4 Fixes for Excel Has Run Into an Error Problem on Windows

Quick Tips

• Try using Excel in safe mode to check if one of your add-ins triggers the error.
• If you get this error while opening a specific spreadsheet, try repairing it.
• Consider running Microsoft’s Office repair tool if nothing else works.

Fix 1: Open Excel in Safe Mode

Opening Excel in safe mode can help you determine whether one of your add-ins is interfering with Excel and causing it to malfunction. Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog, type excel -safe in the box, and press Enter to open Excel in safe mode.

Try using Excel in safe mode and see if you get any errors. If you don’t, one of your add-ins is likely the culprit.

Since there’s no straightforward way to tell which of your add-ins may be causing the issue, disable and re-enable them one at a time. Here’s how to do it.

Step 1: Open Microsoft Excel on your computer > click the File menu at the top left.

Step 2: Click Options at the bottom left.

Step 3: In the Excel Options window, switch to the Add-ins tab. Then, select COM Add-ins in the Manage drop-down menu and click the Go button.

Step 4: Clear all the checkboxes and click OK.

After this, restart Excel and enable your add-ins one by one until the error occurs again. Once you find the faulty add-in, consider removing it.

Fix 2: Repair the Problematic File

If you encounter the “Excel has run into an error” message only while working on a specific spreadsheet, the file may have become corrupted. Here’s how to repair it.

Step 1: In Microsoft Excel, click the File menu at the top left.

Step 2: Select Open from the sidebar and click the Browse option.

Step 3: Locate and select your Excel file. Click the downward arrow next to Open and select Open and Repair.

Fix 3: Edit Registry Files

Such errors in Excel can also arise if some of the registry files associated with the Office apps are corrupted. In that case, you must delete the problematic entries using the Registry Editor.

Step 1: Click the search icon on the taskbar, type registry editor, and select Run as administrator.

Step 2: In the Registry Editor window, paste the following path in the address bar at the top and press Enter.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Common

Step 3: Within the Common key, right-click on the Experiment key > select Delete.

Step 4: Similarly, delete the ExperimentEcs and ExperimentTas keys.

Step 5: Paste the following path in the address bar and press Enter to quickly navigate to the Licensing key.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Common\Licensing\

Step 6: Within the Licensing key, right-click on the CurrentSkuldForApp key and select Delete. Select Yes to confirm.

Restart your PC after this and try using Excel again.

Fix 4: Run the Office Repair Tool

The Office repair tool on Windows can help resolve various issues with Excel. You can try running this tool to see if that fixes the “Excel has run into an error” problem on Windows.

Step 1: Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box. Type appwiz.cpl in the box and press Enter.

Step 2: Locate and select the Microsoft Office suite. Then, click the Change button at the top.

Step 3: Select Online Repair and click Repair.