- Microsoft Office Won T Install
- Why Won't Microsoft Office Download
- Microsoft Office Won't Download On Mac Computer
- Microsoft Office Won't Download On Mac Catalina
Download Microsoft Excel for macOS 10.13 or later and enjoy it on your Mac. This application requires a qualifying Microsoft 365 subscription. Microsoft 365 includes premium Word, Excel, and PowerPoint apps, 1 TB cloud storage in OneDrive, advanced security, and more, all in one convenient subscription. Note: In order to activate Office for Mac, you will need a valid and licensed Microsoft 365 account or a Microsoft Account that is associated with a one-time purchase. If you don't, you won't be able to create or edit files, only read them.
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Note
Office 365 ProPlus is being renamed to Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise. For more information about this change, read this blog post.
Symptoms
When you try to start PowerPoint for Mac, you may receive the following error message:
Microsoft PowerPoint has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience.
Cause
This behavior may occur if any one of the following conditions is true:
- PowerPoint preferences are corrupted.
- Programs running in the background are interfering with PowerPoint.
- Application files are corrupted.
- A user account profile is corrupted.
Resolution
To resolve this issue, follow these steps. You may find it helpful to print this article before you continue.
Step 1: Quit all applications and close all windows
- On the Apple menu, click Force Quit.
- Select an application in the 'Force Quit Applications' window.
- Click Force Quit.
- Repeat the previous steps until you quit all active applications.
Warning
When an application is force quit, any unsaved changes to open documents are not saved.
When you are finished, click the red button in the upper-left corner of the screen, and then go to 'Step 2.'
Step 2: Remove PowerPoint Preferences
- Quit all Microsoft Office for Mac applications.
- On the Go menu, click Home.
- Open Library.NoteThe Library folder is hidden in MAC OS X Lion. To display this folder, hold down the OPTION key while you click the Go menu.
- Open the Preferences folder.
- Look for a file that is named com.microsoft.powerpoint.plist. If you locate the file, move it to the desktop. Start PowerPoint, and check whether the problem still occurs. If you cannot locate the file, the application is using the default preferences.
- If the problem still occurs, quit PowerPoint, and restore the file to its original location. Then, go to the next step. If the problem seems to be resolved, you can move the com.microsoft.powerpoint.plist file to the trash.
- Quit all Microsoft Office for Mac applications.
- On the Go menu, click Home.
- Open Library.NoteThe Library folder is hidden in MAC OS X Lion. To display this folder, hold down the OPTION key while you click the Go menu.
- Open the Preferences folder.
- Open the Microsoft folder.
- Look for a file that is named com.microsoft.powerpoint.prefs.plist. If you locate the file, move it to the desktop. Start PowerPoint, and check whether the problem still occurs. If you do cannot locate the file, the application is using the default preferences.
- If the problem still occurs, quit PowerPoint, and restore the file to its original location. Then, go to the next step. If the problem seems to be resolved, you can move the com.microsoft.powerpoint.prefs.plist file to the trash.
If the problem continues to occur, go to the next step.
Step 3: Perform a clean startup
For information how to 'clean start' your computer, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
2398596 How to use a 'clean startup' to determine whether background programs are interfering with Office for Mac
If the problem continues to occur, go to the next step.
Step 4: Create a new user account
Sometimes, a specific user's information may become corrupted, and this may prevent installation, startup, or use of some applications. To determine whether this is the case, you can log on to the computer by using a different or new user account, and then test the application.
If the problem no longer occurs, the cause exists within the user's home folder. If you think that the user account was responsible, you can continue to troubleshoot by using the new user account.
Note
For help moving your user files to the new account, contact Apple.
If the problem continues to occur, go to the next step.
Step 5: Use the 'Repair Disk Permissions' option
You can use the Repair Disk Permissions option to troubleshoot permissions problems in Mac OS X 10.2 and later versions. If the permissions for your Microsoft software are incorrect, Office for Mac applications may start slowly or perform slowly. To use the Repair Disk Permissions option, follow these steps:
- On the Go menu, click Utilities.
- Start the Disk Utility program.
- Click the primary hard disk drive for your computer.
- Click the First Aid tab.
- Click Repair Disk Permissions.
Note
The Disk Utility program only repairs software that is installed by Apple. This utility also repairs folders, such as the Applications folder. However, this utility does not repair software that is in your home folder.
Microsoft Office Won T Install
Step 6: Remove and then reinstall Office
For information about how to manually remove and then reinstall Office, see the following article:
Third-party disclaimer information
The third-party products that this article discusses are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, about the performance or reliability of these products.
The information and the solution in this document represent the current view of Microsoft Corporation on these issues as of the date of publication. This solution is available through Microsoft or through a third-party provider. Microsoft does not specifically recommend any third-party provider or third-party solution that this article might describe. There might also be other third-party providers or third-party solutions that this article does not describe. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, this information should not be interpreted to be a commitment by Microsoft. Microsoft cannot guarantee or endorse the accuracy of any information or of any solution that is presented by Microsoft or by any mentioned third-party provider.
-->Symptoms
When you try to open a file in any Microsoft Office program that’s listed in the 'Applies to' section, you receive one of the following error messages:
Filename is not valid.
The file could not be accessed.
The path you entered, 'filename', is too long. Enter a shorter path.
filename could not be found. Check the spelling of the filename, and verify that the file location is correct.
A DDE error has occurred, and a description of the error cannot be displayed because it is too long. If the filename or path is long, try renaming the file or copying it to a different folder.
Note
This issue occurs when you open a file from a mapped drive, a UNC path, or a URL (web address).
Cause
This issue occurs because of a character limit on creating and saving files in Office products. This issue occurs if the path of the file that you open or save meets the following condition:
- Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, and Microsoft Access: The total length of the path and the file name, including file name extension, exceeds 259 characters.
- Microsoft Excel: The total length of the path and the file name, including file name extension, exceeds 218 characters.
Note
This limit includes the three characters that represent the drive, the characters in folder names, backslash characters between folder names, and the characters in the file name itself.
![Mac Mac](/uploads/1/1/9/5/119518774/151882254.jpg)
Workaround
To work around this issue, try any of the following workarounds.
Workaround 1: Reduce the character count
- Rename the file so that it has a shorter name.
- Rename one or more folders that contain the file so that they have shorter names.
- Move the file to a folder that has a shorter path name.
Workaround 2: Manually access, open, and repair
- Start Word, Excel, or PowerPoint.
- On the File tab, select Open > Browse to locate the damaged file.
- Select the file, select the Open menu at the bottom of the window, and then select Open and Repair.
This option repairs the damage to the file, and then opens the file. After you repair the document, workbook, or presentation, it’s important to verify that the issue has been resolved successfully. To do this, begin working on the file, and make sure that everything is working as expected.
Workaround 3: Change file format and resave
You might be able to rescue a damaged file by resaving it in a different file format, and then reverting it to the original format. This example uses Word.
Step 1: Save the file to another format
- Start Word.
- On the File menu, select Open, and then locate and open the damaged file.
- On the File menu, select Save as > Browse.
- Navigate to the file location that you want to save in.
- On the Save as type list, select the desired file format. For example, select Rich Text Format (*rtf).
- Select Save, and then select File > Close.
Step 2: Resave the file as a Word document
- Select File > Open.
- Select the new file that’s saved as a Rich Text File, and then select Open.
- Select File > Save as.
- On the Save as type list, select Word Document.
- Rename the file, and then select Save.
You have to do this only one time to make sure that the document will now function correctly on your device. However, keep in mind that by saving the file as a new document, you are creating a different file. To avoid confusion, name the new file something distinctive, and archive or delete the damaged version. By doing this, you won’t accidentally re-open the original file that hasn’t been reformatted.
Workaround 4: Open unrecognized file format
If you can rule out file corruption as the culprit, check for file associations and unrecognized file formats. Sometimes, a file won’t open on your device because the device that the file was created on used software that your device doesn’t have.
For example, in Word, you want to view a PDF file that’s attached to an email message. However, you don't have a PDF viewer installed. Therefore, your device doesn’t know what program to open to view the file. In this case, you can change the format of the file to match a program that you do have installed.
- Save the attachment to your computer. To do this, select the down arrow next to the attachment in the message, select Save as, navigate to the desired location, and then select Save.
- On the File menu, select Open > Browse to locate the file.
- Right-click the file, point to Open with, and then select a different program to open the file.
- If the desired program is not on the list, select “Choose another app” to locate a different program.NoteIf this works, and you would like the selected program to always open this type of file, select the Always use this app to open .docx files (for example) check box.
Why Won't Microsoft Office Download
For more information about file formats and how to manage them, see Learn about file formats.
Microsoft Office Won't Download On Mac Computer
Workaround 5: Clear some disk space
You might not be able to open a new file or save a file to your device if you’re running out of space on the hard disk. On a full disk, much of the space is being used up by temporary, duplicate, and unnecessary items. The fastest and easiest method to free up space on a hard disk is to use the Disk Cleanup app that’s included in Windows.
- Select Search, and type Disk Cleanup.
- In the results list, select Disk Cleanup.
- A dialog box opens and provides options to delete unnecessary files. Select the check box next to each category of items that you want to delete from your device, and then select OK. Everything in this list can be deleted safely.
- When you are prompted, confirm that you want to permanently delete the unnecessary files.
The following files types are examples of removable items that you might see in the Disk Cleanup list:
- Windows Update: Recent files that were downloaded from Windows Update (selecting these does not remove currently installed update versions)
- Downloaded Program Files: Unnecessary program files, often related to the program installation
- Temporary Internet Files: Files saved automatically by web browsers when you visit websites
- Windows Error Reporting: Error reporting files that are created by the system
- Recycle Bin: Any files that are stored in the Recycle Bin that you have not manually deleted
- Temporary files: Other temporary files that are created by programs or web browsers
- User file history: Files that record your browsing history (websites that you accessed, search results, and so on)
More information
Microsoft Office Won't Download On Mac Catalina
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