Failed to open app

Question

My Microsoft Word application is unable to open. I

don't know the error associated with it and when I click on the 'Repair now' tab, nothing happens.

Answer 1

Try an ONLINE repair.
https://support.office.com/article/7821d4b6-7c1d-4205-aa0e-a6b40c5bb88b

Before doing this, make sure that your license is attached to your Microsoft account.
https://account.microsoft.com/services

Answer 2

Hi,

Uninstalling will not remove any of the files.

Download the Office Uninstall Tool from the link below: https://aka.ms/SaRA-officeUninstallFromPC

Run it, select Install > Agree.

From the Uninstall Office products window, select Office 365 and it would be uninstalled.

Reinstall from https://account.microsoft.com/services page as next step.

I look forward to hearing from you to get the results of the troubleshooting.

Answer 3

Hi,@Davida Eyram Yao-Kumah You can resolve this by completely uninstalling and reinstalling Microsoft Word

Thank you.

Answer 4

Try these steps in order:

1. Restart the PC
   • Wait a few minutes, restart Windows, sign back in, and try opening Word again.
2. Run an Office repair from Windows settings or Control Panel
   • The Repair now button inside the error dialog often does only a quick repair and may not fix the issue.
   • Use the full repair flow instead.
   Windows 10
   • Right-click Start > Apps and Features.
   • Select Microsoft 365 or Office.
   • Select Modify.
   • Choose Online Repair > Repair.
   Windows 11
   • Right-click Start > Installed apps.
   • Select Microsoft 365 or Office.
   • Select the ellipses (...) > Modify.
   • Choose Online Repair > Repair.
   Control Panel method
   • Open Control Panel.
   • Go to Programs > Programs and Features.
   • Select the Office product.
   • Choose Change.
   • Run Quick Repair first. If Word still does not open, run Online Repair.
   Note: Online Repair may effectively reinstall Office and requires an internet connection.
3. Check for add-in problems if Word still will not start
   • Disable Word add-ins one by one.
   • If there are multiple add-in types in the Manage list, such as COM Add-ins, repeat the process for those too.
   • Older versions of ABBYY FineReader and Dragon Naturally Speaking are specifically called out as known to cause problems with Office 2016.
4. Install Windows updates
   • Older device drivers can be incompatible with Office.
   • Go to Settings > Windows Update and select Check for updates.
   • Install available updates, then try Word again.
5. If Office appears busy or stuck updating
   • If messages mention "Office is busy" or "Unable to start Office", restart the PC first.
   • If that continues, use the Microsoft uninstall troubleshooter to completely remove Office, then reinstall it.
   • Important: the uninstall troubleshooter currently can't uninstall Office 2024, and it requires Windows 10 or later.

If the goal is to open existing documents urgently, a temporary workaround is:

• Start Word first, then use File > Open to open the document from inside the app.

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References:

• "Something went wrong" error when you try to start a Microsoft 365 app
• Repair an Office application
• I get a "stopped working" error when I start Office applications on my PC
• "Unable to start Office" or ”Office is busy” error message
• Double-clicking an Office file fails to open it in the correct Office program