Issue

A user cannot start any Microsoft Office apps. They initially show a message below:

Updating Microsoft 365 and Office, please wait a moment…

After a few minutes, the following error message appears:

Unable to start Microsoft 365 and Office.
We couldn’t open Microsoft 365 and Office because we’re updating, adding or removing programmes.
Please try again later.
You can go online to find more help.
Error Code: 147-0

Resolution

The issue was caused by the user shutting down or putting the computer to sleep while MS Office was installing updates. After rebooting the PC, Microsoft Office opened with no issues. Updates were installed manually (File > Account > Update Options > Check for Updates)

June 2023
Windows 11 Home
Microsoft Office 365