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FIX: There was a problem sending command to the program

9 min. read

Updated onOctober 4, 2023

updated onOctober 4, 2023

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Key notes

The errorThere was a problem sending thecommandto the programis one of the most common errors encountered by Windows users.

Usually, this error message is associated with the Office Package and occurs when users try to open Excel, Word, PowerPoint, or Access documents created in older Office versions.

This annoying error affects all Windows versions and has been reported by several Windows 10 users.

Windows sends Dynamic Data Exchange commands (DDE) to Microsoft Office apps, but the OS fails to connect with the application, which triggers this error code.

OS Windows 10 [Current], Office 2013 Standard 15.0.4569.1506When my user opens a spreadsheet from within Excel, they open normally. When my user opens a spreadsheet from the Desktop or from One Drive, an error stating that “There was a problem sending thecommandto the program.” appears. […] The only posts we could find address this issue for OSes leading up to but not including Windows 10.

There was a problem sending thecommandto the programerror usually affects Office applications, but sometimes it can appear while using other applications.

How can I fix the commands problem in Office?

1. Disable Dynamic Data Exchange

According to users,There was a problem sending thecommandto the programerror message can appear due to Dynamic Data Exchange feature inMicrosoft Office.

According to users, you can completely fix this problem simply by disabling this option in Microsoft Office. To do that, just follow these steps:

2. Disable the option Run as administrator

Sometimes certain applications won’t work unless you start them with administrative privileges.

However, administrative privileges can sometimes interfere with the application and causeThere was a problem sending thecommandto the programerror message to appear.

Many users managed to fix this problem simply by disablingRun as administratoroption for the problematic app. To do that, you just need to follow the above steps.

3. Repair Office

According to users, sometimes you might getThere was a problem sending thecommandto the programmessage because your Office installation is damaged or corrupted.

To fix this problem, it’s advised to repair your Office installation and check if that helps. Repairing the installation is rather simple, and you can do it by following the above procedure.

If the repair doesn’t solve the problem, you might want to consider reinstalling Office. There are several ways to do that, but the best way is to use uninstaller software.

If you’re not familiar withuninstaller software, these tools are designed to completely remove any application from your PC along with all of its files and registry entries.

As a result, the uninstaller software will completely remove any application from your PC and ensure that any leftover files don’t interfere with your system.

Once you removeOfficeusing one of these tools, reinstall it and the problem should be permanently fixed.

4. Disable your antivirus software

If you’re having problems withThere was a problem sending thecommandto the programerror message, the cause might be your antivirus software.

To fix the problem, it’s advised to check your antivirus settings and disable certain features. Users reported issues withSymantec Endpoint Security,but after disabling certain features, the problem was resolved.

If that doesn’t work, you might have to completely disable your antivirus to solve this issue. As a last resort, you might even have to remove your antivirus entirely to fix this problem.

If you’re a Norton user, we’ve got adedicated guideon how to completely remove it from your PC. There’s asimilar guidefor McAfee users, as well.

If removing the antivirus solves the issue, you should consider switching to different antivirus software.

There are several qualitativeWindows 10 compatible antivirussoftware on the market that cater to all budgets and needs.

5. Turn off add-ins

According to users, sometimes Office add-ins can cause this issue to appear. Add-ins can bring new features toOffice, but sometimes they can cause issues such as this one to appear.

6. Disable hardware acceleration

Now, have in mind that, once you disable hardware acceleration, your performance might drop a bit, but you won’t see the error anymore.

Many applications support hardware acceleration features that bring better performance. However, sometimes this feature can lead toThere was a problem sending the command to the programerror.

To fix this problem, you need to open the problematic application and disable the hardware acceleration feature. To do that, just follow the previous steps.

7. Make similar registry keys agree

Example:HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTExcel.Sheet.12shellOpen

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTExcel.Sheet.12shellOpencommand] set to [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTExcel.Sheet.12shellOpencommand]@=“C:Program FilesMicrosoft OfficeRootOffice16EXCEL.EXE”%1" /ou “%u”"

The default key is indicated by the “@”.

According to users, sometimesThere was a problem sending the command to the programerrorcan appear due to your registry. Sometimes certain values can interfere with applications and lead to this error.

To fix the problem, you need to modify your registry by doing the following:

If you’re having problems editing your registry on Windows 10, take a look at thissimple guidethat will help you deal with them.

8. Remove Windows Compatibility Package

In some cases,There was a problem sending the command to the programerror can appear if you have any leftover components from the previous versions ofOffice.

According to users, the Windows Compatibility Package was the reason for the problem.

This tool is associated with previous versions ofOffice, and if you have it, be sure to remove it in order to permanently solve this issue.

9. Remove the problematic software

According to users, applications such asTuneup Utilitiescan sometimes cause this problem to appear. Several users reported that Tuneup Utilities and similar types of software caused this problem on their PC.

If you have any of these applications installed, be sure to remove it and check if that solves the problem.

We hope one of these solutions helped you to fix the errorThere was a problem sending the command to the program.

As always, in case you’ve come across another workaround that we didn’t list in this article, you can share your experience in the comments section below.

Speaking of similar error messages, users reported the following problems as well:

FIX: There was a problem sending command to the program#

How can I fix the commands problem in Office?#

1. Disable Dynamic Data Exchange#

2. Disable the option Run as administrator#

3. Repair Office#

4. Disable your antivirus software#

5. Turn off add-ins#

6. Disable hardware acceleration#

7. Make similar registry keys agree#

8. Remove Windows Compatibility Package#

9. Remove the problematic software#