A family of Microsoft spreadsheet software with tools for analyzing, charting, and communicating data
Since Office has already been reinstalled three times and the VT add-in has already been removed and re-added multiple times, the next supported path is to isolate whether the failure is caused by the add-in itself or by Excel/Office compatibility.
- Start Excel in Safe Mode.
- Press Windows + R.
- Run:
excel /safe - If Excel opens, confirm Safe Mode appears in the title bar.
- If Excel works in Safe Mode, disable add-ins one at a time.
- In Excel, go to File > Options > Add-Ins.
- In Manage, select Excel Add-ins or COM Add-ins, then select Go.
- Clear one add-in, select OK, then restart Excel normally.
- Repeat until the failing add-in is identified.
- If Excel starts after the VT add-in is unchecked, the issue is with that add-in.
- Leave it disabled temporarily.
- Check with the add-in vendor for an updated version that supports the current Office build.
- If Excel does not start in Safe Mode, the issue is not caused by add-ins.
- Run an Office repair first.
- If repair does not help, uninstall and reinstall Office.
- If the issue still continues, install the latest Windows and Microsoft updates so device drivers are current.
- Confirm Office bitness matches add-in requirements.
- 32-bit Office is the correct choice when an organization depends on 32-bit COM add-ins with no 64-bit alternative.
- 64-bit Office cannot load 32-bit binaries.
- If the VT add-in is a COM add-in or uses older VBA/API components, compatibility after an Office update can still break even on 32-bit Office.
- Existing 32-bit COM add-ins continue to be the best fit with 32-bit Office.
- If the add-in vendor has not released an updated build for the current Office version, Excel can continue to fail until that add-in is updated.
Based on the described symptoms, the most likely supported conclusion is:
- If
excel /safeworks and Excel fails only when the VT add-in is enabled, the add-in is the cause. - If
excel /safealso fails, focus on Office repair and Windows/Microsoft updates.