How to fix Microsoft Office error 30045-29 in Windows?

Error Code: 30045-29 (1) means the Click-to-Run part of Office could not finish an update or a background check, so you see it after Update Now or as a pop-up while Word or Excel is open. Close Office, restart and run Online Repair first. If the pop-up keeps coming, check the licence in File > Account.

Facts checked on 15 October 2026. Steps written for Click-to-Run versions of Microsoft 365, Office 2016 to 2024 on Windows 11 (25H2 and 26H2) and Windows 10 22H2, read against Microsoft's documentation and Microsoft Q&A.

What error code 30045-29 (1) means in Microsoft Office

Every current desktop Office is installed and kept up to date by Click-to-Run. It runs in the background as Microsoft Office Click-to-Run Service and downloads updates while you work. Codes that begin with 30045 come from this Click-to-Run window, and 30045-29 is the one that shows when an update or its background check stops halfway.

• After Update Now. In the Microsoft Q&A thread with the most matching reports, Office said updates were ready to install, and selecting Update Now gave Error Code 30045-29 (1). A repair from Apps & Features changed nothing. More than 100 people marked that they had the same question.
• At random times. Our reader and many others see the window pop up while they type, sometimes several times an hour. The update service retries in the background, so the window comes back until the cause is gone.
• The (1) in brackets is Windows' generic error 1, Incorrect function. It says that an action failed, not why, so the 29 is the part that matters.

What causes Office error 30045-29, from the most common to the rare

Microsoft names no single cause. The order below is our reading of the reports and of what Microsoft's staff advised in them. It is an order of likelihood, not a statistic.

How to fix error code 30045-29 (1) in Office

Fix 1 helps most readers and takes about 15 minutes. Fix 2 to Fix 5 are for the pop-up that keeps coming back or an update that never finishes. Fix 6 and Fix 7 are for the rare cases. Stop as soon as Update Now ends with You're up to date!

Fix 1. Close Office, restart Windows and run Online Repair

10 to 20 minutesLow riskEveryone first, above all when the error appears after Update Now.

An update that stopped halfway leaves Office files the next update cannot replace. Online Repair downloads a fresh copy of the programs and replaces them. It is the first step Microsoft's community staff gave for 30045-29 (1), after a repair from Apps & Features had changed nothing.

1. Save your work and close Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint and Teams.
2. Select Start > Power > Restart. Use Restart, not Shut down, so the Click-to-Run service starts fresh.
3. Right-click Start and select Installed apps. On Windows 10: Apps and Features.
4. Find Microsoft 365 or Microsoft Office, select the three dots next to it and select Modify. On Windows 10, select the entry and then Modify.
5. Select Yes at the User Account Control prompt.
6. In How would you like to repair your Office programs, select Online Repair, then Repair, and confirm.
7. Wait for the repair to finish, restart once more and select File > Account > Update Options > Update Now in Word.

Fix 2. Check the Office licence in File > Account

5 minutesNo riskThe window pops up at random, or Office shows a trial, a product notice or a sign-in prompt.

Click-to-Run checks the licence in the background and updates only licensed Office. An expired Microsoft 365 trial, or an Office signed in with an account that no longer owns it, gives that background check nothing to work with. A pop-up that starts on a PC where nothing else changed, as in our reader's case, often points here.

1. Open Word and select File > Account. In Outlook it is File > Office Account.
2. Read Product Information on the right. A working licence says Subscription Product or Product Activated.
3. If you see a yellow or red bar such as Product Notice, Unlicensed Product or a trial end date, select Sign out under User Information.
4. Sign in again with the Microsoft account that bought Office.
5. Sign in at account.microsoft.com and open Services & subscriptions to check that Office is listed and the subscription is active.

Fix 3. Run Update Now again on a stable connection

10 to 20 minutesNo riskYou are on Wi-Fi, a phone hotspot, a VPN or a metered connection, or the update stops at the same point.

Click-to-Run downloads each Office update while it runs. A dropped connection leaves a broken download behind, and the next try fails on it with the same code.

1. Connect the PC to the router with a cable, or move close to it.
2. Disconnect any VPN and pause other large downloads such as Windows Update or game launchers.
3. Select Start > Settings > Network & internet, select your connection and make sure Metered connection is off.
4. Close every Office app except Word.
5. In Word select File > Account > Update Options > Update Now and leave the PC on until it finishes.

If Update Options offers Enable Updates, select it first: updates were turned off, and Click-to-Run keeps failing on the waiting update. To find where a connection breaks, follow How to check your internet connection in Windows.

Fix 4. Restart Microsoft Office Click-to-Run Service

5 minutesLow riskUpdate Now spins for a long time before the error, or a tuning tool was used on the PC.

The update is done by this service, not by Word. A service that hangs, or one set to Disabled, cannot apply the update, and Office reports that as a failed update.

1. Close every Office app.
2. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager. If Microsoft Office Click-to-Run (SxS) is listed under Background processes, select it and select End task.
3. Press Win + R, type services.msc and select OK.
4. Find Microsoft Office Click-to-Run Service. If Startup Type says Disabled, double-click it, set Startup type to Automatic and select Apply.
5. Right-click the service and select Start, or Restart if it is already running.
6. Open Word and run File > Account > Update Options > Update Now.

How the Services console works, with every screen: Check and restart Windows services. If the service is not in the list at all while Office is installed, the installation is damaged. Go to Fix 6.

Fix 5. Remove the expired trial and its leftovers

15 to 30 minutesLow riskOffice came preinstalled as a trial that has ended, or you already uninstalled it and the window still pops up.

A trial removed in part can leave Click-to-Run and its scheduled update check on the PC. They keep trying to update an Office that is no longer licensed, or no longer there, and show 30045-29 each time. Removing every piece stops it.

1. Right-click Start and select Installed apps. On Windows 10: Settings > Apps > Apps & features.
2. Type office and then 365 in the search box above the list.
3. Select the three dots next to each Office or Microsoft 365 entry you do not use, select Uninstall and confirm.
4. Restart the PC.
5. If the window still comes, run Microsoft's uninstall troubleshooter from Uninstall Microsoft 365 or Office from a PC on the Click-to-Run tab. It removes the service and the leftovers too.

How Installed apps works on Windows 11 and Windows 10, with every screen: Uninstall a program or app in Windows. If you want to keep Word and Excel, buy or redeem a licence and install Office again from your account after the removal.

Fix 6. Uninstall Office and install it again from your account

30 to 40 minutesRead the warningOnline Repair failed or ended with another code, such as 30045-27 (1), and Update Now still fails.

When the repair cannot save the installation, Microsoft's staff advised the 30045-29 (1) reader to uninstall and install again. A new installation brings the latest version, so no update is waiting to fail.

1. Right-click Start and select Installed apps.
2. Select the three dots next to Microsoft 365 or Microsoft Office, select Uninstall and confirm.
3. If the uninstall fails, use the uninstall troubleshooter from Microsoft's uninstall page, as in Fix 5.
4. Restart the PC.
5. Sign in at microsoft365.com with the account that owns Office and select Install apps.
6. Run the setup file, select Yes at the User Account Control prompt and wait for You're all set!

If setup then stops with a code that ends in 44, the removal left something behind. That case has its own steps in the guide linked under What the error means.

Fix 7. Repair Windows system files

20 minutesLow riskOffice keeps failing after a new installation, or other programs also fail to install or update.

Click-to-Run relies on Windows components to download and apply updates. When those are damaged, every Office update fails, whatever you do inside Office. This is rare for 30045-29, so it comes last.

1. Open an elevated command window. Right-click Start and select Terminal (Admin), or type cmd in the search box, right-click Command Prompt and select Run as administrator. Select Yes when Windows asks for permission.
2. Run DISM first. Type the command below and press Enter. DISM downloads clean copies of damaged components from Windows Update, so it can take several minutes. Wait until it says The operation completed successfully.

   DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

3. Run System File Checker. In the same window, type the command below and press Enter. Do not close the window until the verification reaches 100%.

   sfc /scannow

4. Read the result and restart. Compare the last message with the table below this guide, then restart the PC so that repaired files are loaded.

These steps were written for Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2. The full page with the other versions and what each result means: Run DISM and SFC to repair Windows system files

If 30045-29 is still there: read the Click-to-Run log

The window shows only the code. Click-to-Run writes more to log files in the %temp% folder of your user, and in %windir%\Temp for the update service that runs as the system account. The log often names the file or step that failed.

1. Run Update Now once more and note the time of the error.
2. Press Win + R, type %windir%\Temp and press Enter. Switch to Details and sort by Date modified, newest first.
3. Open the newest .log file whose name begins with the name of your PC. Press Ctrl + F and search for 30045, then for error.
4. Repeat it in %temp%.

We could not confirm from Microsoft which log line goes with 30045-29, so read it as a hint. A licence or account line points back to Fix 2. A download or network line points to Fix 3. A file that cannot be replaced points to Fix 6.

• A managed work or school PC may control Office updates by policy. Only IT can change that, so send them the code.
• What to send to Microsoft support: the full code with the number in brackets, the Office product and year, and whether it appeared after Update Now or on its own. Add the Windows version from Settings > System > About and the newest log from both folders.

How to stop error 30045-29 from coming back

Most reports come from an update interrupted halfway or from a trial left to expire. Letting updates finish and keeping one licensed Office per PC avoids most of it.

Frequently asked questions

What does error code 30045-29 (1) mean?

It means the Click-to-Run part of Office could not finish an update or a background check. You see it after selecting Update Now, or as a pop-up while an Office app is open. Microsoft has no page that explains the 29, and the (1) is Windows' generic error 1, Incorrect function. Microsoft's community staff answer it with the Office repair tool first and a full reinstall second, which is the order of Fix 1 and Fix 6 on this page.

Why does 30045-29 pop up at random times while I work?

Click-to-Run checks for updates and the licence in the background, not only when you select Update Now. When that check fails, the window appears in the middle of your work and returns at the next check. The usual reasons are damaged Office files, an expired trial or a licence Office cannot reach. Run Online Repair (Fix 1), then look at Product Information under File > Account (Fix 2).

Is 30045-29 (1) the same as 30045-29?

Yes. They are the same error. The number in brackets is part of the code line and is usually (1). People search for it as 30045-29(1), error code: 30045-29 (1), microsoft error code 30045-29 and other spellings, and they all lead to the same fixes on this page. A different number in brackets comes from a different Windows error, so note it if you contact Microsoft support.

I ran the repair and now get 30045-27 (1). What next?

That happened to the reader in the Microsoft Q&A thread too. After the repair tool, the code changed from 30045-29 (1) to 30045-27 (1), and Microsoft's staff then advised uninstalling Office and installing it again. Follow Fix 6: back up templates and signatures, uninstall Office in Installed apps or with Microsoft's uninstall troubleshooter, restart and install again from microsoft365.com.

Will fixing 30045-29 delete my documents?

No. Online Repair and a reinstall replace the Office programs, not the files you created. Documents in your Documents folder or OneDrive stay where they are. A full uninstall does remove Office settings, custom templates and Outlook signatures stored on the PC, so copy those before Fix 6. Email in a Microsoft 365, Outlook.com or Gmail account stays on the server and comes back when you sign in.

Can I just turn off Office updates to stop the pop-up?

You can select File > Account > Update Options > Disable Updates, but it hides the problem and leaves Office without security fixes. Do not set Microsoft Office Click-to-Run Service to Disabled either: the service also runs repairs and installs, so later fixes fail. Fix the cause with Online Repair or a reinstall, and keep updates on.

Is error code 30045-4 the same as 30045-29?

No. 30045-4 is usually a shortened search for 30045-44, which appears while Office setup installs or removes Office. 30045-29 appears when an installed Office updates or checks itself in the background. The windows look alike, so read the full code. If yours ends in 44, follow the 30045-44 guide linked under What the error means instead of this one.

What are 30045 and ce 30045 2 searches about?

30045 alone is the group of Office Click-to-Run errors, and the part after the dash tells them apart. We found no Microsoft or Office code written as ce 30045 2. It may be a shortened search for one of these codes. Read the full code under Error Code in your window: 30045-29 is covered on this page, and 30045-44 on its own guide.

Do I need a new product key after reinstalling Office?

No, as long as your Office is linked to your Microsoft account. Sign in at account.microsoft.com and open Services & subscriptions. If Office is listed there, you install it again from microsoft365.com and it activates when you sign in. If it is not listed, redeem your product key with that account first. Keep the key or receipt until Office works again.

Does this fix work on Windows 10?

Yes. Every step works on Windows 10 22H2, and we give the Windows 10 menu names where they differ. Windows 10 left support on 14 October 2025, and Office 2016 and Office 2019 reached the end of support on the same day. They still run and can still show 30045-29, but they get no more security updates. Answers in other languages, such as como solucionar, are the same steps.