walk you through it!

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If all is resolved, feel free to mark the answer for this thread. Otherwise, please let me know if there is anything else I can help you with.