Word and Excel stopped working after Windows 11: what's wrong

In early October, Microsoft released Windows 11 update 24H2, which was supposed to improve performance and work even on some unsupported PCs. However, not everything went according to plan, as some users experienced critical failures in important programs.

In particular, after installing the update, Word and Excel stopped responding. Microsoft has already confirmed these problems and is actively looking for a solution, according to XDA Portal & Forums.

The cause of the failures is conflicts between the update and certain anti-malware tools. The company explained that the failure occurred due to the activation of the Enhanced Exploitation Visibility feature in CrowdStrike Falcon security software. As a result, the software does not work properly on managed devices in IT environments.

It is noted that the issue does not affect regular Windows Home and Pro users. Difficulties arise only in organizations with centralized IT infrastructure management that use Falcon with certain security policies. For such cases, CrowdStrike has already offered a temporary solution – disabling the conflicting feature. However, this step may reduce the level of protection against cyber threats.

Microsoft also blocks the installation of the update on computers with other incompatible programs, such as Voicemeeter, to avoid further problems. At the same time, the company emphasizes that not all IT systems face these difficulties. If the Enhanced Exploitation feature is not activated, Word and Excel work without interruption.

Microsoft and CrowdStrike are currently working on a long-term solution that does not require disabling security features. However, the exact timeline for the release of the fix has not yet been announced.

Users from affected organizations are advised to keep their systems under the control of IT administrators and avoid experimenting with security settings. Meanwhile, Microsoft has promised to release a workaround as soon as possible to restore the stability of the programs.

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