My Windows PC will not open any app

Try these steps in order:

1. Try opening the app again If this started after a System Restore, some Windows apps can show “This app can’t open” the first time and then open on the next attempt.
2. Run Windows Update On Windows 11:
   • Select Start
   • Type settings
   • Select Windows Update
   • Select Check for updates
   • Install any available updates
   This is recommended both for Windows app issues and for Office app startup failures.
3. Start an Office app in Safe Mode This checks whether an add-in is causing Word, Excel, or Outlook to fail.
   • Press Windows key + R
   • For Word, type: winword /safe
   • For Excel, type: excel /safe
   • For Outlook, type: outlook /safe
   • Select OK
   If an app opens in Safe Mode, the problem is likely related to add-ins.
4. Disable Office add-ins If Word or Excel opens in Safe Mode:
   • Go to File > Options > Add-ins
   • In Manage, select the add-in type and open it
   • Clear the selected add-ins
   • Restart the app normally
   • If needed, re-enable add-ins one at a time to find the one causing the crash
5. Repair Office If Office apps still will not open, run a repair. A full Online Repair is more thorough than the quick repair prompt.
   • Open Settings
   • Go to Apps
   • Find Microsoft Office or Microsoft 365
   • Select Modify
   • Start with Quick Repair
   • If that does not fix it, run Online Repair
6. Check device and Windows drivers Older drivers can prevent Office apps from opening correctly. After Windows Update, also make sure these are current:
   • video card
   • printer
   • mouse
   • keyboard
   On laptops, also check the laptop manufacturer’s site for updated drivers.
7. If Office still fails, uninstall and reinstall Office Use Microsoft’s uninstall troubleshooter, restart the PC when prompted, and then reinstall Office.

If the issue is specifically with opening Word or Excel files from Outlook or another external source on older systems, check that the Windows Firewall service is running:

• Press Windows key + R
• Type services.msc
• In Services, right-click Windows Firewall and select Start

References:

• KB5023152: “This app can’t open” error message after running system restore and then starting a Windows app in Windows 10 and later versions
• I get a "stopped working" error when I start Office applications on my PC
• Open Office apps in safe mode on a Windows PC
• Cannot open Word documents or Excel spreadsheets from an external source in Outlook
• I am not able to open microsoft apps like ms word on my new sangsum laptop - Microsoft Q&A
• All microsoft office applications Excel, Word, Outlook, Etc. open with error and cannot be used - Microsoft Q&A