Microsoft Excel will no longer open.

John Hilliard 0 Reputation points
2026-06-30T21:52:16.04+00:00

Every time I go to open Excel I get the following message. "Excel couldn't start last time. Safe mode could help you troubleshoot the problem, but some features might not be available in this mode. Do you want to start in safe mode." Yes or No boxes to select. There is no response from either box when selected. The current overall problem is I can't access Excel either via my Excel shortcut, the start up menu or by trying to open any of my current files/spreadsheets, the above message appearing at every attempt.

I have tried various of the problem solving suggestions all to no avail.

I have uninstalled the previous programme and re-installed a new one which seemed to have overcome the problem until I turned on my laptop today to find the said problem and associated message had returned.

How can I permanently resolve this issue?

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | For home | Windows
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  1. Ferdinand Nanalig 31,080 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-07-02T18:12:09.1+00:00

    Can you try opening a Word document in the online version and then opening it as a desktop application? If you can open the Word app this way, try updating it. Go to File > Account > Update Options and click Update Now. Also check for pending Windows updates on your computer.

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  2. Ferdinand Nanalig 31,080 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-07-01T21:37:18.9366667+00:00

    Do the other Office apps, such as Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, or Outlook, open normally, or is Excel the only application that won't start?

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  3. Ferdinand Nanalig 31,080 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-07-01T14:45:55.2133333+00:00

    Please follow these steps;

    Press Windows + R.

    Type:

    regedit

    Navigate to:

    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Excel

    Right-click the Excel key and choose Rename (for example, Excel.old).

    Close Registry Editor and try opening Excel.

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  4. Ferdinand Nanalig 31,080 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-06-30T23:13:13.6+00:00

    Hi! Let me help you.

    May I please know the method you used to uninstall and reinstall Excel?

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