Your Office or Microsoft 365 applications will break at some point. If this happens to you, here is how to run the Office 365 repair tool.
You’ll experience issues with Microsoft Office applications at some point. For example, Office applications in the suite crash, do not open, do not respond, or display error messages. The good news is that the Office suite includes tools for dealing with such issues. Such as repairing Office 365.
I experienced an issue with Word not opening; it remained stuck on the computer screen. Disabling Word add-ons had no effect either. As a result, I resorted to the next best option: repair Office.
After releasing Office 365 (now known as Microsoft 365), Microsoft improved the repair options. Click-to-Run technology makes it easy to access repair files via the internet without installing media.
Note: Instructions in this article apply to all versions of Microsoft Office and Windows OS (Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8/8.1, and Windows 7).
Repair Microsoft Office 365
Here’s how to repair Office 365.
Navigate to the Control Panel and select Programs > Programs and Features. To get there in Windows 10 or 11, click the Windows Start icon and type Control Panel in the Search box. Then click on it to open it.
Once there, locate Microsoft 365 from the list of programs and click on it. Then select Change/Repair from the command bar.
Now, wait for the repair wizard to load.
Select the type of repair you want to carry out. You could try the first option, Quick Repair. It is much faster and tries to fix the problem without an internet connection.
If that does not fix the issue, try the Online Repair option. I eventually had to use the Online Repair option for my specific problem.
Tip: Online Repair option fixes all issues and takes a little longer. It also requires an internet connection while it runs. Choose this option only after Quick Repair fails to resolve the problem.
The repair process is easy if you follow the wizard. Make sure to save your work and close all Office programs before clicking the Repair button.
Then, wait for the repair process to complete.
You will notice that the repair process is like a new installation. It will take time, depending on your internet connection speed and the nature of the problem.
Your Office apps will light up while the repair finishes.
Once the repair process is complete, click close and restart your computer to be sure. Then, open your apps to see if the problem has been resolved.
