[Fix] Windows cannot Find Office Applications EXE Files Error Message in Windows 10
Recently I received a message from an AskVG reader containing following issue:
About a week ago, I began to get the “Windows cannot find /filepath/. Make sure you typed the name correctly, and then try again.” I got this for all Microsoft Office (16) programs and associated files, all PDF files, several other .exe and other type of files. Oddly though, I do not have this problem with media players (VLC or WinAmp). I uninstalled and reinstalled Office 16, which fixed the issue for Office files, but the issue remains for all other type of files. One youtube video suggested simply changing the filename (from letter.pdf to letter_.pdf). This worked somewhat, but not always, and moreover, I don’t want to have to change every filename, I want to solve the problem. All of this began when I woke up and saw that Avast had run something on my computer and ‘fixed’ things. I had an idea the problem was because of Avast but I could not find a website or link that mentioned it specifically. If you can reply please let me know what to do.
This is a known issue and I’m going to address it in this article.
Advertisement
Table of Contents
PROBLEM SYMPTOM:
In Windows 10, whenever a user tries to open or launch MS Office applications such as Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, Outlook, etc, Windows shows following error message:
Windows cannot find ‘C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office16\Outlook.exe’. Make sure you typed the name correctly, and then try again.
Windows cannot find ‘C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office16\WINWORD.exe’. Make sure you typed the name correctly, and then try again.
Windows cannot find ‘C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office16\Excel.exe’. Make sure you typed the name correctly, and then try again.
The same problem occurs with other 3rd party programs as well such as Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Adobe Reader, etc.
When the user clicks on these program shortcuts, a dialog box is displayed containing 2 buttons: Run and Save. When the user selects Run option, nothing happens, a window just flashes on screen for a second.
Advertisement
So basically the user is unable to run MS Office applications and other non-Office applications in Windows 10 device.
PROBLEM REASON:
The issue was occurred due to certain versions of Avast Cleanup/AVG Tuneup software programs installed on Windows 10 devices. These programs come with a special Sleep Mode feature to automatically put selected programs to sleep to speed up systems. When the program detects certain software are slowing down the PC, it can put them to sleep when the user is not using them. This Sleep feature caused the above mentioned issue in Windows 10 devices.
PROBLEM SOLUTION:
The company has acknowledged the issue and has released update for the program to fix the issue. You can check for updates and upgrade these programs to newer versions to automatically fix the issue.
If you are unable to find the update or the update fails to fix the issue, following solution will help you:
1. Press WIN+R keys together to launch RUN dialog box. Now type regedit and press Enter. It’ll open Registry Editor.
2. Now go to following key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options
You’ll see several EXE files sub-key under “Image File Execution Options” key.
These Avast/AVG programs create another sub-key under a particular program’s EXE key to put the program to sleep.
3. To fix the issue, you need to find the program’s EXE key under “Image File Execution Options” key which is causing the “Windows cannot find” error message upon launch and then delete the key.
For example, if Microsoft Outlook is causing the issue, look for Outlook.exe sub-key under “Image File Execution Options” key and delete it.
That’s it. Restart your computer and it should fix the issue and you should be able to launch the programs without any problem or error message.
BONUS TIP:
The “Image File Execution Options” key in Registry can be used for many other purposes. Check out following articles to learn more about it:
[Tip] Restrict Any Desired Program from Running in Windows
[Windows Tip] Replace “Ease of Access” Button with Other Programs on Login Screen
Also Check:
It worked like a charm!!!
Many thanks!
Outdo MS Support team by a 100 miles.