It’s less destructive because settings, templates, and other application data will not be deleted. 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. Click the Close button, then try your problem Office application again.

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This sort of thing does occur from time to time, and it is often quite easy to repair. If one or more Office apps is acting glitchy, work your way through this series of repair maneuvers, starting with the simplest. Come with me as I write this article in real time as I try to resolve the issue. If you’re lucky, you’ll find your problem covered, and SaRA will fix it for you. However, let’s return to Step 1 to start this process where it also usually ends. You’re working on a document or a spreadsheet, or using email, and BAM!

Recover data from a corrupted workbook

If neither automatic nor manual repair works, there are some recovery methods that might help salvage your data. You can also take some preventive measures to avoid losing your work by automatically saving a backup copy of your workbook or creating a recovery file from time to time. Once you’ve installed the program, the home screen opens up, as shown in Figure 10.

Automatically create a recovery file at set intervals

If you have to go this far during actual Office repairs, my condolences. You’re probably feeling pretty frustrated by now. We’re going to download and run a tool that completely obliterates your current Office installation. Then you’ll download and install a fresh, new installation from the Microsoft Office download page. This process seldom takes more than one or two minutes.

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One of your Microsoft Office applications starts acting weird or stops responding. Find solutions to common problems or get help from a support agent.

• If you have to go this far during actual Office repairs, my condolences.
• If you’re lucky, when you open your formerly balky or misbehaving Windows app, all will be well.
• That has never failed in my experience, any time I’ve had to go that far.

Even on my 2012 vintage test machine, it was done in under a minute (on a healthy Office installation, I cheerfully confess). When the process Fix outlook stuck on loading profile completes, the "Done repairing" window appears, as shown in Figure 6. Once you’ve clicked Change, you may see a User Account Control window asking for permission to run the repair program. Click Yes, and the built-in Office repair window appears. The Quick Repair option, as shown in Figure 2, is selected by default.



You’ll then need to re-download and reinstall Microsoft Office. When complete, a checkmark appears next to the Rest button. Unzip to a folder of your choosing, then run the file named SaraSetup.exe to install the program.

Like many programs, Microsoft Office’s tools can be extended by third-party add-ons. You can try uninstalling or disabling any you’re aware of. Exactly how you do this will depend on the specific add-on.

At least two computers at my workplace don't have Office (or its components) showing in the Installed Apps. After the list of installed apps populates (it can take some time, depending on how much you have installed), scroll down and look for Microsoft 365 (Office). Then it took another 4 minutes and 24 seconds for the (genuine) progress bar shown above to download all the files. Watching my network access while this was underway, I saw the typical on-again, off-again download behavior for Windows Update occurring here. The download meter ran as high as 180 Mbps, and as low as a few Kbps while the download was underway. Office’s Online Repair option works and goes through exactly the same steps as Quick Repair, so I won’t walk through all those screen shots again.

It includes options for Teams, Office, the Outlook desktop client, Outlook on the web, advanced diagnostics, and more. When you run a Quick Repair operation, Office will attempt simple repairs using local files already on your PC. This usually takes a minute or two to complete. In about 4 cases out of 5, in my personal experience, this step alone is enough to repair Office properly and restore it to working order.