Fixed: The Application Was Unable to Start Correctly (0xc0000142)

Error 0xc0000142 occurs when an Office app (such as Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, etc.) fails to initialize properly. It’s a Windows error, not just an Office one, and is typically triggered by corrupted Office files, security software injection, damaged system components, or runtime dependencies (Visual C++/.NET). 

This guide lists several helpful ways to help you fix this issue. 

Method 1. Update Windows 

First of all, you can check if there is a pending system update. If any, install the pending Windows updates and reboot. 

Method 2. Ensure the Click-to-Run Service Is Running

1. Click the Start icon, type Services in the search bar, and open the app.

2. In the list of Services, look for a service called Microsoft Office Click-to-Run Service.

3. Right-click on it to check the status. If the Service status says Stopped, select Start to run it.

Method 3. Perform a Repair

If restarting or updating the system doesn’t work, you can try to execute an Office repair from Settings. 

1. Press Win + I to open Settings.

2. Click Apps on the left pane, then select Installed apps.

3. Search Office and scroll down to find the Microsoft Office (or 365) item, click the three dots to select Modify. 

4. If Quick Repair doesn’t help, repeat and choose Online Repair (Online Repair reinstalls Office, requires internet.) Click Repair if any prompts. 

Method 4. Completely Reinstall Office

If the problem persists after trying the steps above, a clean reinstallation of Microsoft Office is the next step.

1. Uninstall Office apps from Settings> Apps> Installed apps> search the Office apps, click the three dots to select Uninstall. 

2. Reinstall them from your Microsoft account or the original source. This will ensure all corrupted files are replaced with fresh ones. 

Conclusion:

The 0xc0000142 is an error code for when Windows is unable to start an application correctly. Hope these four methods help you fix this error and run MS Office apps normally again.