My Office product (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) displays an error when opened or is not working properly. What can I do to fix this?

Often, restarting your computer will fix most problems and errors. However, if this does not work, you can try repairing your software if you're using a Windows computer.

1. Begin by typing Control Panel in the search box in the lower left corner of your computer, next to the Start button. Go to Programs and Features.

Control panel menu with Programs and Features option

 

2. Scroll down the list of programs to Microsoft Office Professional - the instructions are the same no matter what version of Office you have.

Microsoft Office Professional selected

 

3. Click once on Office to highlight it - once it is selected, you'll see that you have a set of buttons at the top of the list. Click on Change. It looks a little different in Office 2016 and in Office 2019. 

Change option with Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2016 selected

Change option with Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2019 - en-us selected

 

4. In Office 2016, you'll see a screen that says setup is preparing the necessary files.

Office startup popup

 

5. On your next screen, click Repair and then Continue. Office will be a repair of your installation. This can take between 15-45 minutes and you'll need to close all of your Office products while it runs.

Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2016 repair option

In Office 2019, you'll see a slightly different screen, but you can first try the quick repair to see if that resolves your issue. If it doesn't try the online repair. 

Microsoft Office 2019 Office Quick Repair option

 

Note: This will repair the entire Office suite even if it's just one application you want to repair such as Word or Excel.