Programs in Windows Explorer

Question

Excel or Windows won't open, and those are the only ones I have tried. Screen turns gray and cursor keeps spinning.

Answer 1

If this problem occurs specifically with the Office apps, restart your PC and then run an Office repair. See https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/lifecycle/repair-an-office-application . An Online Repair is more thorough, but keep in mind that the last step requires a reinstall of Office. Therefore, before you begin, you should ensure that you can access your account at https://account.microsoft.com/services and that Office is associated with it.

Answer 2

Hi, @Cynthia Cali

To help narrow down the issue:

1. Does the gray screen and spinning cursor happen when you open Excel only, or does it also happen when you try to open other programs or folders in Windows Explorer?
2. What Windows version are you using? If you can access the Run dialog, press Windows + R, type winver and press Enter. Please share the Windows version and OS Build shown.

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In the meantime, if you haven’t already already:

Before proceeding with the steps below, please ensure that you've saved any unsaved tasks or documents.

Perform hard shutdown:

• Press and hold the power button for about 10 seconds, or until the screen turns off, release the power button and wait for about 30 seconds.
• After 30 seconds, press the power button again to turn on your device.

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If the issue persists, please provide more details by answering my questions.

Click "Add comment" to let me know.

Thanks!