Excel not responding: how to fix freezes and hangs

Applies to Excel for Microsoft 365 and Excel 2016, 2019, 2021 and 2024 on Windows 11 and 10. The order follows Microsoft’s own troubleshooting article, with notes on when each step is worth your time.

Match your symptom

What you see	Likely cause	Start with
Freezes for a while, then recovers	Calculation, save or another process	Fix 1
Hangs at launch, before any file opens	Add-in or startup file	Fix 2, then Fix 3
Only one workbook freezes	Formulas, objects or styles in that file	Fix 6
Freezes when opening or saving from a network or cloud folder	File location	Fix 7
Hangs when printing or in Page Break Preview	Printer driver	Fix 9
Every workbook hangs, even in safe mode	Damaged Office install or other software	Fix 5, Fix 10, Fix 11
Started right after an update	Known issue	Known issues section

Fix 1: Check what Excel is busy with

Not responding in the title bar does not always mean Excel has crashed. It can mean Excel is still working and cannot redraw the window. Look at the status bar at the bottom: Microsoft says that if another process is using Excel, you should let that task finish before you click anything else. Clicking repeatedly only queues more work.

Large recalculations, workbooks that refresh external data, and files syncing to OneDrive or SharePoint are typical short freezes. If the window comes back after a minute or two, the problem is the workload, so jump to Fix 6. If Excel never recovers, end it in Task Manager; when you reopen Excel it may offer AutoRecover versions of unsaved work.

Fix 2: Start Excel in safe mode

Safe mode starts Excel without add-ins and without files from the startup folders. That makes it the fastest way to split the problem in two.

1. Close Excel completely.
2. Press Windows + R to open Run.
3. Type excel /safe and select OK.

Open the workbook that usually freezes and work in it for a while. If Excel behaves, continue with Fix 3 and Fix 4. If it does not even start in safe mode, skip to Fix 5.

Microsoft also offers an automated Excel crash troubleshooter (Windows 10 or later) that does the same tests for you. Be aware that it turns off add-ins, moves startup folder files to a folder on your desktop and renames custom toolbar files, and it can change the registry, so Microsoft advises backing up first.

Fix 3: Turn off COM add-ins

COM add-ins come from other programs, such as PDF tools, accounting software, antivirus or meeting apps, and they load into every Excel session. A single outdated one can make Excel hang.

1. Open Excel (normally or in safe mode) and go to File > Options > Add-ins.
2. Next to Manage, choose COM Add-ins and select Go.
3. Clear every check box and select OK.
4. Close Excel and start it normally.

If the freezes stop, turn the add-ins back on one at a time, restarting Excel each time, until the problem returns. Then update, remove or leave off that add-in until its vendor fixes it. Workbooks with macros are a separate matter; if Excel blocks them instead of freezing, see our guide to blocked macros.

Fix 4: Check startup files and Excel add-ins

Excel opens everything in its startup folders automatically. A large or damaged file there can hang Excel at launch.

• XLStart folder: go to File > Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings > Trusted Locations and note the XLStart path. Move the files out of that folder, start Excel, then move them back one by one.
• Alternate startup folder: go to File > Options > Advanced and, under General, check the path in At startup, open all files in. Test the same way.

Excel add-ins (.xlam and similar) that do not appear in the COM list are loaded through registry values. Microsoft’s method for confident users is to open regedit, go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Excel\Options (16.0 covers Excel 2016 and later) and rename each string value whose name starts with OPEN by adding Renamed in front, for example RenamedOPEN1. If Excel then works, restore the names one at a time to find the add-in.

Warning: back up the registry before you change it, and on a work PC leave this step to IT.

Fix 5: Update Excel and Windows

Many hangs are bugs that a later build fixes. Microsoft states that Microsoft 365 builds from Version 2503 on include fixes for freezes around PivotTable refresh, freeze panes and loading shapes, and that Version 2601 or later fixes a hang when Excel reads file properties or user profile information. It recommends the latest Current Channel build.

In Excel, go to File > Account > Update Options > Update Now, then install pending Windows updates. On a managed PC your update channel may be set by IT, so you may not get the newest build straight away.

Fix 6: Fix a heavy or damaged workbook

If only one file freezes, the file is usually the cause. Microsoft lists these as common reasons for hangs:

• Formulas that reference entire columns, such as A:A in a lookup, instead of the used range.
• Array formulas whose arguments have an uneven number of elements.
• Hundreds or thousands of hidden objects, or objects with zero height or width.
• Excessive cell styles, often built up by copying and pasting between workbooks.
• Too many or invalid defined names (check Formulas > Name Manager).
• A very large number of shapes or complex shape objects.

To test whether calculation is the bottleneck, set Formulas > Calculation Options > Manual, then press F9 when you want results. Remember to switch back to Automatic, or totals will look wrong.

Conditional formatting is worth a look too, although Microsoft’s article does not name it. Copying and pasting can split one rule into many near-identical rules. Open Home > Conditional Formatting > Manage Rules, choose This Worksheet and delete duplicates. If a file was created by another program, such as an accounting or reporting tool, test the same features in a new workbook made in Excel; if those work, report the problem to that vendor. For general speed habits, see our Excel tips and tricks.

Fix 7: Test the file on your own PC

Microsoft names network shares, redirected Documents folders, offline files, SharePoint, Remote Desktop or Citrix sessions and virtual machines as places where Excel can hang. Save a copy of the workbook to a local folder, such as the desktop, and open that copy. If the local copy is fine, the network, sync client or remote session is the cause. Copy problems that show a Retrieving data message are a different issue; see Retrieving data. Wait a few seconds.

Fix 8: Check antivirus integration with Excel

Some security products install an Excel add-in or scan every file Excel opens. Make sure your antivirus is up to date. If it integrates with Excel, Microsoft suggests turning off that integration or its Excel add-in, and asking the vendor how to exclude Excel from scanning.

Warning: Microsoft does not recommend changing antivirus settings, because it can leave the PC less protected. Never turn protection off on a work PC; ask IT.

Fix 9: Rule out printer and display drivers

Excel asks the default printer how pages are laid out, which is why Page Break Preview and printing can hang with a faulty printer driver. Microsoft’s test is to switch the default printer to the Microsoft XPS Document Writer, if your PC still has it, and try again. If that helps, update or reinstall the real printer driver; our printer offline guide covers driver reinstalls. Microsoft also mentions testing with a basic display driver; in practice, start by updating your graphics driver from the PC or chip maker.

Fix 10: Do a clean boot

If Excel hangs even in safe mode, another program or service may be interfering. A clean boot (selective startup) starts Windows with only Microsoft services. Run msconfig, open the Services tab, tick Hide all Microsoft services, select Disable all, turn off startup apps in Task Manager and restart. If Excel works, re-enable items in small groups to find the conflict, then undo the clean boot.

Fix 11: Repair Office

A damaged Office installation affects every workbook, and repair replaces the program files without reinstalling from scratch:

1. Close all Office apps.
2. Open Settings > Apps and find Microsoft 365 or your Office version in the list of installed apps (Apps and Features in Windows 10).
3. Select Modify and confirm the User Account Control prompt.
4. Choose Quick Repair first. If Excel still hangs, run Online Repair, which takes longer and needs an internet connection.

Microsoft notes that Quick Repair only finds and replaces damaged files, while Online Repair is the more complete fix. Restart the PC afterwards if asked.

Known issues in 2026

If Excel started hanging after an update, check Microsoft’s fixes and workarounds page for Excel for Windows. When we checked in early November 2026 (page last updated September 2026), its entries were not dated, and the ones about Excel stopping responding included a workaround for the 3DxWare 10 for Windows plug-in (version 10.8.7 or earlier), a workaround for Excel stopping or closing with the new IME in Windows 11, and fixed issues with the KB5002700 security update for Office 2016 and with the Nahimic audio driver. If none matches, the fixes above still apply.

Related guides

• Excel tips and tricks: 10 ways to work faster in Excel
• Microsoft has blocked macros from running because the source of this file is untrusted: fix
• Retrieving data. Wait a few seconds and try to cut or copy again: how to fix it
• Printer offline in Windows 11: how to get it back online
• Word not responding: how to fix it on Windows

Official sources

• Microsoft: Excel not responding, hangs, freezes or stops working
• Microsoft: Repair an Office application
• Microsoft: Fixes or workarounds for recent issues in Excel for Windows