Microsoft Excel error

Question

a window stating

were sorry but excel has run into a error that is preventing it working correctly. excel will need to be closed as a result.

would you like to repair now ..

when the repair now button is clicked nothing happens and the error window repeats? what can i do ? my excel isnt even opening

Answer 1

1

The 'Repair Now' button on that error popup dialog only performs a quick repair of the Office apps and that rarely resolves the problem with the Office apps, the best option is to perform a full online repair of your Office installation.

Before performing this process, please log into your Microsoft account on this link (https://account.microsoft.com/services/) and check to ensure your Office licence or Microsoft 365 subscription is listed correctly on your account.

Open the Settings App (gear icon on your Start Menu)

Go to Apps, then scroll down to find Microsoft Office

Select that and choose Modify - Online Repair

That should fix any issues with your Office Installation.

2

If that does not resolve the problem, the best option is to completely uninstall the Microsoft 365 (Office) suite, restart your PC, then go to your Microsoft account on the link above and reinstall Office.

Answer 2

Try these steps in order:

1. Update Office first
   • Open any Office app if possible.
   • Go to File > Account > Update Options > Update Now.
   • If Update Now is not shown, select Enable Updates first.
2. Start Excel in Safe Mode to check add-ins
   • Press Windows + R.
   • Type excel /safe and press Enter. Make sure there is a space before /safe.
   • If Excel opens in Safe Mode, an add-in is likely causing the crash.
   • Then go to File > Options > Add-ins.
   • At the bottom, choose Excel Add-ins or COM Add-ins, select Go, and clear the add-ins.
   • Restart Excel normally and test again.
3. Run an Office repair from Windows settings The Repair Now button in the error dialog may not fully fix the installation. Use the built-in Office repair tool instead. For Windows 11:
   • Right-click Start > Installed apps.
   • Find Microsoft 365 or Office.
   • Select the three dots > Modify.
   For Windows 10:
   • Right-click Start > Apps and Features.
   • Find Microsoft 365 or Office.
   • Select it, then choose Modify.
   Then:
   • If the repair window appears, choose Online Repair > Repair.
   • This repairs the full Office installation and is more complete than Quick Repair.
   • It can take 15–30 minutes.
   • Do not cancel it.
   • Restart the PC after it finishes.
4. If Excel opens but a specific file still fails
   • In Excel, go to File > Open > Browse.
   • Select the workbook.
   • Select the arrow next to Open and choose Open and Repair.
5. If Excel still hangs or crashes after repair
   • Perform a selective startup (clean boot) in Windows to check whether a background service or application is conflicting with Excel.

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References:

• I get a "stopped working" error when I start Office applications on my PC
• Repair an Office application
• Troubleshoot opening a blank screen when you double-click a file icon or file name in Excel
• Excel not responding, hangs, freezes or stops working
• Open a document after a file corruption error
• When I open an excel file it shows - We're sorry, but excel has run into an error that is preventing it from working correctly, Excel will need to be closed as a result. would you like us to repair now? then shows the option "repair now","help","close" - Microsoft Q&A
• Problem with Excel that prevents if from working - Microsoft Q&A
• Sorry, EXCEL encountered an error that prevented it from working properly, so EXCEL needs to be closed. Want us to fix it right away? - Microsoft Q&A
• All microsoft office applications Excel, Word, Outlook, Etc. open with error and cannot be used - Microsoft Q&A