Fixes or workarounds for recent issues in Excel for Windows

Last Updated: March 29, 2018

ISSUE

Excel may crash when you open an IQY file that has a data source location greater than 528 characters.

This affects Excel 2016 Version 1802 (Build 9029.2167).

STATUS: WORKAROUND

Microsoft is investigating this issue. If possible, you can try to move the data source to a location that has a shorter path as a workaround.

Last Updated: March 28, 2018

ISSUE

When you try to start an Office 2016 application you get error code 0xC0000142.

STATUS: FIXED

This issue is fixed in Monthly Channel Version 1803 (Build 9126.2116) or greater. To get the latest update immediately, open an Office app and choose File > Account > Update Options > Update Now.

Also covered in Error 0xC0000142 when you start an Office 2016 application.

Last Updated: February 8, 2018

ISSUE

Excel 2016 for Windows may freeze when you try to choose a new font on the Home tab or when you edit in Excel.

This issue occurs if your Monthly Channel version is between Version 1712 (Build 8827.XXXX) and Version 1801 (Build 9001.2138) in the following Office edit languages: Chinese, Japanese, or Korean. To find the version and build number you are currently on, open Excel and choose File > Account and look under About Excel.

STATUS: FIXED

This issue is fixed in Monthly Channel Version 1801 (Build 9001.2144). To get the latest update immediately, open Excel and choose File > Account > Update Options > Update Now.

Information for this issue is also provided in Excel 2016 for Windows hangs in East Asian languages.

Last Updated: January 17, 2018

ISSUE

Some Windows 10 users may experience a crash or data loss when using Chinese Input Method Editors (IMEs).

STATUS

This issue is being investigated. The issue affects Windows builds 17063.1000 to 17066.1000.

Last Updated: December 8, 2017

ISSUE

If you have Malwarebytes installed on your PC, you may experience crashes in Office applications, such as Word, Excel, or PowerPoint, after updating to the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update.

STATUS: FIXED

To fix this issue, please download and install this update provided by Malwarebytes.

Last Updated: December 6, 2017

ISSUE

Excel may crash when you try to access files from OneDrive. This can happen on a Windows 7 PC.

STATUS: FIXED

This is caused by an older version of OneDrive that's no longer automatically updating. To fix this issue, download and install the latest version of OneDrive.

Last Updated: December 6, 2017

ISSUE

You may experience problems loading the Excel Solver add-in if you have WPS Office installed on your machine.

STATUS: WORKAROUND

Microsoft is aware of and investigating the issue with WPS Office. If you encounter this problem, please repair Office. For the most recent information on this issue, go to Errors loading Excel Solver add-in.

Last Updated: November 14, 2017

ISSUE

You may have problems closing a workbook in protected view when the Excel file name contains square brackets (e.g., Book1[1234].xlsx).

STATUS: FIXED

This issue is fixed in Monthly Channel Version 1708 (8431.2110). To get the latest update immediately, open Excel and choose File > Account > Update Options > Update Now. For the most recent information on this issue, go to Cannot close Excel file when file name contains brackets.

Last updated: March 15, 2018

ISSUE

When you click Insert > Object > Create from file and then click the Browse button, Excel 2016 may crash. It seems this issue impacts these builds: Monthly Channel Version 1709 (8528.****) or Semi-Annual Channel Version 1708 (8431.****).

STATUS: FIXED

This issue is fixed in Monthly Channel Version 1712 (Build 8827.XXXX) or higher. To get the latest update immediately, open Excel and choose File > Account > Update Options > Update Now.

This issue is also covered in this article: Excel may crash when you try to embed an object into a worksheet.

Last updated: December 13, 2017

ISSUE

If you use a button in a worksheet to start a macro and later close this workbook, subsequent attempts to calculate user-defined functions provided by an XLL add-in might crash.

This issue impacts Excel 2016 in Version 1608 (Build 7301.xxxx).

STATUS: FIXED

This issue is now fixed in Version 1708 (8431.2017). To get the update immediately, open any Office 2016 app and choose File > Account > Update Options > Update Now.

For MSI based installations, use the latest patch for Excel that is available through Microsoft Update. For more information, see Office Updates.

Last updated: Sep 18, 2017

ISSUE

You may experience Excel freezing or crashing after attempting to publish a workbook as a web page using File > Save As > Browse > Save as Type: Web Page (*htm, *.html).

This issue impacts Excel 2016 in Version 1707 (Build 8326.xxxx).

STATUS: FIXED

This issue is now fixed in Version 1708 (8431.2079). To get the update immediately, open any Office 2016 app and choose File > Account > Update Options > Update Now.

Last updated: April 25, 2018

ISSUE

You may experience issues with phonetic edits in Excel in this Office edit language: Japanese.

STATUS: FIXED

Restarting Excel should fix the issue. This information is also found in Excel 2016 problems with phonetic edits in Japanese edit languages

Last updated: January 31, 2018

ISSUE

When you try to use the shortcut key (ALT + C) to return to the Home page, it doesn't work. Instead, the shortcut key to return to the Home Page is now ALT + C1.

STATUS: FIXED

The issue is fixed in Monthly Channel Version 1712 (Build 8827.2179) or higher. To get the latest update immediately, open Excel and choose File > Account > Update Options > Update Now.

Last updated: March 13, 2018

ISSUE

After you install the security update for Excel 2016: November 14, 2017, you may encounter this error when you click on a shape that has a digitally signed macro assigned to it:

Cannot run the macro.

The macro may not be available in this workbook or all macros may be disabled.

STATUS: FIXED

This issue has been fixed in the March security update for Excel. For more information, go to the article for your Excel version:

• Description of the security update for Excel 2016: March 13, 2018

• Description of the security update for Excel 2013: March 13, 2018

• Description of the security update for Excel 2010: March 13, 2018

• Description of the security update for Excel 2007: March 13, 2018

Last updated: December 6, 2017

ISSUE

When you try to copy a sheet within the same workbook it moves the sheet instead of creating a duplicate sheet.

This is a bug that is in the Excel 2016 (16.0.4229.1002) preview version. This was fixed in the formally released (RTM) versions. There are no plans to fix this in the preview version.

STATUS: FIXED

For the most recent information on this issue, go to Unable to copy or move sheet in Excel 2016 (16.0.4229.1002).

Last updated: March 7, 2018

ISSUE

When you double-click or choose the "new" option on a template file (.xlt, .xltx, .xltm) in Excel 2016, Excel opens two identical copies of the file.

STATUS: FIXED

This issue is fixed in Monthly Channel Version 1709 (Build 8528.XXXX) or higher. To get the latest update immediately, open Excel and choose File > Account > Update Options > Update Now.

Information for this issue is also provided in Creating a new Excel file from a template opens the file twice.

Last updated: November 27, 2017

ISSUE

When you try to open a file in Excel, the file doesn't open but the Excel application does.

This can happen if the Show the Start screen when this application starts option is unchecked in Excel.

STATUS: FIXED

This issue is fixed in Monthly Channel Version 1710 (Build 8625.XXXX) or higher. To get the latest update immediately, open Excel and choose File > Account > Update Options > Update Now. Information for this issue is also provided in Excel file doesn't open after unchecking the option to show start screen.

Last Updated: December 18, 2017

ISSUE

Some devices may experience the cursor flickering when you open an Excel workbook and move over workbook cells after updating to the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update.

STATUS: FIXED

To fix this issue, please update Windows and update Office. For the most recent information on this issue, go to Excel cursor flickers after updating to Windows 10 Fall Creators Update.

Last updated: October 26, 2017

ISSUE

Nothing happens when you check the option to resize shape to fit text.

STATUS: FIXED

This issue is now fixed in Monthly Channel Version 1709 (8528.2147). To get the update immediately open Excel 2016 and choose File > Account > Update Options > Update Now.

Last updated: October 13, 2017

ISSUE

When using the trial version of Office 365, every time you open an Office file, the latest version of the application gets automatically set as the default application for Word, Excel, or PowerPoint in all versions of Windows. For example, if you have Excel 2013 installed and are also running Office 365 trial version, then the workbook will open in Excel 2016.

STATUS: WORKAROUND

We recommend using Office365 for the latest features. However, you may uninstall the trial version so that we open files with the version of Excel you installed.

Last updated: November 14, 2017

ISSUE

When opening a file in Excel 2016 that contains multiple types of text formatting within the same cell, the formatting may be lost. Examples include having some rich text bolded and others in the same cell not bolded, or having different font colors for different characters within the same cell, such as the example below.

STATUS: FIXED

This issue is fixed in Version 1708 (8431.2109). To get the latest update immediately, open Excel and choose File > Account > Update Options > Update Now. For the most recent information on this issue, go to Font formatting is lost when using rich text in Excel 2016.

Last updated: October 11, 2017

ISSUE

When using the CTRL+H keyboard shortcut or the Replace button on the ribbon, the Find and Replace dialog box displays the Find tab instead of the Replace tab. This issue impacts Version 1708 (Build 8420.xxxx).

STATUS: FIXED

This issue is now fixed in Version 1708 (8431.2094). To get the update immediately, open any Office 2016 app and choose File > Account > Update Options > Update Now.

Last updated: September 29, 2017

ISSUE

When in Page Layout view, applying a fill formatting such as a pattern style to a cell or table does not render correctly after adding a header or a footer to the spreadsheet. You may see a black background or other formatting issues.

This issue impacts Version 1708 (Build 8431.2079).

STATUS: FIXED

This issue is now fixed in Version 1708 (Build 8431.2094). To get the update immediately, open any Office 2016 app and choose File > Account > Update Options > Update Now.

Last updated: February 5, 2018

ISSUE

AutoSave is no longer available or appearing in the Office toolbar in Office 2016 Version 1707 (Build 8326.2058) or higher.

STATUS: FIXED

For Excel: This issue is now fixed in Version 1708 (Build 8431.2094). To get the update immediately, open Excel and choose File > Account > Update Options > Update Now.

For Word: This issue is now fixed in Version 1711 (Build 8730.2122). To get the update immediately, open Word and choose File > Account > Update Options > Update Now.

Last updated: September 29, 2017

ISSUE

After opening a file saved in OneDrive, OneDrive for Business, or SharePoint that is synced using a sync client, you may experience that the AutoSave is incorrectly disabled or greyed out. Hovering over the AutoSave toggle, the tool tip will prompt you with the following message:

AutoSave Not Available. This file location doesn't support AutoSave. Save to OneDrive or SharePoint Online if you want to use AutoSave.

This issue impacts the Office 2016 August 2017 update, Version 1708 (Build 8431.2079) and later for customers on the current channel (CC). Coauthoring and autosave are not yet supported for customers who are on the FRDC or SA (semi-annual) release channel. 

STATUS: FIXED

This issue is now fixed in Version 1708 (Build 8431.2094) for current channel (CC) customers. To get the update immediately, open any Office 2016 app and choose File > Account > Update Options > Update Now.

If you are continuing to experience or have not updated yet, you can use the following workaround:

• Open the Office app, click on File > Open and navigate to the server location (OneDrive or SharePoint).

• Using a web browser, open the file directly from SharePoint or OneDrive where the file is stored.

Note - Coauthoring and autosave are not yet supported for customers who are on the FRDC or SA (semi-annual) release channel. These features are only available for customers on the current channel (CC). 

Last updated: Sep 14, 2017

ISSUE

After installing the September 12, 2017 update for Excel 2016 (KB4011050), dark borders may appear around rows or cells in Excel spreadsheets when you enter text.

STATUS: FIXED

This issue is now fixed in the KB4011165 update, released on September 12, 2017. If you have KB 4011050 installed, you do not need to uninstall this before installing KB4011165.

Last updated: September 18, 2017

ISSUE

When using Office 2016 apps and opening, editing, or saving Word files stored in OneDrive, you may be prompted to login with the following message: "Tell us the account you want to open _vti_rpc."

STATUS: FIXED

This issue is now fixed in Version 1708 (8431.2079). To get the update immediately, open any Office 2016 app and choose File > Account > Update Options > Update Now.

Last updated: August 16, 2017

ISSUE

When opening Office 2016 files, you may experience files are opening as read-only unexpectedly. This issue most commonly impacts Excel and Word in Version 1706 (Build 8229.2045) or later. Sometimes this issue manifests after you attempt to sync a document that requires check-in on OneDrive. Upon opening the file in Word or Excel, the file opens as read only.

STATUS: WORKAROUND

Our engineering team is actively fixing this issue. In the meantime, please refer to this article for workaround.

Need more help troubleshooting? Talk to support.

If you have an Office 365 for home subscription, or you purchased a one-time download of Office 2016, click the Contact Us button at the bottom of this page.

If you are an admin for Office 365 for business subscription, contact Office 365 for business support.

Last updated: August 28, 2017

ISSUE

After updating to the August 1, 2017 update for Office 2016 (KB 4011051), clicking a hyperlink in an Excel workbook that points to another Excel workbook no longer works and you might receive a hyperlink warning message. You may also experience issues accessing WMI programmatically from Excel and Word.

STATUS: FIXED

This issue is now fixed. Please manually install the August 22, 2017 update for Office 2016 (KB 4011093). This KB 4011093 will be available as an automatic update and for those using Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) in the next monthly update for Office.

Last updated: April 5, 2018

ISSUE

When inserting an icon or a picture via Insert > Icons or Insert > Pictures, you receive the following error message:

An error occurred while importing this file. http://hubblecontent.osi.office.net/ContentSVC/Content/Download?provider=MicrosoftIcon&FileName=[icon].svg

STATUS: FIXED

This issue is fixed in Monthly Channel Version 1803 (Build 9126.2116) or greater. To get the latest update immediately, open an Office app and choose File > Account > Update Options > Update Now.

Last updated: September 14, 2017

ISSUE

When using Excel 2016, the AutoFilter drop-down is not showing all available checkboxes. This happens when the number of rows exceeds 10,000. Other symptoms may occur as well. For example, the checkboxes may not be clickable, or the filtered result may not return expected results.

STATUS: FIXED

This issue is now fixed in Version 1707 (8326.2073) or later. To get the update immediately, open Excel and choose File > Account > Update Options > Update Now.