Office 365 apps crashing periodically sin Monday the 29th June

Question

We have alot of users reporting Office 365 apps are not responding and they have to end task and open again. This happens across Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and Outlook. This just started from Monday 29th June. We have tried Quick Repair, Online Repair, Update to latest 16.0.20131.20112 release, wil some saying it has improved but not fixed 100%.

Is anyone else experiencing this?

Moved from: Microsoft 365 and Office | Other

Answer 1

Our clients are also having the same issue. Some troubleshooting came to the conclusion that both:

June 30 Version 2606(Build 20131.20112) and June 25 Version 2606 (Build 20131.20090) have this issue where Outlook and Excel would randomly hang on 'not responding' and you have to end task it.

The solution for us was to DOWNGRADE it to: June 16 Version 2605 (Build 20026.20182). Once we downgraded to that version, users no longer have the hanging Office apps.

Answer 2

Dear @Andrew Morris,

I understand how disruptive it is to have multiple core Office applications like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook suddenly stop responding across your user base, especially when standard troubleshooting steps like repairs haven't fully solved it.

You are not alone in experiencing this. There is a known, confirmed issue that perfectly lines up with your timeline starting late June.  

The core issue stems from two separate bugs introduced in the June 2026 update cycles that manifest as silent freezes or application hangs across the entire Office suite:

1. The Word/Outlook Context Menu Bug: A high-severity bug was identified where interacting with text or context menus (such as right-clicking or running spell checks) causes Classic Outlook and Word to crash to the desktop or hang indefinitely.
2. Windows Update KB5094126 OLE Automation Interruption: If your users rely on third-party integrations (e.g., Document Management Systems, CRM tools, or accounting software) that call Office applications in the background via OLE automation, the June 11, 2026, Windows 11 cumulative update broke this communication pathway, causing the called Office apps to freeze or fail to load silently.  Please refer to this document: Microsoft confirms issues in Windows 11 KB5094126 June 2026 update (This link is shared by community members for your convenience. It points to a third-party site that is not managed or verified by Microsoft. I can’t guarantee the quality, safety, or suitability of any content or software found there. Please review carefully and make sure you understand any potential risks before using it)

Microsoft released an emergency fix addressing the core Office menu and hanging bug via Version 2606 (Build 20131.20112) on June 30, 2026. You can point the customer directly to the official release log showing that Version 2606 (Build 20131.20112) was released precisely on June 30, 2026, to address stability bugs following the June 29th wave of reports: Documentation Link: Update history for Microsoft 365 Apps (listed by date). Advise the customer to verify their installed build number against this page under the Current Channel section to confirm they are completely up to date.

Because you mentioned some users are seeing improvement on this build, but it is not resolved, please execute the following immediate actions:

Step 1: Verify the assigned license (IT admin required)

It may be helpful to ask your IT administrator to confirm that the appropriate Microsoft 365 license is still assigned to your account.

Since both Outlook and Word are affected, licensing or activation issues may be a contributing factor. In some cases, Office applications may stop functioning correctly if the subscription is no longer properly assigned or activated.

To verify this, your Microsoft 365 administrator can:

• Sign in to the Microsoft 365 Admin Center.
• Navigate to Users > Active users.
• Select your account.
• Open the Licenses and apps section.
• Confirm that an appropriate Microsoft 365 license is assigned and enabled.

Step 2: Perform 2 to 3 Consecutive Machine Reboots

For users already updated to Build 20131.20112, the underlying component registration may require multiple system recycles to completely purge the corrupted cache. Several enterprise administrators have reported that it takes up to three full reboots after the update before application stability returns to 100%.

Step 3: Verify Office Bit Architecture (32-bit vs. 64-bit Mismatch)

The recent patch has shown inconsistent behavior on environments still running the 32-bit version of Microsoft 365 Apps on 64-bit Windows operating systems.

• Open Excel > File > Account > About Excel.
• If it is running the 32-bit version, it is highly recommended to migrate these affected users to the 64-bit installation architecture, which completely bypasses the remaining memory-space freezes associated with this bug.

Step 4: Isolate Third-Party Add-ins and OLE Links

If the freezing persists after updating and rebooting, the cause is likely the Windows KB5094126 OLE bug. Test this by launching the apps directly from the native desktop shortcuts rather than from within local internal databases or third-party launch buttons. If they run fine standalone, you will need to apply the enterprise workaround via your Microsoft Support for Business channel until the July Patch Tuesday cumulative fix is deployed. I hope this information clarifies the matter for you. Please let me know if this is helpful or if you have any further questions.

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