How to fix HRESULT: 0x8002802B error in Microsoft Word or Excel?

0x8002802B (TYPE_E_ELEMENTNOTFOUND) appears when a macro, add-in or program tries to drive Excel or Word and Windows cannot find the Office part it asks for. Most often a leftover registry entry from an older or newer Office is to blame. Run Quick Repair on Office first.

Facts checked on 15 October 2026. Steps written for Microsoft 365, Office 2024, 2021, 2019 and 2016 on Windows 11 (25H2 and 26H2) and Windows 10 22H2, read against Microsoft's answers and release notes.

What HRESULT 0x8002802B (TYPE_E_ELEMENTNOTFOUND) means

0x8002802B is a Windows COM error code, and TYPE_E_ELEMENTNOTFOUND is its name. Windows shows it as Element not found. It does not come from a document. It comes from the moment a program asks Windows to describe Excel or Word through their type library, the registered list of everything Office can be told to do.

The full text usually looks like this. The part before it names the Office object the program wanted, here Excel's _Application interface with the ID {000208D5-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}.

Unable to cast COM object of type 'Microsoft.Office.Interop.Excel.ApplicationClass' to interface type 'Microsoft.Office.Interop.Excel._Application'.
Element not found. (Exception from HRESULT: 0x8002802B (TYPE_E_ELEMENTNOTFOUND))

What causes 0x8002802B in Word or Excel, from the most common to the rare

A Microsoft moderator on Microsoft Q&A says the problem is mostly caused by incorrect COM Interop settings in the Windows registry. The typical way to get them is to install a newer Office, remove it and install an older one, or the other way round. Another user adds that it appears when Office is removed and a new version is installed before a restart.

How to fix 0x8002802B (TYPE_E_ELEMENTNOTFOUND) in Excel and Word

Fixes 1 to 4 are for macros, add-ins and programs that open Excel or Word. Fix 5 is only for scripts that search for Windows updates. After each fix, run the same macro, export or program again: when the file opens or is created without the message, you are done.

Fix 1. Repair Office: Quick Repair first, Online Repair second

5 to 30 minutesLow riskEveryone whose macro, add-in or program fails while it opens Excel or Word. Above all after an Office version change.

Repair registers Office's COM parts again, including the Excel and Word type libraries that 0x8002802B fails to read. In Microsoft's Q&A thread on this exact error, many users report that Quick Repair or Online Repair alone fixed it, with no change to their program.

Restart the PC first if you removed or installed an Office version without restarting. Then repair: How to repair Microsoft 365 or Office.

1. Close Excel, Word and the program that shows the error.
2. Press Win + I and open Apps > Installed apps. On Windows 10 open Apps > Apps & features.
3. Find Microsoft 365 or Microsoft Office, select ... next to it and choose Modify.
4. Select Quick Repair and then Repair.
5. When it finishes, run your macro or program again.
6. If the message returns, repeat the steps with Online Repair. It needs an internet connection the whole time.

Fix 2. Delete the stale Excel or Word type library version key in the registry

10 minutesRead the warningRepair did not help, or the error came back. You use one Office version now but had another before.

The Microsoft moderator's first step for this error is to delete the extra version key under the Excel type library {00020813-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}. A removed Office can leave its version key behind, and programs then follow it to files that no longer exist.

1. Close Excel, Word and the program that shows the error.
2. Press Win + R, type regedit and press Enter. Select Yes in the User Account Control prompt.
3. For Excel, go to this key:

   HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\TypeLib\{00020813-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}

4. Right-click the key, select Export and save it to the desktop as excel-typelib.reg.
5. Expand the key. You see one or more version keys such as 1.7, 1.8 or 1.9.
6. Open each version key down to 0 > win32 and read the path in (Default). The key you need points to a folder that holds your current EXCEL.EXE.
7. Right-click the version key whose path leads to a file that no longer exists and select Delete. Leave the one that matches your Office.
8. Close Registry Editor, restart the PC and run your macro or program again.

Word has its own type library key under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\TypeLib. To find it, select TypeLib, press Ctrl + F, search for Microsoft Word with Data checked, and check the version keys the same way. We give the Excel key exactly because Microsoft's moderator names it; for Word, search instead of typing an ID.

Fix 3. Remove every Office version, restart, and install one Office again

30 to 45 minutesLow riskTwo Office versions are installed, repair fails, or Fix 1 and Fix 2 did not hold.

The Microsoft moderator's last step for this error is to uninstall Office completely, restart and reinstall. One user explains that the error appears when a new Office goes on before the restart that finishes removing the old one, so the restart in the middle matters.

1. Note the Microsoft account or work account that holds your Office licence, or find your product key for Office 2016 to 2024.
2. Uninstall every Office entry in Installed apps, including older versions: Uninstall a program or app in Windows.
3. Restart the PC. Do not skip this step.
4. Sign in at office.com with your account, or use your installer, and install one Office version.
5. Open Excel and Word once by hand so they finish their first start.
6. Run your macro or program again.

Fix 4. Update Office and Windows

10 to 20 minutesLow riskOffice or Windows has not updated for a while, or your organisation delays updates.

Updates install new Office builds and register their components again, which can replace damaged registrations. It is a cheap step after a repair, not a cure on its own for this error.

1. Open Excel and select File > Account.
2. Under Product Information select Update Options > Update Now and wait until Office says it is up to date.
3. Press Win + I, open Windows Update and select Check for updates.
4. Install what is offered and restart the PC.
5. Run your macro or program again.

Fix 5. Windows Update scripts on Windows 11: apply the KB5039302 Known Issue Rollback

15 minutesLow riskOnly if a PowerShell or VBScript that uses the Windows Update Agent API fails with 0x8002802B on Windows 11 22H2 or 23H2. Word and Excel are not involved.

Microsoft confirmed that after the June 2024 preview update KB5039302, such scripts can get empty properties of IUpdate objects and 0x8002802B. It resolved the issue with a Known Issue Rollback Group Policy, which turns the faulty change off.

1. Download the policy installer named Windows 11 22H2 KB5039302 240711_20301 Known Issue Rollback from Microsoft's Windows 11 release health page.
2. Run the .msi to add the policy template to the PC.
3. Open the Local Group Policy Editor: Open the Local Group Policy Editor.
4. Go to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates and open the folder of the KB5039302 rollback policy.
5. Open the policy, set it as Microsoft's note describes for the rollback and select OK.
6. Restart the PC and run the script again.

If 0x8002802B is still there: what to check next

When a clean Office and a single type library version key still give the error, the cause is usually in the program that calls Office, not in Office itself. These checks narrow it down before you contact the program's maker or your IT team.

• Copy the full error text. Most error windows have Copy Details. The interface ID in the text, such as {000208D5-...} for Excel, shows which Office object failed.
• Test a second Windows account. If the program works there, the problem is in your user profile: Create a new user account to test a problem.
• Ask the program's maker which Office it supports. An old program may have been built for one Office version only. Business software that exports to Excel often lists supported Office versions.
• Check Event Viewer. Open Event Viewer > Windows Logs > Application and look for an Error at the time of the failure that names the program or EXCEL.EXE.

How to keep 0x8002802B from coming back

Almost every case starts with an Office version change. Changing versions in the right order avoids the stale registration that causes the error.

• Restart between uninstalling one Office and installing another. It lets Windows finish removing the old registration.
• Keep one Office version on the PC. Two installs share the same type library keys.
• Run Quick Repair after any Office change if you use macros or programs that drive Excel or Word.
• Keep Windows updated. Windows 10 left support on 14 October 2025, so Windows 10 PCs no longer get fixes. Windows 11 25H2 and 26H2 do.
• Keep the exported .reg file from Fix 2 until you are sure everything works, then delete it.

Frequently asked questions

What is TYPE_E_ELEMENTNOTFOUND?

It is the name of the Windows COM error 0x8002802B, shown as Element not found. It means a program asked a type library for an element, such as an interface of Excel or Word, and the library could not supply it. With Office this almost always means a broken or stale registration, often from an older or newer Office that was removed. Repair Office first (Fix 1), then remove the stale type library version key (Fix 2).

Is my Excel workbook or Word document damaged?

No. The error appears before the program even reaches your file. It is about how Office is registered in Windows, so the same workbook usually opens normally when you double-click it. That is also why repairing Office or deleting a registry key fixes it without any change to the file. If one file fails while others work through the same program, the file may be a separate problem, but that is not what 0x8002802B means.

Why does Excel open by hand but not from my program?

When you open Excel by hand, Windows starts EXCEL.EXE directly. When a program or macro opens it, it goes through COM and reads the Excel type library from the registry first. If that registration points to an Office version that is gone, the automated start fails with 0x8002802B while the manual start still works. Fixes 1 and 2 repair exactly that path.

Do I need to rebuild or change my C# or VBA code?

Usually not. In Microsoft's Q&A thread on this error, users report that an Office repair or deleting the stale registry key fixed their programs, and one notes that they did not have to rebuild the Visual Studio application. Change the code only if the program was written for a specific Office version that you no longer have and the maker or developer confirms that it needs an update.

Is it safe to delete the TypeLib version key?

It is safe when you delete only the version key that points to Office files that no longer exist and you exported the whole key first. Microsoft's moderator gives that step for this error. Do not delete the version key that points to your current EXCEL.EXE, and do not delete the whole {00020813-...} key. If anything goes wrong, double-click the exported .reg file to restore it, then run Online Repair.

I get 0x8002802B in a PowerShell script for Windows Update. Is that the same error?

Same code, different cause. Microsoft confirmed that after KB5039302 on Windows 11 22H2 and 23H2, scripts that use the Windows Update Agent API could get empty results and 0x8002802B. It has nothing to do with Word or Excel. Microsoft resolved it with a Known Issue Rollback Group Policy, which Fix 5 explains. Home and Pro users with automatic updates are unlikely to see it.

Should I uninstall the latest Windows update or scan for malware?

Not for the Office case. Older guides list these, but we found no source that ties 0x8002802B in Excel or Word to malware or to a Windows update. The only update linked to this code is KB5039302, and only for Windows Update scripts, where Microsoft's answer is the Known Issue Rollback in Fix 5 rather than removing the update. A Defender scan is still a good habit, just not a fix here.

Does this error happen on a Mac?

Not in this form. 0x8002802B is a Windows COM error, and Office for Mac does not use COM type libraries in the Windows registry. If a Mac shows a message with this code, it most likely comes from a Windows program running in a virtual machine or from a remote Windows session. Fix it inside that Windows, with the same steps on this page.

I searched in another language (apareceu o mesmo erro, kaise sahi kare, опять ошибка, แก้ไขยังไง). Does this page apply?

Yes. These searches mean the same error appeared again (Portuguese and Russian) or how to fix it (Hindi and Thai). The error code 0x8002802B and the name TYPE_E_ELEMENTNOTFOUND are the same in every language of Windows and Office. Only the menu names differ. The registry path, regedit and the repair options work the same way, so follow Fix 1 and Fix 2 here.