"Cannot Load the Microsoft Office Shared Libraries" Error Message When You Start an Office X Program (823850)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Office v. X for Mac
  • Microsoft Word X for Mac
  • Microsoft Entourage X
  • Microsoft Excel X for Mac
  • Microsoft PowerPoint X for Mac

SYMPTOMS

When you start a Microsoft Office X Macintosh edition program, you may receive the following error message:
Office X program name cannot load the Microsoft Office shared libraries. There may not be enough free memory to load the libraries or files may have been moved from their originally installed locations.

CAUSE

This problem may occur in either of the following scenarios:
  • You have moved the program file for the Office X program that you are trying to start out of the Microsoft Office X folder.
  • The installation program for the stand-alone program that you have removed also removes files that the other stand-alone program requires.

    Note When you run the installer program for any of the programs listed at the beginning of this article, and then click Remove, you receive the following error message:
    Remove all previously installed components.

    Files that may be used by other applications will not be removed.
    However, if you click Remove, any Office X programs that remain on your computer do not work.

    This problem occurs because the message in the Installer dialog box is incorrect. When you click Remove in the installer program for any stand-alone Office X program, files that the remaining stand-alone Office X programs require may be removed.

WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, follow the steps as appropriate to your situation.
  • If you have moved one or more of the program files for the Office X programs out of the Microsoft Office X folder, you must move them back to the Microsoft Office X folder. If you want to have access to an icon for an Office X program somewhere else on your computer, create an alias for the program. To create an alias for Microsoft Word, follow these steps:
    1. Open the Microsoft Office X folder on your hard disk.
    2. Click Microsoft Word.
    3. On the File menu, click Make Alias.
    An alias for Word is created. You can move this alias to the desktop, or to any location on your hard disk. When you double-click the alias, Word will start.
  • If an installation program for the stand-alone program that you have removed also removed files that the other stand-alone program requires, you must then reinstall the affected programs. Because some of the program files already exist on your computer, run the installer program for each affected program instead of performing a drag-and-drop installation.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.

MORE INFORMATION

When you click Remove in the installer program for one of the stand-alone Office X programs, the icons for other Office X programs in the Microsoft Office X folder are not deleted. This gives the impression that the programs still function. However, several crucial files in the Microsoft Office X:Office folder are deleted. The absence of these files prevents any remaining Office programs from starting.
Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:8/18/2005
Keywords:kbprb KB823850 kbAudEndUser
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