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Fix: Updating Office Please Wait a Moment Error

Launch Office apps in Safe Mode

3 min. read

Published onFebruary 6, 2024

published onFebruary 6, 2024

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Updating Office, please wait a moment is an error that appears when you launch a Microsoft Office/365 app. The screen freezes and does not proceed forward.

Eventually, you get a prompt on the screen,The application was unable to start correctly (0xc0000142). Click OK to close the app, which closes Office, and you are back to square one.

How can I fix Updating Office Please wait a moment error?

How can I fix Updating Office Please wait a moment error?

Let us begin with a few workarounds before trying more detailed solutions.

1. Open Office apps in Safe Mode

  1. Locate the Office app’s shortcut or search from the Start menu.

  2. HoldCtrland then click/double-click on the shortcut.

  3. ClickYesto confirm and open the Office app in safe mode.

If the Office app opens in safe mode, there is an underlying issue with a certain add-on extension. Therefore, you can remove add-on extensions individually to find one causing the update error.

2. Restart the ClickToRun

  1. PressCtrl+Shift+Escto open the Task Manager.

  2. Head to theProcessand selectEnd Taskfrom the right-click menu of the Microsoft Click-to-Run process.

  3. After that, go to theservicestab and findClicktoRun Svc.

  4. Then, selectStartfrom the right-click menu ofClicktoRun Svc.

  5. Now, restart the computer as a good measure after restarting the service. This will fix the updating problem with MS Office.

3. Repair Microsoft Office

  1. Head toAdd or remove programsfrom the Start Menu search.

  2. Click on theModifyoption for Microsoft Office.

  3. SelectQuick Repairand then click on theRepairbutton to start the process.

  4. Once finished, clickCloseand check if the error has been fixed.

If the issue persists, then repeat the process and selectOnlineRepairthis time, which will require the internet to download new files.

4. Clean Boot Windows

  1. Head toSystem Configurationfrom the Start Menu.

  2. Then go to theservicestab and tickHide allMicrosoft services.

  3. After that, clickDisablealland then clickOKto save changes. Now, you will need to restart the computer to apply the changes.

5. Reinstall Microsoft Office

When none of the above-given methods have worked, you can uninstall Office and then reinstall it again for a fresh start.

You can use our guide touninstall Microsoft Office in Windows 10/11. After that, if you want to install Microsoft 365, then consider using theofficial guide.

6. Reset Windows

You can resetWindows 11andWindows 10to bring it back to a stable state when Office did not have the problem. You can choose to keep the personal files, apps, and settings.

7. Contact Microsoft support

After you have exhausted all the options and none seem to work, it is time tocontact Microsoft support. The reason behind the updating error for you could be specific to your machine. So, you can ask in the forums from experts, and even consult Microsoft support agents.

And once that is solved, you candownload and install new Microsoft Office fonts. After that, power up your work with AI byenabling Copilot in Microsoft Word.

So, this is how you can fix the updating office, please wait a moment error on your PC. It appears on various Office and Microsoft 365 apps and is not specific to a particular version.

If you know of any better solution to this office updating error, then feel free to let us know via the comment section.

More about the topics:Microsoft Office,Office 365

Vlad Turiceanu

Windows Editor

Passionate about technology,Windows, and everything that has a power button, he spent most of his time developing new skills and learning more about the tech world.

Coming from a solid background in PC building and software development, with a complete expertise in touch-based devices, he is constantly keeping an eye out for the latest and greatest!

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Vlad Turiceanu

Windows Editor

Coming from a solid background in PC building and software development, he’s a Windows 11 Privacy & Security expert.