[Solved] We’re sorry, but Excel has run into an error

‘We’re sorry, but Excel has run into an error that is preventing it from working correctly’ is an error message that usually appears when you try to access or open MS Excel program or Excel workbook (XLS/XLSX) after a Windows or MS Office update. The error message may also pop up when the Excel workbook gets damaged or corrupted due to sudden power failure, system crash, malware/virus intrusion, or MS Excel problem caused by an incompatible add-in or program file.

In case you have encountered this error message and can’t access the Excel workbook, you can follow the methods discussed in this guide to open the Excel workbook and resolve the We’re sorry, but Excel has run into an error issue.

Methods to Fix We’re sorry, but Excel has run into an error Issue

When the error message, “We’re sorry, but Excel had run into an error that is preventing it from working correctly. Excel will need to be closed as a result. Would you like us to repair now?” is displayed, it provides a Repair Now option. You can click on the Repair Now button to start repairing the Excel file.

If this fails, follow these methods to troubleshoot and resolve We’re sorry, but Excel has run into an error.

1. Run Excel in Safe Mode

You can run Excel in Safe Mode and then open the Excel file. This will help you identify if any setting or incompatible add-in is the reason behind the issue. The steps are as follows,

• Press Windows key + R

• Type Excel /safe and press ‘Enter‘ or click ‘OK’ to open MS Excel in safe mode

If MS Excel opens without displaying the ‘We’re sorry, but Excel has run into an error’ message, then remove or disable the Excel add-ins. The steps to remove or disable add-ins are as follows,

• Navigate to File > Options and then click on ‘Add-ins‘

• Click on the Go button to view available add-ins

• Uncheck the checkbox to disable the add-ins

2. Disable Compatibility Mode

If the previous method fails to resolve the We’re sorry, but Excel has run into an error issue, follow these steps to disable Compatibility mode in MS Excel.

• Right-click on Excel (.exe) file and choose Properties. You can find Excel (.exe) file at the following location,
  • C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office15\Excel.exe
  • C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office 15\Root\Office15\Excel.exe

• Click on Compatibility and then uncheck all the boxes. Click OK to save the changes

Now try to open MS Excel or XLS/XLSX file and check if the workbook opens. If it doesn’t, follow the next method.

3. Repair MS Office Installation

To repair MS Office installation, follow these steps:

• Open Control Panel and click on ‘Uninstall a program‘

• Select MS Office from the list and then click on ‘Change’

• Choose the ‘Repair’ option and then proceed with the wizard to repair the MS Office installation

If this doesn’t fix the issue, you may need to remove all MS Office files and registry keys from the system. Then fresh install the MS office. You can follow this guide on Microsoft support to clean uninstall MS Office.

However, if these methods fail to fix, ‘We’re sorry, but Excel has run into an error’ issue, you can use an Excel repair software, such as Stellar Repair for Excel, to resolve the error and access the Excel (XLS/XLSX) worksheet.

The software extracts the data from damaged workbook and saves it in a new Excel sheet at your desired location. The software is safe as it doesn’t alter the original Excel document and recovers all components, tables, charts, etc., from Excel sheets with 100% accuracy and precision. Once saved, you can open the new Excel document in MS Excel without encountering ‘We’re sorry, but Excel has run into an error’ message.

Conclusion

We’re sorry, but Excel has run into an error can be resolved by troubleshooting MS Excel or repairing the damaged or corrupt Excel workbook by using a third-party Excel repair tool, such as Stellar Repair for Excel. The manual methods may take time to resolve the issue or may fail to fix ‘We’re sorry, but Excel has run into an error.’ However, this Excel repair software extracts the data from the damaged Excel file and saves it in a new Excel workbook that you can access via any MS Excel program without encountering any error message.  

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About The Author

Ravi Singh

Ravi Singh is a Senior Writer at Stellar®. He is an expert Tech Explainer, IoT enthusiast, and a passionate nerd with over 7 years of experience in technical writing. He writes about Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft 365, Email Migration, Linux, Windows, Mac, DIY Tech, and Smart Home. Ravi spends most of his weekends working with IoT (DIY Smart Home) devices and playing Overwatch. He is also a solo traveler who loves hiking and exploring new trails.