Unable to open All Microsoft file

Question

This is the what keeps popping whenever I try to open any Microsoft file

And it mostly happens every time after I completely shut down my computer

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 - Installed 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, completely uninstall Office, then restart (not shut down) your PC and go to your Microsoft account on this link (https://account.microsoft.com/services/) to reinstall Office.

Answer 2

Since this happens repeatedly after shutdown, the most relevant fixes are to repair Office and check whether a Word add-in or the Normal.dotm template is being changed.

1. Run an Online Repair for Microsoft 365.
   • Open Settings > Apps > Installed Apps.
   • Find Microsoft 365 (Office).
   • Select Modify > Online Repair.
   • This is more complete than the quick repair option.
2. Check whether a Word add-in is causing the crash.
   • In Word, go to File > Options > Add-ins.
   • At the bottom, next to Manage COM Add-ins, select Go.
   • Disable the add-ins, restart Word, and test.
   • If Word works normally, re-enable add-ins one at a time to find the one causing the issue.
3. Test the Word startup folder.
   • Quit all instances of Word and Outlook.
   • Open File Explorer and go to the Word startup folder. The default path is: C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Word\STARTUP
   • Move the items from that folder to the desktop temporarily.
   • Start Word and test again.
   • If the issue stops, add the files back one by one until the problem returns.
4. If Word asks about changes to the Global or Normal template, select No.
   • Repeated template changes can be caused by add-ins or macros modifying Normal.dotm.
5. If the problem is with a specific document, try repairing that file.
   • In Word, select File > Open > Browse.
   • Select the file.
   • Select the arrow next to Open > Open and Repair.

If the crash only happens when opening files from Outlook or external sources, also check these two known causes:

• Make sure the Windows Firewall service is running: Windows key + R > services.msc > Windows Firewall > Start.
• If files appear to open in Protected View but never actually open, update Intel graphics drivers to 31.0.101.4887 or newer, or roll back to a version older than 31.0.101.4824.

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