Excel is always not responding whenever I open a downloaded file with formulas and datas ready inside. I have tried safe mode, trust center, unblock, trusted locations etc. There is no solution to this what do i do?

Question

For the last few days I have not been able to open any downloaded excel files. Which have formulas and datas inside. The files itself are fine, because I have tried opening them on different computers. Every time I open a downloaded file it is always not responding and crashes. My subscription is up to date and everything is fine. It started maybe a week ago. I have tried quick repair, online repair, safe mode boot, adding new trusted locations, unblocking the file itself I even deleted and re-installed my Microsoft 365.

Answer 1

It sounds like you are experiencing a frustrating issue with Excel not responding when opening downloaded files. Since you've already tried several troubleshooting steps, here are a few additional suggestions that might help:

1. Check for Updates: Ensure that your Microsoft 365 is fully updated. Sometimes, updates can resolve underlying issues.
2. Disable Add-ins: Since you mentioned trying safe mode, you might want to check if any add-ins are causing the problem. Disable all add-ins and see if the issue persists.
3. Repair Disk Permissions (Mac): If you are using Excel on a Mac, consider using the Repair Disk Permissions feature in Disk Utility to troubleshoot permissions problems.
4. Test with a New User Profile: Create a new user profile on your computer and try opening the files from there. This can help determine if the issue is related to your user profile.
5. Check for Conflicting Software: Sometimes, other software running on your computer can conflict with Excel. Try closing unnecessary applications and see if that helps.
6. Use Task Manager: If Excel is not responding, open Task Manager and check if there are multiple instances of Excel running. Close any extra instances before trying to open your file again.

If none of these solutions work, consider reaching out to Microsoft Support for further assistance.

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References:

• Excel cannot complete this task with available resources
• Excel for Mac error: "The application Microsoft Excel quit unexpectedly"

Answer 2

Hi @Khangal Altantulga,

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum.

I'm sincerely sorry for any inconvenience and troubles this situation may have caused you.

Since the files open fine on other computers and you've already done repairs and reinstallations but get no result, I suggest you should try these ways:

1- Clear Excel cache files

• Close Excel and press Windows + R > paste this path then press OK: %localappdata%\Microsoft\Office\16.0
• Look if there is a folder named Excel cache > right-click and delete it

2- Delete Book.xltx in XLSTART folder

• Open File Explorer and navigate to this path: C:\Users<YourUserName>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Excel\
• If you see Book.xltx or Sheet.xltx file in there, delete it. Also, check the XLSTART folder and delete all the Book/Sheet.xltx.

• Restart your computer and open Excel again to see if the issue persists

3- Reset Excel default settings

• Press Windows + R and type regedit then OK 
• In the bar, paste this address to navigate to the correct path: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Excel 
• Right-click the Excel key and press Delete. After that restart Excel to see if the issue persists. 

I hope this information is helpful. Please follow these steps and let me know if it works for you. If not, we can work together to resolve this.    

Thank you for your patience and your understanding. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please feel free to share them in the comments so I can continue to support you. 

I look forward to hearing from you.

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