Excel not working

Question

We are sorry but excel has run into an error that is preventing it from working correctly. Excel will need to be closed as a result.

Receiving this message on my laptop. How can I correct it.

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, restart your PC, then download and reinstall Office from your account online (https://account.microsoft.com/services/).

Answer 2

Try these steps in order:

1. Open Excel in Safe Mode
   • Press Windows + R.
   • Type excel /safe and select OK.
   • If Excel opens, the problem is likely caused by an add-in.
2. Disable add-ins if Safe Mode works
   • In Excel, go to File > Options > Add-ins.
   • At the bottom, choose COM Add-ins in Manage, then select Go.
   • Clear the enabled add-ins and restart Excel normally.
   • Re-enable add-ins one at a time to identify the one causing the issue.
3. Install the latest Office and Windows updates
   • Update Microsoft 365 and Windows, then test Excel again.
4. Run an Office repair
   • Close all Office apps.
   • Open Settings > Apps > Installed apps.
   • Find Microsoft 365 or Office.
   • Select Modify.
   • Run Quick Repair first.
   • If the issue continues, run Online Repair.
   • Online Repair reinstalls Office and can take 15–30 minutes. Do not cancel it.
5. Check for antivirus conflicts
   • Make sure antivirus definitions are up to date.
   • If the antivirus integrates with Excel, that can cause performance or startup issues.
   • Changing antivirus settings can reduce protection, so use caution. If needed, check with the antivirus vendor about excluding Excel integration.
6. Check whether the workbook location is part of the problem
   • If the error happens with a specific file, save or copy that file to the local drive and open it from there.
   • This helps rule out issues with network locations, SharePoint, Web folders, Remote Desktop/Citrix, or virtualized environments.
7. If Excel still hangs or closes
   • Check whether Excel is busy with another process by looking at the status bar at the bottom of the Excel window.
   • If nothing helps, use Microsoft guided support or contact Microsoft Support for guided troubleshooting.

---

• Excel not responding, hangs, freezes or stops working | Microsoft Support
• Excel not responding, hangs, freezes or stops working | Microsoft Support
• Excel not responding, hangs, freezes or stops working | Microsoft Support
• Excel not responding, hangs, freezes or stops working | Microsoft Support
• 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