problem with excel

Because Excel itself opens but no workbook does, first disable Excel add-ins and reset its local preference and cache files, then update Office before considering a reinstall.

1. Check whether the problem affects new workbooks too

1. Open Excel.
2. Select File > New Workbook.
3. Enter a value in a cell.

• If the new workbook works, select File > Open and copy one affected file to Desktop before opening that copy. The issue may be limited to the files or their original location.
• If a new workbook also fails to open or respond, continue below.

2. Disable add-ins

1. In Excel, select Tools > Excel Add-ins.
2. Note which items are enabled, then clear every checkbox.
3. Select OK, quit Excel completely, and reopen it.
4. Try a new workbook and an existing workbook.

If this fixes the issue, re-enable the add-ins individually and restart Excel after each one to identify the problematic add-in. The Tools > Excel Add-ins location applies to Excel for Microsoft 365, 2024, and 2021 for Mac.^1^

3. Reset Excel preferences and its document cache

Quit Excel first. These steps move the files rather than delete them, so they can be restored if necessary.

1. Open Finder.
2. Select Go > Go to Folder.
3. Enter ~/Library/Preferences and press Return.
4. Move files whose names begin with com.microsoft.Excel to a temporary folder on the Desktop.
5. Open Go > Go to Folder again.
6. Enter ~/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/.
7. If an OfficeFileCache folder is present, move it to the same temporary Desktop folder.
8. Restart the Mac, open Excel, and test a new workbook followed by an existing one.

This reset has resolved comparable Excel for Mac cases involving workbooks that would not open after Excel’s local settings or cache became unusable.^2^

If nothing changes, quit Excel and return the moved items to their original locations if needed.

4. Install all Office updates

If Office came from Microsoft:

1. Open Word or another Office application.
2. Select Help > Check for Updates.
3. In Microsoft AutoUpdate, select Update All.
4. Restart the Mac after updating.

If Office came from the Mac App Store:

1. Open App Store.
2. Select Updates.
3. Select Update All, or update Excel individually.

Microsoft documents these as the corresponding update methods for Microsoft-downloaded and App Store installations.^3^

5. If Excel still cannot open any workbook

Test Excel from a newly created macOS user account. If workbooks open there, the problem is confined to settings or permissions in the original macOS profile.

If the same problem occurs in the new account, perform a complete Office uninstall and reinstall—not merely moving Excel to the Bin. This is the more disruptive fallback and requires a Mac administrator password.

Before removing Office, back up any local Outlook data. Microsoft’s complete procedure removes the Office applications plus related Containers and Group Containers, then requires a Mac restart.^4^

If the issue persists after a complete reinstall, record:

• macOS version from Apple menu > About This Mac
• Excel version from Excel > About Microsoft Excel
• whether a new blank workbook opens
• whether Excel works in a new macOS user account

Then contact Microsoft Support from the Contact Us option on the Excel for Mac known-issues page.^5^

References

1. Add or remove add-ins in Excel
2. Excel files not opening - Microsoft Q&A
3. Update Office for Mac automatically | Microsoft Support
4. Uninstall Office for Mac | Microsoft Support
5. Fixes or workarounds for recent issues in Excel for Mac | Microsoft Support