You just started working on your project and suddenly Microsoft Office stops working. Disheartening, isn’t it? For some reason or the other, your system is unable to support the current version of MS Office. Since MS Office Suite is an all-encompassing software for all your needs, you need it to work. While MS Word is an extremely useful word processing software, MS Excel dominates the spreadsheet program domain. PowerPoint is used for educational & business purposes alike. Hence, it would be worrisome if MS Office won’t open on your desktop/laptop. Today, we will help you fix Microsoft Office not opening on Windows 10 issue.
Table of Contents
Let us first understand why MS Office won’t open on your system.
- Outdated Version of MS Office –With regular updates in Windows 10, it is imperative that you use the updated version of MS Office too because an outdated application is bound to malfunction with a new-gen operating system.
- Incorrect System Settings – If the system settings are not optimum for opening or closing MS Office, then the program is meant to face issues.
- Unnecessary Add-ins – You may be having multiple Add-ins on your interface. Often, these Add-ins can cause the MS Office to slow down, crash, or not open at all.
- Incompatible Windows Update – If your Windows operating system is incompatible or outdated with relevance to the application, then you may face this issue.
Method 1: Open MS Office From Installation Location
It’s possible that the Desktop shortcut of MS Office is not functioning properly. Owing to this Microsoft Office won’t open. Hence, to bypass it, you can try to open the application from its source file, as explained below:
Note: MS Word is used as an example here.
1. Right-click on app Shortcut and select Properties, as shown.
2. Switch to the Details tab in the Properties window.
3. Locate the source of the application through the Folder Path.
4. Now, navigate to the source location and Run the application from there.
Method 2: Run MS Office Apps in Safe Mode
If Microsoft Office not opening in normal mode, then you can try to open it in Safe mode. It is a toned-down version of the application, that may help resolve this issue. To run MS Office in safe mode, follow the given steps:
1. Press Window + R keys simultaneously to launch the Run dialog box.
2. Type the name of the application and add /safe. Then, click on OK.
Note: There should be space between app name & /safe.
For example: excel /safe
3. This will automatically open the desired app in Safe Mode.
Also Read: How to Start Outlook in Safe Mode
Method 3: Use Repair Wizard
The particular application of MS Office may be missing some components, or there could be problems in the Registry files thereby, causing Microsoft Office not opening issue on Windows 10. To fix the same, run the Repair Wizard, as follows:
1. Open Windows search bar, type and launch Control Panel, as illustrated below.
2. Set View by > Category and click on Uninstall a program option under Programs, as shown highlighted.
3. Right-click on the Microsoft Office program and select Change.
Note: Here we have shown Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2016 as an example.
4. Choose the Repair option and click on Continue.
5. Follow the on-screen Repair Wizard to complete the process.
Method 4: Restart MS Office Processes
Sometimes, the Microsoft Office services do not respond when the particular application you want to use is already running in the background. This is a common glitch that many people complained of. However, checking and restarting such tasks can prove to be helpful.
1. Launch Task Manager by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys simultaneously.
2. Now, right-click on the MS Office process, and select Go to details option, as shown.
Note: Microsoft Word is used as an example.
3. If you see WINWORD.EXE process running then, it means that the app is already open in the background. Here, click on End task as shown.
4. Relaunch the said program and continue working.
Also Read: 3 Ways To Kill A Process In Windows 10
Method 5: Update MS Office
With continuous updates of Windows, old versions of MS Office are becoming incompatible. Hence, revamping MS Office services can help to fix Microsoft Office not opening on Windows 10 problem.
1. Open the desired application, for example, MS Word.
2. Click on File on the top-left corner of the screen, as depicted.
3. From the given menu, select Account.
4. Here, click on Update Options next to Office Updates.
5. Now, click on Update Now, as depicted.
6. Follow the Update Wizard.
7. Do the same for other MS Office Suite apps too.
Method 6: Update Windows
Updating your operating system can also help to fix Microsoft Office won’t open issue.
1. Search Check for Updates in Windows search bar and click on Open.
2. Here, click on Check for Updates in the right panel, as shown.
3A. If there are new updates for your Windows Operating system, then download and install the same.
3B. If there is no update available, the following message will appear: You’re up to date
Also Read: How to Transfer Microsoft Office to a New Computer?
Method 7: Disable Add-ins
Add-ins are essentially small tools that we can add to our MS Office application. Each application will have different Add-ins. Sometimes, these add-ins overburden MS Office, leading to Microsoft Office not opening on Windows 10 issue. Thus, removing or temporarily disabling them should definitely help.
1. Open the desired application, in this case, MS Word and click on File.
2. Select Options, as shown.
3. Next, click on Add-ins. Select COM Add-ins in the Manage drop-down menu. Then click Go…
4. Here, untick all the Add-ins that you have installed, and click OK.
Note: If you do not use such add-ins, we suggest that you click on Remove button to remove it permanently.
5. Restart the application and check if it opens & works properly.
Method 8: Reinstall MS Office
If none of the above-mentioned methods worked for you, then try uninstalling MS Office and then, install it again.
Note: Implement this method only if you have the required MS Office Installation Disk or Product Code.
1. Navigate to Control Panel > Uninstall a program, using Steps 1-2 of Method 3.
2. Right-click on Microsoft Office program and select Uninstall.
Note: Here, we have shown Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2016 as an example.
3. Follow the instructions given by Uninstall Wizard.
4A. Click here to buy and install Microsoft Office 365 through the official website.
4B. Or, use MS Office Installation CD.
5. Follow the Installation Wizard to complete the process.
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- How to Add a Page in Google Docs
- How to Add Table of Contents in Google Docs
We have grown used to working on MS Office so much so that it has become an integral part of our work culture. Even when one of the applications starts to malfunction, our whole work balance gets disturbed. Hence, we have brought the best solutions to help you fix Microsoft Office not opening on Windows 10 issue. If you have any feedback or queries, kindly provide the same in the comments section below.
These suggestions apply to Microsoft Word for Office 365, Word 2019, Word 2016, Word 2010, Word 2007, and Word for Mac.
There are nine methods in total for Microsoft Word has stopped working and Word file recovery and repair. These approaches can also be applied to fix similar issues on other Office apps, such as Excel, PowerPoint, etc.
| Workable Solutions | Step-by-step Troubleshooting |
|---|---|
| Fix 1. Repair Corrupted Word | A corrupted file may make the Word stop working. Fix the corrupted Word documents with a file repair tool…Full steps |
| Fix 2. Disable Add-ins in Safe Mode | Certain add-ins may cause compatibility issues that cause a «Word stopped working» error with Office apps…Full steps |
| Fix 3. Repair Office 2016 | If Word is damaged or corrupted. Try a quick repair first, and if that doesn’t work, try the online repair…Full steps |
| Fix 4. Install Latest Update | Download and install the latest updates for your version of Office and Windows to fix Word not working …Full steps |
| Fix 5. Insert Word into Another File | Microsoft Word has stopped working error can occur while opening your previously saved documents…Full steps |
| More practical solutions | Update old printer drivers; remove or delete word registry keys; uninstall and reinstall MS office…Full steps |
Issue: Microsoft Word Has Stopped Working 2016/2013/2010/2007
With the increasing fame of Microsoft Office, its applications like Word have gained worldwide users’ favor. However, the more users there are, the more problems there are. «Microsoft Office Word has stopped working» is one of the top concerned questions for many Word users.
Usually, when Microsoft Word stops working, an error shows up; you have two available options to undertake: check online for a solution or close the program. When you choose to close the application, you may run into the problem of Microsoft Word not opening.
If you are also facing Microsoft word not working issue in Microsoft Office Word 2016, 2013, 2010, or 2007, read on and check the provided solutions below. Depending on your situation, the solution may be different. We hope one will work for you.
9 Fixes for Microsoft Word Has Stopped Working Error in Windows 10/8/7
Once Microsoft Word stops working, wait for the program to process first and try your best to save the edited document. If you’ve waited for a very long period with no progress, click «Close the program» on the pop-up window in Word and follow the methods to fix the issue effectively.
Fix 1. Repair Corrupted Word Documents with a File Repair Tool
When Word stops working properly, it is often caused by document corruption. Therefore, you can repair the corrupted document to solve the problem.
Try to fix the damaged Word document with a robust file repair tool — EaseUS Fixo Document Repair. This file repair can recover severely corrupted Word files with advanced repair algorithms.
EaseUS Fixo can fix unreadable content in Word and restore it to its original form with all objects.
Step 1. Download and launch Fixo on your PC or laptop. Choose «File Repair» to repair corrupted Office documents, including Word, Excel, PDF, and others. Click «Add Files» to select corrupted documents.
Step 2. To repair multiple files at once, click the «Repair All» button. If you want to repair a single document, move your pointer to the target file and choose «Repair». You can also preview the documents by clicking the eye icon.
Step 3. Click «Save» to save a selected document. Select «Save All» to save all the repaired files. Choose «View Repaired» to locate the repaired folder.
We also provide a video about repairing corrupted files using the EaseUS file repair tool.
- 00:14 Method 1. Insert to a new Word document
- 00:38 Method 2. Use open and repair
- 00:55 Method 3. Default settings
- 01:30 Method 4. EaseUS Fixo Document Repair
Fix 2. Disable Add-ins in Safe Mode
Some incompatible add-ins may cause Word to stop working error with Office apps. A quick way to find out is by starting the Office app in Safe Mode and disabling the add-ins.
Step 1. Press Windows + R keys and type: winword.exe /a and hit Enter to open MS Word in Safe Mode without plugins. Or you can also use winword /safe to start Word in Safe Mode. If Office Word cannot be launched in Safe Mode, the problem is not with add-ins. Try repairing Office or uninstalling and reinstalling it instead.
Step 2. If Word starts in Safe Mode, fix the problem by disabling the application add-ins and COM add-ins. Click «File» > «Options» > «Add-Ins».
Step 3. Click «Manage» at the bottom and select COM Add-ins, click «Go» to uncheck the problematic ones and click «OK» to confirm. Some out-dated add-ins are more likely to cause problems. Uncheck these add-ins first if they are in your list: Abbyy FineReader, PowerWord, and Dragon Naturally Speaking.
After this, restart Word to check if the issue has been resolved.
Fix 3. Repair Office 2016/2013/2010/2007
According to some experienced users, when Microsoft Office contains errors, it would prevent users from opening a Word or edit any files. Then, you will get the Microsoft word has stopped working or Microsoft word not opening error.
The application would directly shut down no matter you want to create a new document or continue editing a file. The direct solution towards this issue is to repair Office installation with the below steps:
Step 1. In Windows 10, 8, or 7, open Control Panel, click «Programs and Features» and click on «Microsoft Office».
Step 2. Locate and select your Microsoft Office, and click «Change» in the top menu.
Step 3. On the window, click «Repair» and then «Continue».
For Newer versions of Microsoft Office users, you can choose «Online Repair» or «Quick Repair» and click «Repair».
Step 4. Let the repair finish and restart your computer.
When the repair process finishes, open your Word application to check if the error appears again.
Fix 4. Install Latest Windows Update or Office Update
When your Office version or Windows system is out of date, Microsoft Office Word may stop working and even crashes. Here are the steps to install the latest updates of Windows or Microsoft Office:
1. Install Latest Windows Update
Step 1. Press Windows + I to open Windows Settings.
Step 2. Click «Update & Security» and select «Check for updates» under Windows Update.
Step 3. If a new Windows update window pops up, click «Install Now» and follow the instructions to install the available update.
2. Install Microsoft Office Update
For Office 2013 and newer versions:
Step 1. Open an Office application — Excel or Word, click «File».
Step 2. Click «Account» > «Product Information» > «Update Options» .
Step 3. Click «Enable Update» and then select «Update Now».
Note: If the Enable Update button is not available, it means that the automatic update feature is enabled.
For Office 2010 or older versions:
Step 1. Open an Office application — Excel or Word, click «File» > «Help».
Step 2. Click the «Check for Updates» or «Install Updates» option.
Follow the instructions to finish the process. After this, you can re-open a Word document or create a new Word file again.
Fix 5. Insert Word Document into Another File
Microsoft Word has stopped working error can sometimes occur while trying to open your previously saved documents. In this case, you can try inserting your document into another file to fix the issue. Do it by following these steps:
Step 1. Run Microsoft Office Word, and create a blank new file.
Step 2. Click «Insert» from the top ribbon menu, click «Text».
Step 3. Click «Object» and select » Text from File».
Step 4. Select the target Word document which is unopenable or not working, and click «Insert».
Step 5. Check the document content and save it as a new file on your PC.
Fix 6. Remove or Update Old Printer Drivers
Your printer drivers can interfere with Office and cause Microsoft Word has stopped working error to arise. So, sometimes you can fix this problem simply by removing or updating the default printer. To do that, follow these steps:
Step 1. Open Device Manager, and locate your printer.
Step 2. Right-click on your printer drivers and select «Uninstall» or «Update drivers».
Step 3. Uninstall or update the old printer drivers.
- For uninstalling the driver: click «OK» and restart the PC.
- For updating the driver: click «Search automatically for updated driver software» and follow the instruction to finish the process, and restart the PC. Or, you can download a relative driver from your printer website and install it on your PC.
Fix 7. Remove or Delete Word Registry Keys
Some users have reported that Microsoft Word has stopped working error can appear due to problems with your registry. There is a key in the registry that stores frequently used options in Word. If you delete the key, Word rebuilds it the next time you start Word by using the default settings, thus fixing the problem.
- Tip
- Deleting the registry can be potentially dangerous, so we highly recommend you create a backup in case anything goes wrong.
Step 1. Bring up Registry Editor by typing regedit in the search bar and hit Enter.
Step 2. Click «Yes» to open Registry and follow the path to locate the Word options key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Word\Options.
Step 3. Locate and right-click the key, and select «Export».
Step 4. Save the Options key as «Wddata.reg» and save it on your Desktop.
Step 5. Go back to Registry Editor and locate the Options key, and delete it from the menu.
Step 6. Exit Registry Editor.
After this, restart your Word and check if the problem is resolved. If the problem still exists, run the Wddata.reg on your Desktop to restore the deleted key.
Fix 8. Replace the Normal.dot Global Template File
Microsoft Word stores formatting and macros in a global template file. When the global template file is corrupted, you’ll get the Microsoft word stopped working error message. To resolve the problem, you need to rename the Normal.dot file.
Note: Modifying the global template file will lose some customization features, such as styles, macros, etc. To keep previous settings, you can copy the customization from one global template to another by using the Organizer. Do the following to replace Normal.dot file.
Step 1. Press Windows + X and select «Command Prompt (Admin)». Sign in if the program requires administrator permission.
Step 2. Enter the command below and hit Enter:
ren %userprofile%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates\OldNormal.dotm Normal.dotm
Step 3. Wait for the command to finish and exit Command Prompt.
After this, restart your Word application to check if you can use it to edit documents or create new files again.
Fix 9. Uninstall and Reinstall MS Office
Note: This fix may cause your activation key invalid after the reinstallation of MS Office. Make sure that your activation key can be used twice before taking the below steps.
Step 1. Keep your MS Office activation key and save it to another secure device.
Step 2. Open Control Panel, click «Program and Features», then locate and select Microsoft Office.
Step 3. Click «Uninstall» in the top menu.
Step 4. Re-install Microsoft Office on your PC and activate it with your serial key.
If your old key fails to activate the newly installed MS Office, please contact the Microsoft support team for help: https://support.microsoft.com/contactus.
More Guides: How to Recover Lost or Unsaved Word Documents
Another big issue that concerns users the most is the lost or unsaved Word file when Word stopped working. If you’re editing a Word document when it happens, you’re likely to lose documents that haven’t been saved. In this section, you can learn how to recover unsaved Word documents with useful tips. What’s more, a renowned file recovery tool is introduced to help you repair and recover lost Word documents in the simplest way.
How to Restore Unsaved Word Documents
If you lost unsaved Word documents due to Word crash, Word not responding, Word stopped working, Word keeps freezing, or other Word problems, there are three ways for you to recover unsaved Word documents in Windows 10. Link to the page to see details.
- Fix 1. Recover from Temporary Files
- Fix 2. Recover from AutoRecover
- Fix 3. Use Document Recovery
For a Mac user, check this link to see how to recover unsaved Word document on Mac.
How to Restore Deleted Word Document with File Recovery Software
If the Word has stopped working error lead to file corruption or if you have deleted some crucial Word documents and need to get them back, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is a great choice. This software will not only help you recover lost files but also help you repair damaged documents during the recovery process.
EaseUS data recovery software features:
- Recover lost or deleted Word, Excel, PPT, and PDF documents
- Support data recovery for sudden deletion, formatting, hard drive corruption, virus attack, system crash under different situations
- Recover Word document on HDD, SSD, USB flash drive, pen drive, SD card, external hard drive, etc.
Download EaseUS file recovery tool to recover lost or corrupted Word documents on HDD, USB flash drive, external hard drive, and more in only 3 simple steps.
Step 1. Choose the Word file location
Choose the drive or a specific folder where you lost Word documents and click the «Search for Lost Data» button.
Step 2. Locate your Word documents
The software will start immediately scanning all lost data on the selected drive. After the scan, click the «Documents» option in the left panel. Choose the target Word file from the scan results. Then, click «Preview».
Step 3. Recover the deleted Word documents
After previewing, select the desired Word files and click «Recover». Remember, save the recovered documents in another location rather than original place. It is a great choice saving the recovered documents to cloud storage like OneDrive or Dropbox.
Causes of Microsoft Word Has Stopped Working Error
Except for finding the right solutions to solve the Microsoft office has stopped working error on Windows PC, it’s highly necessary to know the reasons that cause your Word malfunction. Here are the main reasons:
- Office edition isn’t compatible with the current OS on your PC.
- Word is out of date.
- The device driver is out of date.
- Word Add-in issue.
- Word file issue.
Useful Tips to Back Up and Protect Word File
If you are looking for a reliable method to fix the «Word has stopped working» error, the solutions included in the above two parts are capable to help you out.
If you prefer a more comprehensive plan to protect your precious Word documents, stay here. Two reliable Word backup tips are available here for you to try:
1. Enable Auto-Save Feature in Word
Applies to: Back up and save editing Word document.
Step 1. Open MS Word application and create a new file, click «File» > «Option».
Step 2. Click «Save» and check the below two boxes:
- «Save AutoRecover information every * munites» (set a time for autosave — every 2 or 5 minutes will be good)
- «Keep the last autosaved version if I close without saving»
Step 3. Click «OK» to confirm.
2. Back Up Saved Word File with File Backup Software
Applies to: Back up saved Word file on your local drive.
Reliable file backup software like EaseUS Todo Backup can help you effectively back up important files including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc. on a local drive with ease.
The backup will be a lifesaver to immediately bring your hard word back once you lose it due to unknown reasons.
Download and follow the below 3 steps to safely back up your Word file with ease:
Step 1. For the first time you use EaseUS Todo Backup to back up files, click Create backup on the home screen and then mouse click the big question mark to select backup contents.
Step 2. Since you’re going to back up files and folders on your computer, go on with the «File» backup mode, where you can select pictures, videos, documents and all other types of files to back up.
Step 3. Follow the paths to locate the files, folders or directories you want to back up, select them all and click «OK«.
Step 4. Now you need to select a backup location to save and retain the backup.
Step 5. EaseUS Todo Backup allows users to save the backup files to every device that is handy for you, like a local hard drive, external USB drive, SD card, network drive, or a NAS drive, plus a cloud drive of the EaseUS brand. We personally recommend users to choose the cloud drive prior to a physical drive to save important backups due to the greater accessibility, flexibility and safety.
To be able to access to EaseUS cloud, all you need is an email registration and login.
Step 6. If you’re interested in an automatic and intelligent backup schedule for the next file backup task, go on with the «Options» setting. There you can encrypt a confidential file backup, compress the backup image size, or customize a backup scheme to tell the software in what time to start the next backup.
Customize an advanced and automatic backup task here:
Step 7. Click «Backup Now» to start the file backup process. Your completed backup files are visible on the left area in a card style.
Here are a few questions related to Microsoft Word has stopped working. If you also have any of these problems, you can find the methods here.
1. How do I fix Microsoft Word has stopped working?
When MS word has stopped working, you can fix it by repairing Office installation.
Step 1. Open Control Panel, click “Programs and Features» and click on «Microsoft Office».
Step 2. Locate and select your Microsoft Office, and click «Change» in the top menu.
Step 3. On the window, click «Repair» and then «Continue». For Newer versions of Microsoft Office users, you can choose «Online Repair» or «Quick Repair» and click «Repair».
Step 4. Let the repair finish and restart your computer.
2. Why is my Microsoft Word not opening?
When there are a few corrupted documents, or you have an issue with a Word or 3rd party add-on, your Word maybe not opening.
3. How do you restart Microsoft Word?
Step 1. Go to the Tools Menu, then Customize, then click options.
Step 2. Choose the option for the Reset menu and toolbar usage data. This will put your toolbars back to the original settings. If you would like to reset your settings further, move on to the steps below.
4. Why has my office 365 stopped working?
When Microsoft Office 365, 2016 or 2013 stops working or not opening on your PC, you can also use the Office repair feature to get the problem fixed in Windows 10/8/7: right-click on Office 365, Office 2016 or Office 2013 > Select Change; click Online Repair > click on Repair button.
5. How do I fix Outlook that has stopped working?
When you happen to encounter Outlook 2016 Not Responding in Windows 10, you can try to fix it by using Outlook recovery software; start Outlook in Safe Mode; install Outlook updates; repair Office program, or repair Outlook data files.
FAQ
[Microsoft Office] Устранение неполадок -Программы Office не запускаются
Применимые продукты: ноутбук, настольный компьютер, моноблок, игровая консоль.
Если Ваше устройство было обновлено до Windows 10 версии 20H2 или новее и Вы столкнулись с сообщением об ошибке, показанное ниже, при использовании Microsoft 365 или выпусков Office для дома/бизнеса, приобретаемых самостоятельно (например, Office 2021, 2019), обратитесь к разделу устранения неполадок в этой статье.
Примечание: Если Вы не уверены в версии операционной системы Вашего устройства, обратитесь к этой статье: Как проверить версию операционной системы.
Microsoft подтвердила, что это проблема в их продукте. Для получения более подробной информации, пожалуйста, обратитесь к официальное заявление Microsoft.
- Введите в строке поиска Windows и найдите [Панель управления]①, затем нажмите [Открыть]②. (Иллюстрация поиска слева внизу относится к Windows 11, а справа — к Windows 10.)
- Нажмите [Удалить программу]③ в категории Программы.
- Выберите [Microsoft 365]④ и нажмите [Изменить]⑤.
Примечание: Если Вы используете версию Office для дома/бизнеса, приобретенную самостоятельно (например, Office 2021 или 2019), выберите это конкретное приложение Office.
- Выберите [Быстрый ремонт]⑥, а затем [Устранить]⑦.
- Выберите [Устранить]⑧, для запуска восстановления Ваших программ Office.
- Когда процесс завершится, нажмите [Закрыть]⑨ и попробуйте запустить программы Office снова, чтобы проверить, проявляется проблема или нет.
Примечание: Рекомендуем Вам перезагрузить устройство после завершения процесса восстановления.
- Если проблема сохраняется после быстрого ремонта Вы можете попробовать использовать Online восстановление.
Примечание: Прежде чем использовать опцию онлайн восстановления, Ваше устройству необходимо подключить к Интернету.
Если Ваша проблема не решена с помощью приведенного выше решения и информации, обратитесь в центр обслуживания клиентов ASUS для получения дополнительной помощи.
Эта информация была полезной?
Yes
No
- Приведенная выше информация может быть частично или полностью процитирована с внешних веб-сайтов или источников. Пожалуйста, обратитесь к информации на основе источника, который мы отметили. Пожалуйста, свяжитесь напрямую или спросите у источников, если есть какие-либо дополнительные вопросы, и обратите внимание, что ASUS не имеет отношения к данному контенту / услуге и не несет ответственности за него.
- Эта информация может не подходить для всех продуктов из той же категории / серии. Некоторые снимки экрана и операции могут отличаться от версий программного обеспечения.
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Microsoft Office cannot open? You’re not alone. Windows 10 users have reported an issue regarding Microsoft Office versions 2010 and 2013, where products like Word, Excel, or PowerPoint will not open and return no error or prompt.
Here’s how to fix it:
How do I fix Microsoft Office not opening?
1. Use Task Manager
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc or right-click on the Taskbar, select Task Manager.
- Take a look either through the opened apps or under the Details tab, where you will find it as WINWORD.EXE.
- If you see the process there, this means that Windows 10 thinks the program is open and will not do anything about it. In this case, try to create a new document, right-click it, and select Edit.
In some cases, this method has proven useful and might help you in a tight spot.
2. Go to the source
If your Microsoft Office shortcuts don’t do anything when you try to launch them, then there might be an issue of communication between the shortcut itself and the actual executable it should open.
Depending on what Office version you’ve installed, you should find them in one of these locations:
- C:Program FilesMicrosoft OfficeOffice14
- C:Program Files (x86)Microsoft OfficeOffice14
Try launching the tool you need from here, if it works, then your shortcut was to blame. Create a new shortcut for the Office components you use and replace the faulty ones.
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3. Use Safe Mode
Starting an Office product in Safe Mode is pretty simple, as it was in previous Windows versions.
Just open the Run utility (Windows key + R) and type in the name of the product you want to follow by /safe.
For example, if you wish to open Microsoft Excel in Safe Mode, type in excel /safe.
4. Use a Microsoft Office alternative
In case you need to sidestep this Office issue, it might be useful for you to consider another document management suite.
WPS Office Suite is a legitimate alternative to Microsoft Office due to the effective management of documents across multiple devices. You can thus edit and manage your files on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, or iOS.
There are enough Office apps on the market capable of providing extra value. Hence, this alternative provides Writer, Spreadsheet, or Presentation document tools.
Plus, it supports 47 file formats and it’s available in many languages out there.
⇒ Get WPS Office
5. Repair or Reinstall
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1. Press the Windows key and type apps in the search box, then click the Apps & features result.
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2. Here, type office inside the search bar, then click the Microsoft Office result.
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3. Click on Advanced options.
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4. Scroll down, then click the Repair button. By using this option, your app’s data won’t be deleted, but the app’s files will be checked for any damage or corruption.
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5. Alternatively, you can use the Reset button in case repairing the app didn’t work. In this case, your app data will be lost as well.
The built-in Reset option for Microsoft Office will uninstall and reinstall the application, thus fixing the Microsoft Office not opening issue.
You can choose to fully reset the app or merely repair it, thus preserving your app data for later use. Choose the appropriate option according to your needs.
6. Install Windows updates
Microsoft regularly releases updates for Microsoft Office (and other in-house features and programs) through Windows Update.
So, if your current version of Office is disrupted in some way, there’s a chance a new update will fix it. And it doesn’t necessarily need to be an Office update.
Maybe some other features installed on your computer are interfering with Office, preventing you from accessing it. In both cases, installing fresh updates can resolve the problem.
To install the latest updates on your computer, simply go to Settings > Update & Security, and check for updates.
If you’re having issues opening the Setting app, take a look at this article to solve the issue.
7. Uninstall Windows updates
- Go to Settings. Now, go to Updates & Security, followed by Windows Update.
- Go to Update history > Uninstall updates.
- Now, find the latest Office update installed on your computer (you can sort updates by date), right-click it, and go to Uninstall.
- Restart your computer.
Now, let’s do the total opposite of the previous solution. If the problem started to manifest after you’ve updated your Office suite, then you can easily uninstall the latest updates and see if this fixes your problem.
8. Disable Add-Ins
- Open the troublesome app.
- Go to File > Options.
- Click Add-Ins, and then disable all add-ins.
- Restart the program, and run it without any add-ins enabled.
Sometimes, damaged add-ins may block your Word/Excel/PowerPoint from opening any document.
Since you can’t know for sure which add-in causes the problem, we recommend uninstalling all of them and then installing them one by one again.
That way, you’ll be able to find out which one causes problems. The task is time-consuming, but you don’t have too many choices.
9. Make sure Office is activated
If your copy of Microsoft Office Suite is not genuine, you won’t be able to open any Office app. Technically, you’ll be able to open any program normally, but you can’t do anything with it.
You can’t create new documents, or open and edit existing documents. It’s just an empty shell. So, make sure your Office is properly activated, and try to run in once again.
10. Remove Word Registry Keys
- Go to Search, type regedit, and open Registry Editor.
- Navigate to one of the following paths:
- Word 2002: HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftOffice10.0WordData
- Microsoft Word 2003: HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftOffice11.0WordData
- Word 2007: HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftOffice12.0WordData
- Word 2010: HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftOffice14.0WordData
- Microsoft Word 2013: HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftOffice15.0Word
- Word 2016: HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftOffice16.0Word
- Now, just click on the Data key, and delete it.
- Restart your computer.
If you specifically have problems with opening Word, we’ll try to delete some registry keys. Hopefully, the program will work after that.
11. Remove old printer drivers
And finally, some users have also reported that having old printer drivers installed on your Windows 10 PC prevents Microsoft Office from working.
Alternatively, you can use dedicated uninstaller software to automatically remove old printer drivers from your PC.
After you finish removing your old drivers, check to see if the problem persists.
Wrapping up
That’s about it. We certainly hope at least one of these solutions helped you resolve the problem with Microsoft Office.
Keep in mind that this problem mainly occurs with Microsoft Word. However, we’ve detailed solutions that apply to all Office programs, nevertheless:
If you want to try the new Office 2024, you can download the preview version of the software; read this guide to learn the detailed steps.
If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, just let us know in the comments down below.
Milan Stanojevic
Windows Toubleshooting Expert
Milan has been enthusiastic about technology ever since his childhood days, and this led him to take interest in all PC-related technologies. He’s a PC enthusiast and he spends most of his time learning about computers and technology.
Before joining WindowsReport, he worked as a front-end web developer. Now, he’s one of the Troubleshooting experts in our worldwide team, specializing in Windows errors & software issues.