how to fix my microsoft word software

Question

I open a document then an error message is displayed telling me that it does not function properly and there are options displayed too such as: repair close and help. When I press repair the program quits and I return to the desktop page.

Answer 1

Hi Wesley,

Please do an online repair of Office to resolve the issue.

• Open Settings → Apps → Installed apps (or Apps & features, depending on Windows version).
• Select the Microsoft 365 or Office product you want to repair and select Modify.
• Select it and choose Modify.
• When prompted, choose Online Repair (not Quick Repair), then start the repair.

Reference: Repair an Office application | Microsoft Support

Answer 2

Try this in order:

1. Restart the PC, then open Word again.
2. If the same error appears, run an Office repair:
   • On Windows 10: right-click Start > Apps and Features.
   • On Windows 11: right-click Start > Installed apps.
   • Select the Microsoft 365 or Office product.
   • Choose Modify.
   • If prompted, select Online Repair > Repair. This is more complete than Quick Repair.
   • Follow the on-screen steps, then restart the PC if prompted.

Notes:

• This repairs the whole Office suite, not just Word.
• Online Repair can reinstall Office components as part of the fix.
• If Word still does not open documents correctly, try opening Word first, then use File > Open to open the document.
• If double-clicking documents is part of the problem, run Quick Repair first or re-associate Word files with Word from Control Panel > Programs > Default Programs.
• If multiple Office versions are installed, uninstall the versions that are not needed, then restart the PC. Multiple versions can cause file-opening problems.

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References:

• Repair an Office application
• "Something went wrong" error when you try to start a Microsoft 365 app
• Double-clicking an Office file fails to open it in the correct Office program