Thought Leadership
Following the June 2026 Windows updates, third-party applications are no longer able to launch Microsoft Office programs. Microsoft is working on a fix.
Microsoft is investigating a current issue that prevents third-party software from launching Office applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access. The problem affects systems that have installed the Windows updates released on June 9, 2026, or later.
The affected applications use so-called OLE Automation to interact with Microsoft Office. In many cases, documents or applications simply fail to open without displaying an error message.
“Microsoft has received reports of an issue where certain third-party applications may be unable to start Microsoft Office applications or open documents after installing Windows updates released on or after June 9, 2026.”
Microsoft
According to user reports, affected programs include the reference management software Zotero, the financial software CCH Engagement, Workpaper Manager, as well as dental practice software solutions Dentrix and Softdent.
Temporary Workaround Available Until Windows Update Fix
As no final fix is currently available, Microsoft recommends that affected users open documents and Office applications directly rather than launching them from within third-party programs. Enterprise customers can contact Microsoft business support for an organization-wide workaround. A permanent solution is already being developed and will be delivered through a future update.
(ll)
