EXCEL Error

Try these steps in order:

1. Start Excel in Safe Mode
   • Press Windows + R.
   • Type excel /safe and press Enter.
   • If Excel opens and the title bar shows Microsoft Excel (Safe Mode), the problem is likely an add-in.
2. Disable Excel add-ins
   • In Excel Safe Mode, go to File > Options > Add-Ins.
   • In the Manage list, select Excel Add-ins or COM Add-ins, then select Go.
   • Clear one add-in, select OK, then restart Excel normally.
   • Repeat one at a time until the faulty add-in is found.
   • Older add-ins known to cause problems include ABBYY FineReader and Dragon Naturally Speaking.
3. Run an Office repair
   • Close all Office apps.
   • In Windows, right-click Start and open Installed apps (Windows 11) or Apps and Features (Windows 10).
   • Select Microsoft 365 or Office > Modify.
   • If available, run Quick Repair first.
   • If the issue continues, run Online Repair. This is more thorough and replaces corrupted files.
   • Restart the PC after the repair finishes.
4. Update Windows
   • Open Settings > Windows Update.
   • Select Check for updates and install available updates.
   • This can fix problems caused by incompatible or outdated device drivers.
5. If the error happens only with one workbook
   • In Excel, go to File > Open > Browse.
   • Select the file.
   • Select the arrow next to Open > Open and Repair.
   • Choose Repair.
   • If that fails, choose Extract Data to recover values and formulas.

If Excel does not open even in Safe Mode, the issue is less likely to be an add-in and more likely to be the Office installation itself. In that case, Online Repair is the best next step.

References:

• I get a "stopped working" error when I start Office applications on my PC
• Repair an Office application
• Excel not responding, hangs, freezes or stops working
• Repairing a corrupted workbook