Excel responding and not responding

Is your Microsoft Excel file all of a sudden stopped working and starts throwing Excel Not Responding Error message? Sometime you may encounter the similar issue with a different error message i.e Excel has stops working while trying to operate over an Excel file?

Excel keeps not responding issue is actually very irritating and annoying but the situation gets more serious when you have some unsaved data. If you are unable to access your important insights saved in the MS Excel 2016 or any other version due to the Excel is not responding issue then also you don’t have to get worried. As, today in this post, we are going to discuss about this very commonly rendered issue.

This particular blog includes solution on how to fix Excel not responding issue and best ways to recover unsaved Excel data.

About Excel Not Responding Issue:

Meanwhile the occurrence of Microsoft Excel Not Responding you will see an hourglass or a looping circle showing that a heavy thing yet to be completed but actually it got stuck. After passage of few minutes, on your Excel window you will get to see a message Excel not responding.

Some of the common not responding message pops ups are:

• “Excel is not responding”
• “Excel has stops working”

Problems of Microsoft Excel not responding issue mainly occurs due to the following reasons:

• When you haven’t installed Excel application latest updates.
• Your Excel application may be currently being used by any another process.
• Previously installed or Pre-installed add-in may be hindering your Excel application to work properly.
• May be your MS Office programs needs to get repaired.
• Outdated antivirus software or sometime confliction of antivirus software with Excel.
• Some other program of your PC may be conflicting with your Excel application.

Now, coming to the main point how to fix Excel is not responding and “Excel has stops working” error without calling any professional.  Try the following solutions one by one to fix Excel keeps not responding issue permanently.

 How To Fix Excel Not Responding Error

In this section we will discuss about easy troubleshooting steps to resolve Excel 2016 not responding error. take a quick glance over the fixes of Excel is not responding error:

1: Try to open Excel in Safe Mode
2: Install the Latest Update
3: Recompile Macros
4: Disable Add-Ins
5: Try to Change the Default Printer
6: Fix Microsoft Office
7: Reinstall Microsoft Excel

So, let’s catch complete detail about each method…!

Method 1: Try to open Excel in Safe Mode

In order to fix Microsoft Excel is not responding on your Windows 10 computer or laptop, follow the below given steps:

Step 1: Press the Windows + R button simultaneously to open the run dialogue box.

Step 2: In the Run window, type excel.exe /safe and press the Enter key. This will open up the Microsoft Excel program into the Safe Mode.

Step 3: After it, try to open the Non-responsive Excel File again. If the file opens normally then save the data to another excel file for future use.

Method 2: Install the Latest Update

Sometime these issues may start appearing when you skip o install the latest Windows and Office Updates.  So, make sure that you have installed the latest updates on your computer.

If not, then follow the below given steps:

Step 1: Go to the Control Panel and then click on the System and Security.

Step 2: Now, set it to the Automatic Mode by Start Maintenance option.

Method 3: Recompile Macros

Using problematic Macros may also trigger not responding issue. Follow the below-given steps to fix it:

Open the MS Excel and then navigate to the Developer –> Visual Basic.               

Go to the Tools -> Options. After opening the Options window click on the General tab and clear the ‘Compile on Demand’.

Using the Project navigation pane you have to right-click on the Module and choose ‘Insert’ in order to insert a new module.

At last, save the excel file and close the MS office application.

After applying the above steps, when you try to use the macros next time then you shouldn’t face the Microsoft Excel not working error.

Method 4: Disable Add-Ins

Disabling Add-Ins will also help you to fix Microsoft Excel not responding, freezing or getting stuck issues.

First, you have to open the Excel file into safe mode. To do this, follow the Method 1.

After opening the Microsoft Excel file into the safe mode, follow the below-given steps:

Step 1: Click on the File option present at the top left corner and click on the Excel Options button

Step 2: Then click on the Add-ins option present at the side menu. After it, choose Excel Add-ins and click on the Go button to open the Add-Ins selection window.

Step 3: Now, you have to disable all the Add-Ins present on your system. To do this, unmark the box present along with the active Add-Ins 

Step 4: At last, save the changes by clicking on the OK

Reboot Microsoft Excel and check for the issue.

Method 5: Try to Change the Default Printer

This method seems irrelevant but it is not. As, whenever the user opens an Excel Spreadsheet then it internally tries to communicate with the connected Printers to check for the compatible margins.

That’s why it is recommended to change the Default printer in order to fix Excel 2016 Not Responding Error.

Step 1: Open the Control Panel and then click on the Printer and Devices.

Step 2: In order to set Printer to default, you have to right click on the Microsoft XPS Document Writer.

At last, try to open the Excel File again to verify the issue.

Method 6: Fix Microsoft Office

This is one of the common solutions from the several issues, this will help you to fix Microsoft Excel not responding error on your Windows 10 by fixing the damaged or inaccessible program files.

Follow the below given steps:

Step 1: Go to the Control Panel of your system by navigating through Start button -> Windows System. After it, click on the Control Panel

Step 2: Form the Control Panel window, click on the Program and Features.

Step 3: At the next Window you have to right-click on the Microsoft Office and then click on the Repair option.

Method 7: Reinstall Microsoft Excel

In order to uninstall and then install the fresh copy of MS Excel follow the given steps:

Navigate through the “Control Panel” -> “Programs” -> “Programs and Features” -> Search for the Microsoft Office and right click then select “Uninstall“.

After uninstalling, now download a fresh copy and install it again.

How To Restore Unsaved Excel Files When Excel Not Responding?

We have found that most commonly people ask one question regarding Excel Not Responding issue, that How Can I Save My Work When Excel Is Not Responding? Well you need not to worry about it…! As in this section you will get answer of this query.

Just try the following methods to retrieve unsaved Excel file data when all of sudden your Excel stopped working or starts showing Excel not responding error:

Method 1# Go with the Microsoft Office Application Recovery

Method 2# Use AutoRecovery Option

Method 3# Using Excel Repair Tool

Let’s discuss them one by one in brief…!

Method 1# Go with the Microsoft Office Application Recovery

Step 1: Navigate through the Start > All Programs > Microsoft Office Tools > MS Office Application Recovery.

Step 2: Select the contaminated Excel document that is showing Excel not responding error

Step 3: Click on the option “Recover Application” and restore the document.

Method 2# Use AutoRecovery Option

Step 1: Run Microsoft Excel application and then click on the File -> Tab Recent, search and select the exact one – unsaved Excel document.

Step 2: Click on the “Recover Unsaved Workbooks” and wait for the process to complete

Step 3: Open the lost Excel document and then click “Save As” and save this document into any other safe place.

Sometime it happens, that AutoRecovery option won’t work in Excel. In that case check out our tutorial on : How to Fix Excel AutoRecover Not Working Issue.

 Method 3# Using Excel Repair Tool

Mostly it is seen that such Excel keeps not responding issue encounters due to corrupt or damaged excel file. So, to troubleshoot such issue, you need to first repair corrupt or damaged XLS/XLSX file. For this purpose, it’s highly recommended to make use of reliable software like Excel Repair Tool.

* Free version of the product only previews recoverable data.

The software is having so many key features like it can do easy recovery of chart, cell comment, table, shared formulas, chart sheet, image, formula, number, sort and filter, text and other objects etc. It will not hamper damage in the worksheet layout, cell formatting and properties.

This software efficiently repairs many XLSX/ XLS files in one go and successfully fix other issues of Excel worksheet.

Wrap Up:

That’s all, it is hoped that Microsoft Excel Not Responding error is now fixed and your unsaved data get recovered.

If you have any other query or suggestion then you can freely ask in our comment section. we will try our best to fix it as soon as we can.

Also Read:

8 Common Excel Error Messages that Irritates You The Most

How To Recover MS Excel Lost Content From Excel Temp Files

7 Quick Ways To Fix Excel File Read Only Error

5 Quick Fixes To Resolve “Failed To Parse The Corrupted Excel File” Error

Similar to any other program, you may experience problems with Microsoft Excel while opening or working on a document. Sometimes, it may not start at all or freeze and display an error message such as ‘Excel is not responding’. When it happens, you may want to wait for the program to respond.

Tip: If you are experiencing Excel not responding problem with a particular Excel file, it’s quite possible that the file is corrupt or partially damaged. And thus, leading to an Excel freeze or crash problem. Use Stellar Repair for Excel software to quickly repair and restore Excel (.xls/.xlsx) file in its original, intact form. You can download the free trial version of the software from the below link.

But if Excel doesn’t respond after a while and remains stuck, you need to force close the program from “Task Manager”. Now, this could be disastrous if happens while you are working on an important Excel document that took you hours to prepare. Force closing Excel due to such error can damage the Excel document and it may fail to open next time.

Why Excel is Not Responding?

Excel may stop responding, freeze, or crash suddenly due to several reasons. It can happen while saving a spreadsheet or opening an Excel document. It may also occur while editing or inserting images, graphs, etc. But usually, it occurs when the system crashes or shuts down abruptly while you are working on a document. Here’s an instance,

Suppose, you worked overnight on a critical document which is to be presented at a meeting the next day. This Excel spreadsheet includes critical graphs and charts, and much more. When you are about to save it, there is a power failure, and your system shuts down without warning. When the power is up, you restarted the system to check your Excel. To your dismay, a message pops up – “Excel Crashed” or “Microsoft Excel not responding”. 

This could be frustrating. However, there is no need to despair as there are solutions to not just overcome this error but other corresponding issues such as Excel freezing, hanging, crashing, etc. Below is an infographic that quickly briefs all the possible solutions to fix Excel not responding error.

Solutions to Fix ‘Microsoft Excel is not responding’ Error

Follow the solutions discussed below in the given order to fix Excel freezing and hanging issues.

Solution 1: Open Excel in Safe Mode

If Excel is not working as intended and frequently stops responding, you may try to start Excel in Safe Mode. It is a common DIY way to fix ‘Excel is not responding’ problem.

In Safe Mode, Excel starts with only essential services, bypasses certain functionalities and doesn’t load the add-ins, which might be the reason behind the error in MS Excel . To open and troubleshoot Excel in Safe Mode:

• Press Windows + R keys, type excel.exe /safe and press ‘Enter’ or click ‘OK’

Open the Excel file and check if it still crashes. If not, the problem could be a faulty add-in or formatting and styling error.

Proceed to the next solution to check and fix the problem.

Solution 2: Check for Faulty and Unwanted Add-ins

In Microsoft Excel, there are two types of add-ins:

• COM add-ins
• Other Add-ins Installed as XLAM, XLA, or XLL File

Both types of add-ins can cause the freezing problem in Excel . Follow the steps below to disable unwanted and faulty add-ins:

• In Excel , click File and go to Options to open ‘Excel Options’ window
• Click Add-ins button to view and manage ‘Microsoft Office Add-ins’
• Uncheck required add-ins to disable them
• At this stage, you can also click the ‘Remove’ button to remove any unwanted add-ins

• Now enable an add-in and check the Excel performance. Observe Excel for not responding error or freezing problem

If Excel doesn’t freeze, enable subsequent add-in and then again use Excel to observe it. Repeat the steps until you find the faulty plugin, which is causing the problem.

Then remove it from Excel add-ins to resolve the problem.

Solution 3: Install the latest Windows and Office Updates

This problem may also occur if Windows and MS Office are not updated. Therefore, install the latest updates for both Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office.

You can set the installation and update option to ‘Automatic mode’ in Windows. This will download and install critical updates for MS Office, which might fix the Excel performance issue. The steps to enable automatic updates are as follows:

1. Go to Settings> Update & Security> Windows Update

• Click Advanced options and enable all the toggle switches to automatically download and install updates for Windows and other Microsoft products

After update, restart Excel and check if the problem is resolved.

NOTE: From now on, MS Excel will also get the latest update consistently, without the need for manual intervention.

Solution 4:  Check and Disable Anti-virus

Antivirus is important for device safety. However, if your antivirus conflicts with MS Office apps such as Excel, it could lead to Excel freezing and not responding errors.

To check if the problem is due to anti-virus, disable it and reopen the Excel document. Check if Excel performs well or if it still hangs.

If the problem is resolved, contact your antivirus software provider for help to keep antivirus running without affecting the system and other programs such as MS Excel.

Solution 5: Change the ‘Default Printer’

Although it may seem irrelevant, changing the default printer is another easy and effective solution to overcome the error. Reason being, Excel communicates with the printer to find supported margins when we open an Excel sheet.

If Excel doesn’t find the supported margin, it may stop responding or crash. The steps to change the default printer are as follows:

1. Open Control Panel on your Windows system
2. Click Printer and Devices
3. Right-click Microsoft XPS Document Writer to set it to the default printer

Reopen the Excel document to check whether the error occurs or not.

Solution 6: Repair Microsoft Office

A corrupt or damaged Microsoft Office can also cause the ‘Excel is not responding’ problem. You can resolve this by repairing the Microsoft Office files. The steps are as follows:

1. Close all running MS Office programs
2. Go to Control Panel on your Windows system
3. Click Programs and then Programs and Features
4. Select Microsoft Office and in the Microsoft Office window, click ‘Change’
5. Then select the ‘Repair’ option and click ‘Continue’

This may take a while. After the repair is done, check your Excel program and file for the error.

Solution 7: Remove and Reinstall Microsoft Office

Sometimes, repairing MS Office may not work. In such a case, removing and reinstalling Microsoft Office can resolve the ‘Excel is not responding’ problem. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Close all running MS Office programs
2. Go to Control Panel on your Windows system
3. Click Programs and then Programs and Features
4. Right-click on Microsoft Office and choose Uninstall

Then run the MS Office installation setup to re-install MS Office on your system.

Solution 8: Repair Microsoft Excel (XLS/XLSX) file

In several situations, a corrupt or partially damaged Excel (XLS/XLSX) file is the cause of this error. In such a case, you can download and install Stellar Repair for Excel to repair the corrupt or damaged Excel file. By repairing the Excel file, you can resolve the Excel freezing error quickly without applying much efforts.

The steps to use the software for Excel file repair are as follows:

1. Download, install and launch the Excel file repair software
2. Browse and select the corrupt Excel file

• Click ‘Repair’ to start repairing the damaged Excel file
• After file repair, it provides a preview. Check your file

• Then click the ‘Save File’ option in the main menu
• You can either choose default location or browse a new folder location to save the repaired Excel file

• After repair, open the file in Excel and continue with your work

And keep Stellar Repair for Excel installed on your system. You never know when you might need this handy tool.

You may also refer to Microsoft support for more details on Excel not responding, hangs, freezes or stops working issues.

Conclusion

Now that the methods for fixing the ‘Excel is not responding’ error are before you, try all these and see which one works for you. If the cause of this error is a damaged or corrupt Excel file, only repairing the XLS/XLSX file can resolve the issue.

For this purpose, it’s recommended to use a reliable software such as Stellar Repair for Excel as it offers an easy-to-use interface, thereby making Excel file repair process a seamless experience.

The software recovers table, chart, chart sheet, cell comment, number, text, shared formulas, image, formula, sort and filter, and other objects. It also preserves worksheet properties, layout, and cell formatting. It can repair multiple XLS/XLSX files simultaneously and fix all Excel file corruption errors.

All these features extend the software capabilities beyond just fixing the ‘Excel not responding’ error.

Sometimes when you launch Excel or are in the process of working with Excel, Excel freezes and returns a message box indicating that Microsoft  Excel is not responding. 

This tutorial lists some of the causes of Microsoft Excel is not responding errors and shows 10 ways to fix it.

Some Causes of Excel Not Responding Error

The following are some of the causes of Excel not responding:

1. Insufficient RAM caused by too many programs running at the same time 
2. Damaged or corrupted Excel file
3. Keeping source formatting when copying data from web pages
4. Add-ins that conflict with Excel
5. Antivirus that conflicts with Excel
6. Windows and Office not updated
7. Inaccessible default network printer
8. Corrupted Office files

Let’s have a look at 10 things you can try to fix the Excel not responding issue.

Method #1: Close All Programs and Re-open Excel Only

Sometimes Excel crashes when it runs out of needed system sources such as memory (RAM). 

This could be caused by too many unnecessary programs running at the same time hogging system resources (it’s often the Chrome browser in my experience).  

A simple solution is to close Excel and all the unnecessary programs and re-open Excel only.

Sometimes when Excel crashes, the computer is also frozen and you may not be able to close the programs in the normal way.

You may have to close the programs using the Task Manager App in the following way:

1. Press Ctrl + Alt + Delete.
2. Select Task Manager in the window that appears.
3. In the Task Manager window, select the programs you want to close, one at a time, and click End Task.

When you re-open Excel, check its performance and see if the error is resolved. If the error continues then try the next solution.

Method #2: Repair The Excel File

Sometimes Excel fails to respond because the workbook you are working on is corrupted. 

You can try to repair the Excel file using Excel’s built-in way.

We use the following steps:

1. Select Close the program on the Microsoft Excel is not responding message box.

1. Launch Excel and select Open on the left sidebar of the welcome screen.

1. Navigate to the folder where the Excel file you were working on is stored.

1. Select the File and select Open and Repair on the Open drop-down list.

1. Click the Repair button in the message box that appears. 

Excel attempts to repair the workbook, opens the Excel file, and returns a message box informing you of the state of the repair.

1. Click the Close button to dismiss the message box.
2. Save the repaired file to a different file name. 

Continue working with the Excel file and check if the error is resolved. If the error is not resolved, proceed to the next solution.

Method #3: Copy and Paste Data From Web Pages in Excel as Text

Sometimes Excel stops responding when you paste in data from web pages on the internet.

This is because the data is in HTML format and Excel has to decode it to maintain the source formatting. This process is involved and causes Excel to stop responding. 

This issue is resolved when you use the Paste Special Text option.

If you are copying data from the Internet, use the following steps to paste it into Excel as plain text:

1. Select the data you want to copy from the internet and press Ctrl + C to copy it.
2. In Excel, select the cell into which you want to paste the data.
3. Right-click the selected cell and select Paste Special on the shortcut menu.

1. In the Paste Special dialog box select Text in the Paste As list box and click OK.

The data is pasted into Excel without any formatting and Excel does not freeze.

Also read: Not Enough Memory to Complete This Action in Excel – How to Fix?

Method #4: Change the Default Printer

Sometimes if your default printer is a network printer, Excel may have trouble accessing it and stop responding. 

To solve this issue, change the default printer to Microsoft XPS Document Printer, using the following steps:

1. From the Windows Search box, search and select Control Panel App from the list that appears.

1. In the Control Panel window, select View devices and printers under the Hardware and Sound option.

1. In the Devices and Printers window, right-click the Microsoft XPS Document Writer icon and select Set as default printer from the shortcut menu.

1. Click OK on the warning message box that appears

A check mark appears next to the Microsoft XPS Document Writer icon, indicating that it is now the default printer. 

1. Close and reopen Excel. Check its performance to see if the error of not responding is resolved. Try the next solution if Excel continues to freeze. 

Also read: How to Change Page Orientation in Excel (for Printing)

Method #5: Temporarily Disable the Antivirus

Sometimes the antivirus installed on the device may conflict with Excel causing it to stop responding. 

To find out if Excel is not responding because of a conflict with the antivirus, disable the antivirus for some time and re-open Excel.

If Excel works just fine then contact the provider of the antivirus for support on resolving the conflict between Excel and the antivirus.  

If the support given by the antivirus provider does not resolve the issue, then proceed to the next solution.

Method #6: Launch Excel in Safe Mode

If Excel repeatedly freezes or stops responding you may try to launch it in Safe Mode.

When you open Excel in safe mode, it bypasses certain functions, excludes add-ins, and starts with only essential services. This can help you isolate the cause of the error.

To launch Excel in Safe Mode, we use the steps below:

1. Open the Run App using any of the following techniques:

Press Windows + R. Check between the Ctrl and Alt keys for the Windows key.

Or

Type the word Run in the Windows search box and select Run App from the list that appears.

The Run App opens:

1. Type the following command in the Open drop-down list. Remember to input a space character before the forward slash:

excel.exe /safe

Excel opens in Safe Mode: 

If Excel opens in Safe Mode and does not crash most likely the cause of the error could be a faulty add-in.

We open Excel in Safe Mode temporarily in search of a permanent solution. If Excel does not crash in Safe Mode, proceed to the next way in search of a permanent solution.

Also read: Formulas Not Copying Down in Excel – How to Fix!

Method #7: Check For Faulty Add-ins and Disable or Remove them

Excel Add-ins and custom Component Object Model (COM) Add-ins provide optional features and commands for Microsoft Excel. Sometimes an add-in can become faulty and cause Excel to crash or not respond.  

We use the following steps to isolate a faulty add-in and disable or remove it:

1. Select File on the Excel Ribbon to open the Excel Backstage screen.

1. Select Options on the left sidebar of the Backstage screen.

1. Select Add-ins on the left sidebar of the Excel Options dialog box.

1. Disable all the add-ins by doing the following:

To disable Excel Add-ins, select Excel-Add-ins in the Manage drop-down list at the bottom of the Excel Options dialog box and click the Go button:

In the Add-ins dialog box that appears, uncheck all the add-ins in the Add-ins available list box and click OK.

To disable all the COM Add-ins, first re-open the Excel Options dialog box as explained earlier in this tutorial and select Add-ins on the left sidebar of the dialog box. 

Open the Manage drop-down list, click COM Add-ins and click the Go button:

In the COM Add-ins dialog box that appears, uncheck all the add-ins in the Add-ins available list box and click OK.

1. Enable one add-in and observe the performance of Excel. If Excel does not freeze, enable the next add-in and check the performance of Excel. 

If Excel stops responding after enabling an add-in, then that add-in is the one causing the Excel is not responding error.

You can disable it as explained earlier in this tutorial or you can remove it.

How to Remove an Add-in

We use the following steps to remove an unwanted Excel Add-in:

1. Open the Excel Options dialog box as explained earlier in this tutorial.
2. Identify the path of the add-in as in the example below:

1. Close Excel.
2. Navigate to where the add-in is stored on your computer. Select the add-in and press Delete.

1. Open Excel.
2. Open the Excel Options dialog box and select Add-ins on the sidebar on the left.
3. Open the Manage drop-down list, click Excel Add-ins, and click Go.
4. In the Add-ins dialog box, select the unwanted add-in in the Add-ins available list -box.

A message box pops up informing you that Excel cannot find the add-in, giving you the option to delete it. Click Yes to remove the unwanted add-in.

The add-in is removed from the list of available add-ins:

1. Click OK.

Removing a COM Add-in is straightforward. We use the following steps:

1. Open the Excel Options dialog box and select Add-ins on the left sidebar.
2. Open the Manage drop-down list, click COM Add-ins, and click Go.
3. In the COM Add-ins dialog box, select the add-in in the Add-ins available list box and click Remove.

Method #8: Update Windows and Office

Sometimes Excel freezes and does not respond because either Windows or Office suite or both are not updated.

In this case, ensure to update both Office and Windows. The installed updates can fix the performance issues of Excel.

Update Windows 

To check if Windows updates are available and install them, use the following steps:

1. Open Settings by clicking the Windows Start button in the bottom left corner of the screen and selecting Settings.

1. Click the Check for Updates button and if Windows updates are available, click the Download button. This starts the downloading and installation of updates.  

Update Microsoft Office

To update Microsoft Office, use the following steps:

1. In Exel, select File to open the Backstage window.

1. In the Backstage window, select Account on the left sidebar.

1. In the Account window, in the Office Updates section, select Update Now in the Update Options drop-down list.

After updating Windows and Office, open Excel and check if the Excel is not responding error is resolved.

If Excel continues not to respond, try the next solution of repairing Office. 

Enable automatic updates of Windows and Office

We can set Windows to automatically update Windows and Office so that we do not have to do a manual update in the future.

Do the following to enable automatic download and installation of Windows and other Microsoft products such as Office:

• In the Settings window, select Advanced options.

• In the Advanced options window, enable the update options as shown below.

With the update options enabled as shown, Excel will be automatically updated regularly.

Method #9: Repair Microsoft Office 

Sometimes even after you have updated Windows and Office, Excel continues to crash. A damaged or corrupted Office could be the reason. 

Repair Office and see if the error is resolved.

To repair Microsoft Office, we use the steps below:

1. Close all running Office Apps. 
2. From the Windows Search box, search and select the Control Panel App on the list that appears.

1. Click on the Programs option in the Control Panel window.

1. Select Programs and Features in the Programs window.

1. In the Programs and Features window, select Microsoft Office in the list of programs and click on Change.

1. You see the User Account Control prompt that asks Do you want to allow this app to make changes to your device?  Choose Yes.
2. In the dialog box that appears, select Quick Repair and click the Repair button. If the problem persists you can later try Online Repair.

The process of repair takes a while. After the repair, open Excel and check if the error is resolved. 

Method #10: Uninstall and Reinstall Office

If repairing Office does not fix the problem. Try uninstalling and reinstalling Office.

Uninstall Office

To uninstall Office, use the following steps:

1. Close all running Office Apps. 
2. Search and select the Control Panel App on the list that appears.

1. Select Programs in the Control Panel window.

1. Select Programs and Features in the Programs window.

1. In the Programs and Features window, select Microsoft Office in the list of programs and click Uninstall.

The uninstallation process may take a while. 

Re-Install Office

To reinstall Office, use the following steps:

1. Go to www.office.com and select Sign in. Sign in using the account you connected with your version of Office.

1. From the home page of Office select Install Office and follow through as you are guided through the installation process. 

The installation process may take a while. When Office is installed, open Excel and check if the Excel not responding error is resolved. 

Excel can stop responding because of various reasons ranging from insufficient RAM to damaged Office files. This tutorial has explained 10 ways to fix the problem of Excel not responding.

Other Excel articles you may also like:

• How to Find out What Version of Excel You Have (Easy Way)
• Excel Shortcuts Not Working – Possible Reasons + How to Fix?
• Excel Fill Series Not Working
• VLOOKUP Not Working – 7 Possible Reasons + Fix!
• Why does Excel Open on Startup (and How to Stop it)
• Why is Excel so Slow? 11 Tips to Fix Slow Excel Files!
• Microsoft Excel vs Google Sheets – Which One Is Better for You?
• How to Turn OFF Scroll Lock In Excel?

Excel is one of the most preferred spreadsheets by students and professionals. Although the program is widely used for convenience, like every application, it may sometimes freeze or stop responding. When Excel stops responding, the screen can appear white with the Not Responding message on the status bar.

If it comforts you, the issue is widespread and can happen to anyone. However, this issue shouldn’t stop your productivity. In this article, we have discussed the causes behind excel freezing or not responding and ways to fix the problem on your own, so keep reading!

Excel Not Responding or Freezing? Here’s How to Fix.

To all the issues we have mentioned in the section above, we have discussed viable solutions in this section. We have gathered 8 solutions to fix the Excel not responding or freezing. Refer to each solution step-by-step; if they don’t resolve your issue, move on to a different fix.

Close Heavy Background Applications

Other applications may slow down or stop responding when you use a heavier application in the background. This is because they take up more space in the processor, resulting in delays in other tasks. 

You can check which application is taking up more of your space from the Task Manager. Once you identify which application is taking more of your percentage of your CPU, you can end the task for that application by following these steps:

1. Open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc).
2. In the Processes tab, check which application takes more of your CPU.
3. Right-click on the application name > End Task.
   

Check Formulas

If you have entered a formula with an array, make sure to double-check it to ensure that there is no recursion. Recursion is when your formula produces infinite results. Excel cannot process calculations as such and could freeze as a result.

Check if Excel Is in Use

If other applications are using Excel, this likely is why the program has gone unresponsive. You can check if Excel is currently being used from the status bar at the bottom of the program. You can wait for the application to finish its task and begin using the program normally.

Disable Add-ins

Excel has the feature of adding extensions named “add-ins” to improve your experience while using the program. However, both third-party and Excel add-ins can sometimes cause your program to freeze. In cases as such, you will need to disable these add-ins.

You can try disabling the COM add-ins and then turn off the Excel add-ins if the issue isn’t resolved. You will need to launch Excel in safemode, which may create changes in the registry editor. So, create a windows restoration point before you proceed with the fix.

Disable COM Add-in

1. Open Run (Windows key + R)
2. Enter Excel /safe in the search box > OK.
   
3. Launch Excel.
4. Select Options from the sidebar.
   
5. Choose Add-ins from the panel to your left.
6. Select COM Add-ins next to manage and hit Go.
   
7. Deselect the box next to all add-ins > OK.
   
8. Restart Excel.

Disable Excel Add-in

1. Start Excel in Safe Mode (refer to steps 1 and 2 mentioned above)
2. Launch Start, then enter regedit to open Registry Editor.
3. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftOffice
   
4. Select the latest Excel version, then navigate to Excel > Options.
   
5. Locate the Key named OPEN with REG_SZ Type. In case you don’t see the value refer to the next solution.
6. Right-click OPEN, then choose Rename.
   
7. Change the name to RenameOPEN, then hit Enter.
8. Rename every key that starts with OPEN with REG_Z Type.
9. Restart Excel.

Disable Anti-virus

Sometimes your Anti-virus may cause your Excel program to freeze. While performing its periodic scans, the anti-virus program takes up a lot of space in the processor in the background. You can try turning off your anti-virus for some time and see if your excel programs become responsive. 

Relocate Files in XLStart Folder

Files in the trusted locations start as you launch the excel program. If many files are saved in these locations, then Excel can take a lot of time to start itself. In cases when Excel takes too long, the entire program can go unresponsive.

You can try to move the files to a different folder from File explorer. To know these locations, follow these steps:

1. Select File.
2. Head to Options from the left panel.
3. Select Trust Center > Trust Center Settings.
   
4. Head to Trusted Locations, then navigate to the trusted locations on File Explorer.
   
5. Relocate the files from these locations.

Repair Office

There could be an issue with the Excel program files. If the files have gone missing or corrupt, Excel may not be able to function normally. You will need to perform an online repair of your Office program to resolve the issue of corrupt or missing program files.

When you perform an Online repair, these problematic files are replaced with good, working files. Make sure you have a stable internet connection and follow these steps to repair your office program:

1. Open Settings (Windows key + I).
2. Head to Apps > Apps & features.
   
3. Scroll down to the Office app and select the vertical three-dot menu > Modify.
4. Select Online repair > Repair.
   

Update Office

Your Office program may have gone outdated. Issues as such are very common when you do not update your program for a long time. You must keep your Office application updated so that you do not leave room for security vulnerabilities and in-app errors.

You can update your Office from any application from the package. Here we have mentioned the steps to update Office using MS Excel:

1. Open MS Excel.
2. From the sidebar, choose Account.
   
3. Select Update Options.
4. Click Update Now.