I do it again, and I get this error — well, now I can’t show you because Excel is refusing to open up at all. The error indicates that my previous open was unsuccessful, and asks if I would like to open Excel in safe mode. So I close Excel, try to open it again without safe mode, and… nothing.

Upgrade or update Office issues

For example, you can't install Office on computers running Windows XP or Windows Vista. If a Microsoft 365 application such as Word or Excel isn't working correctly, sometimes restarting it will fix the problem. When you're done, you might need to restart your computer.

How do I download and install or reinstall Office?

To troubleshoot Mac activation issues, see the "Activation" section in What to try if you can't install or activate Office for Mac. Office up-to-date ensures that you have the latest security updates and fixes. If your admin has given you permission to install updates, see Install Office updates. For example, you can't install Office on computers running Windows Vista or Windows XP, or on devices that aren't running a supported Windows or Mac operating system. However, you may still be able to use Office Online in your computer's browser. In most cases you can do basic editing on most of these devices, however if you have a qualifying Office 365 subscription, you get access to the apps' extra features.

I recently switched Office 365 plans and now get messages I can't use Office

• If that didn't help, use the uninstall troubleshooter to uninstall Office completely.
• If you're looking for the steps to download and install the latest version of Office such as Microsoft 365, Office 2021, Office 2019, or Office 2016, see Install Office on your PC or Mac.
• If you've used up your five installs and want to install Office on another computer, you have to deactivate an installation.
• I want comments to be valuable for everyone, including those who come later and take the time to read.
• For example, you can't install Office on computers running Windows Vista or Windows XP, or on devices that aren't running a supported Windows or Mac operating system.
• See System requirements for Office for a list of additional requirements.
• Leave us a comment at the bottom of this page to let us know more about your issue.

To install or check for updates on your Mac, see Check for Office for Mac updates automatically. If you're an Office 365 user, do the following to deactivate an installation. If Office is taking a long time to install you may be on a slow connection or you another install or update may be happening in the background. See Office is taking long to install or Office sign company dallas hangs at 90% for possible solutions.

All my Office 365 programs are borked. How can I fix without breaking something?

See the Browsers section on the system requirements page. The steps to access the repair tool vary depending on your operating system. I want comments to be valuable for everyone, including those who come later and take the time to read. Unfortunately, there’s no general-purpose Microsoft Office document repair tool. If your documents are the cause of the problem, hopefully you have backup copies that haven’t been damaged.



If you discover you can't make edits to certain documents, see What you can do in the Office apps on an Android, iOS, or Windows mobile device with an Office 365 subscription. You may get an error if you try to install the 64-bit version of Office and you currently have the 32-bit version installed (or vice versa). You can't install the desktop PC or Mac versions of Office on your Chromebook, but depending on your Chromebook you may be able to install the Office mobile apps. Use the uninstall troubleshooter to uninstall Microsoft 365, Office 2021, Office 2019, or Office 2016 from your Windows PC. If the steps above don’t help, the next step is to uninstall and reinstall Office. It’s less destructive because settings, templates, and other application data will not be deleted.

Repair an Office application

Comments that don't add value will be removed, including off-topic or content-free comments, or comments that look even a little bit like spam. All comments containing links and certain keywords will be moderated before publication. The easiest way to determine this is to take the document to a different computer running another copy of Microsoft Office and attempt to open the document there. If it works, then it’s likely that your installation of Office is the problem, not the document. If it fails, it’s likely the document itself is at fault.