Microsoft Excel is a simple application which has made it a popular tool for business operations ranging from stock entry to other aspects of business management. It makes it easier to maintain your records. However, it is not just meant for simple operations. Using modules and formulas can help you run some complex calculations and operations too. There can however be issues with opening Excel files. Many Windows 8.1 users have often claimed that they come across a common issue. They see a message that reads, “There was a Problem Sending the Command to the Program.” This issue can arise with other MS Office programs too.
If you are facing this issue, it doesn’t mean that damage has been caused to the data file. So find out how this issue can be fixed in the Microsoft Office program, if you are facing it often or have faced it multiple times.
Here we are explaining the steps for MS Excel, but you can use these steps for MS Word, Access and other Office applications based on where you are finding the issue.
First Method
- Open Microsoft Excel
- Open ‘file’ and then ‘options’
- Click on ‘advanced’ tab
- Scroll down and look for the check box against ‘ignore other application that uses Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE)’ in the ‘general’ section
- Uncheck this option
- Click on apply and open MS Excel again.
If the option was already disabled, enable it, click apply, close MS Excel and then open it again and then disable the option.
Second Method
- Right click on the Excel file
- Choose the option ‘open with’ (‘open with’ option is different for Windows 7 (‘Browse’) and Windows 8+ (‘More Options’)
- Click on the option – ‘look for another app on this PC’
- Open the folder C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office and click on the Excel.exe file
This should help in fix the There was a Problem Sending the Command to the Program Excel issue if the first method didn’t help.
Third Method
Sometimes the underlying cause of this issue is that the ‘run as administrator’ option is enabled for this application. Follow these steps to fix the issue in such a case:
- Open ‘start menu’
- Search for ‘office program shortcut’
- Right click on it and choose ‘properties’ (if ‘properties’ cannot be found, choose ‘open file location’, right click on ‘office program shortcut’ and ‘properties’ will appear)
- Check the ‘compatibility’ section
- Uncheck everything including ‘run this program as administrator’
- Click on ‘apply’
Fourth Method
The ‘There was a Problem Sending the Command to the Program Word’ can also be fixed by removing ‘data’ key from within the Registry. The function of this key is to store settings for window position and size and toolbars. Once the Office application is launched, the key gets deleted. Follow these steps to remove this key from within the Registry.
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- Open the ‘run’ dialog box by pressing the Win and R key combination
- Type ‘regedit’ into the box and press ‘Enter’
- This will open Registry Editor
- Search for: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office
- You will be able to subkeys such as 14.0 and 15.0 (varying based on the version of your Office suite)
- Expand the key associated with Excel (if the issue is with MS Word, choose the respective key)
- Now select the ‘data’ key and choose the ‘delete’ option
Open the Office application and the ‘There was a Problem Sending the Command to the Program’ issue will be resolved.
Fifth Method
This method involves repairing the Microsoft Office suite itself. The steps involved are as following:
- Open ‘control panel’
- Choose ‘programs and features’
- Click on ‘Microsoft Office’
- Click on ‘change’
- Click on ‘repair’
- Click on ‘continue’
This can help address the There was a Problem Sending the Command to the Program issue if the above-mentioned methods didn’t work. Whether you are facing the issue with Microsoft Excel, Word or any other MS Office application, you can use these methods to address the problem. It is recommended to follow the above-mentioned order of the different methods. It will help you check and rule out the underlying cause of the issue.
