Office 2016 Apps Fail with Error 0xC0000142

The Challenge

Microsoft Office 2016 apps based on Office 365 “click-to-run” fail to open after a long delay, then finally show error code 0xC0000142.

Microsoft’s Support pages have a record of the issue, and a “solution”:

ISSUE

When you try to start an Office 2016 app, such as Excel 2016 or Word 2016, it fails and you get error code 0xC0000142.

STATUS: FIXED

This issue is fixed in Monthly Channel Version 1803 (Build 9126.2116) or greater. To get the latest update immediately, open an Office app and choose File > Account > Update Options > Update Now.

Microsoft

Okay, so let me get this crystal clear…

Open an Office App and Update Now.

When the issue being fixed is an inability to open any office apps…

Maybe I’m missing something?

How I Fixed It

Since the proposed solution from Microsoft is impossible, I did an Online Repair of Office.

• Windows Key + R
• Type appwiz.cpl then hit Enter
• Find Microsoft Office 365 and click to highlight it
• Click “Change”
• Choose “Online Repair”
• Click “Repair”

After a while, Office should be completely re-installed with the latest binaries, and all should work as expected.