Excel Not Responding in Windows? Try These Fixes

Common causes

• An add-in that interferes or conflicts with Excel
• Files in the startup folders Excel uses
• Excel busy with another process
• Workbook contents such as formulas referencing entire columns or excessive styles
• Automatic recalculation of complex formulas
• A file saved over a network or to a web server
• Background apps or services that interfere with Excel
• Antivirus software that’s out of date or integrates with Excel

Step-by-Step Solutions

Work through the steps in order, and if one doesn’t help, move on to the next.

1. 1

   Step 1: Let Excel finish what it’s doing

   Excel may not respond if you try to do something else while it’s in use by another process.

   Look at the status bar at the bottom of the Excel window. If Excel is in use by another process, it shows that information there.

   If you try to perform other actions while Excel is in use, Excel may not respond. Let the task finish before you try anything else.

2. 2

   Step 2: Start Excel in safe mode

   Safe mode bypasses Excel’s startup folders, changed toolbars, Excel add-ins and most COM add-ins, so you can see whether one of them is the problem.

   Right-click the Start button and click Run, or press the Windows logo key and the R key. Type excel /safe and click OK.

   You can also press and hold the CTRL key while you double-click the Excel shortcut, then click Yes when you’re asked whether you want to start it in Safe Mode.

   If Excel starts in safe mode, go on to the next step. If it doesn’t, skip ahead to installing the latest updates. To leave safe mode, exit and restart Excel.

   Good to know

   Office Safe Mode is different from Windows safe mode.

3. 3

   Step 3: Turn off COM add-ins

   Add-ins can occasionally interfere or conflict with Excel, so turn them all off and add them back one at a time.

   Select File, then Options, then Add-ins. Select COM Add-ins and click Go. Clear all the check boxes in the list, click OK, then close Excel and restart it in normal mode, not in safe mode.

   If the problem doesn’t happen now, turn your add-ins back on one at a time until it does. Restart Excel each time you turn one on, so you can tell which add-in is causing the problem.

4. 4

   Step 4: Move files out of Excel’s startup folders

   Excel opens every workbook in its XLStart folder and any alternate startup folder when it starts, and a file there can be the problem.

   To find the XLStart folder, select File, then Options. Click Trust Center, then Trust Center Settings, then Trusted Locations, and note the path to the XLStart folder. Move any files in it to another folder and start Excel in normal mode.

   To check an alternate startup folder, select File, Options, then Advanced. Under General, note the folder in the At Startup, open all files in box. Move any files in it to another folder and start Excel in normal mode.

   If the problem stops, move the files back one at a time, restarting Excel in normal mode each time, to find the workbook that’s causing it.

5. 5

   Step 5: Install the latest Office updates

   Updates can correct problems by replacing out-of-date files.

   Open any Microsoft 365 app, such as Word, and create a new document. Go to File, then Account. In the Product Information section, choose Update Options, then Update Now.

   If you don’t see Update Now right away, you may need to click Enable Updates first. Microsoft says to make sure you’re running the latest Current Channel version.

   Good to know

   If Update Options is missing and there’s only the About button, you have a volume license install or your company manages Office updates with Group Policy. Try Microsoft Update or contact your company help desk.

6. 6

   Step 6: Check what’s in the workbook

   Some workbook contents can cause performance or crashing issues, and automatic recalculation can make Excel hang.

   The issue can be specific to one file. Look for these in the workbook:

   Some hanging issues are related to calculation mode. If complex formulas make Excel slow to respond, go to the Formulas tab, select the Calculation Options drop-down, then select Manual. This shows whether automatic recalculation is the cause.

   • Formulas referencing entire columns
   • Array formulas referencing an uneven number of elements in the arguments
   • Hundreds or thousands of hidden objects, or objects with 0 height and width
   • Excessive styles from frequent copying and pasting between workbooks
   • Excessive or invalid defined names
   • Very large numbers of geometric shapes or complex shape objects
7. 7

   Step 7: Save the file on your PC and test it

   Moving the file locally shows whether the problem is with the file itself or with where it’s saved.

   Several issues can arise when you save an Excel file over a network or to a web server. Save the file locally on your PC to test it.

   Microsoft suggests this in situations such as these:

   • Opening files from a Webfolder or SharePoint
   • Remote Desktop or Citrix
8. 8

   Step 8: Repair Office

   Repairing your Microsoft 365 programs can resolve problems with Excel not responding, hanging or freezing.

   The steps to open the repair tool vary by Windows version. In the steps Microsoft gives, you right-click the Start button and select Apps and Features. Select your Microsoft 365 or Office product and select Modify.

   For a Click-to-run installation, select Online Repair, then Repair. The faster Quick Repair option only detects and replaces corrupted files. For an MSI-based installation, select Repair in Change your installation, then click Continue. Follow the instructions on the screen.

   When the repair is done, you might need to restart your computer.

   Good to know

   Repair fixes the entire Office suite, even if Excel is the only app with a problem.

9. 9

   Step 9: Check your antivirus software

   If your antivirus software isn’t up to date, or integrates with Excel, Excel may not work properly.

   Download the latest updates from your antivirus software vendor’s website.

   If your antivirus software includes integration with Excel, you may see performance issues. Contact the vendor to find out how to configure the software to exclude any integration with Excel or scanning in Excel.

   Good to know

   Changing antivirus settings may make your PC vulnerable to viral, fraudulent or malicious attacks. Microsoft doesn’t recommend changing them.

Frequently Asked Questions

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