Configuration & Settings

Excel Export & COM Troubleshooting

Table of Content

If you're seeing errors like "Unable to start Excel", "Retrieving the COM class factory", or "0x800A03EC" when exporting to Excel, this guide will help you resolve the issue.

AQT has two ways to export to Excel:

  • Native export — AQT writes the Excel file directly. No Excel installation required. This is the recommended approach.

  • COM export — AQT launches Excel to write the file. Required only if your export uses Excel macros (xlmacro).

If you don't need macros (most users)

  1. In the export dialog, make sure "Use Native file export" is ticked

  2. In batch scripts, add xlnative=y to the export line, e.g.: 

This resolves the "Unable to start Excel" and "Retrieving the COM class factory" errors entirely. This uses a built-in method to create Excel files rather than relying on the installed version of Excel.
If you need macros and are getting COM errors
  1. Confirm Excel is installed on the PC
  2. Check Office bitness — in Excel: File > Account > About Excel — bitness is shown at the top
  3. Use the matching AQT shortcut — AQT for 64-bit Office, AQT (32-bit) for 32-bit Office
  4. Repair Office — Control Panel > Programs > Microsoft 365 > Modify > Online Repair, then restart the PC
  5. Re-register Excel — open Command Prompt as Administrator and run: 
     If Excel is not found, you may need the full path, e.g.: 
     Note: this may not work with Office 365 Click-to-Run installations. If so, the Online Repair in step 4 is the better option.
  6. Check DCOM permissions — run dcomcnfg, navigate to Component Services > Computers > My Computer > DCOM Config, find "Microsoft Excel Application", right-click > Properties > Identity tab, set to "The Interactive User". This ensures Excel runs under the logged-in user's security context.