Excel stuck on "Opening..." splash screen (funscren 100%), won't start normally

Try this (it worked for me):

Kill all Excel processes from Task manager.

Open registry editor, go to Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Excel\Options

Right click on options and Export to make a backup.

Check if there is an OPEN key whose content points to some outdated plugin file or similar.

Remove the OPEN key.

Check the same path for all users under Computer\Users\ and repeat.

Hi, I'm experiencing a problem with Excel — it gets stuck on the "Opening..." splash screen at 100% and never fully opens. I've already tried the following steps:

• Reinstalled Microsoft Office
• Repaired the installation (both Quick and Online Repair)
• Disabled all add-ins (when I disable all add-ins and close Excel, they are re-enabled automatically the next time I open the app)
• Renamed the Excel archives of add ins
• Tried opening in safe mode (which does work), but Excel still won't open normally

All other Office programs (Word, PowerPoint, etc.) are working fine. Only Excel is affected. I would appreciate any help or suggestions to resolve this.

Thanks in advance!

I am also having the same issue on multiple PC's that i administer at work. i have been through all of the steps that were proposed on this board, i have called for support, and nothing, no fix, no information, no end in sight. it only started doing this after some of the recent windows updates. i strongly feel like this is a bug affecting many others and not just myself, given the timeline of the posts, and other exact issues posted on reddit. It would be very nice if a Microsoft employee or excel developer could come chime in and give us some information.....

I am having this same issue.

Regarding your suggested fixes:

1. Ending the process in Task Manager and trying again did not fix the issue.
2. Disabling hardware acceleration within Excel seems like it hasn't been possible for some time now. When I go to Advanced Options -> Display, there is no option related to hardware acceleration, and there hasn't been one for months.
3. Excel is already set to be the default option for opening .xlsx files.
4. There were no startup files in the folder you specified.
5. Changing the default printer to Microsoft Print to PDF did not fix the issue.
6. There are no Windows updates available.

Additionally, restarting my computer did not fix the issue.

Hello,

Welcome to the Microsoft Community Forum. Please accept our warmest regards and sincerest hope that all is well despite the situation you find yourself in.

It sounds like you've already tried several troubleshooting steps, but Excel is still stuck on the "Opening..." splash screen. Here are a few additional solutions that might help:

1. End Excel Processes in Task Manager

• Open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc).
• Look for any running Excel processes.
• Right-click and select End Task.
• Try reopening Excel.

2. Disable Hardware Graphics Acceleration

• Open Excel in Safe Mode (Win + R, type excel /safe, press Enter).
• Go to File > Options > Advanced.
• Scroll down to Display and check Disable hardware graphics acceleration.
• Click OK and restart Excel normally.

3. Reset Excel File Associations

• Open Settings > Apps > Default Apps.
• Scroll down and select Choose default apps by file type.
• Find .xlsx and ensure it's set to Excel.

4. Delete Excel Startup Files

• Open File Explorer and navigate to: C:\Users\YourUsername\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Excel\XLSTART
• Delete any files inside this folder.
• Restart Excel.

5. Change Default Printer

• Sometimes, Excel hangs due to printer conflicts.
• Open Control Panel > Devices and Printers.
• Set Microsoft Print to PDF as the default printer.
• Restart Excel.

6. Check for Windows & Office Updates

• Open Settings > Windows Update and install any pending updates.
• Open Excel > File > Account > Update Options > Update Now.

You can also try to do the manual uninstallation of Office apps. Here's the link: Manually uninstall Office - Microsoft Support

Hope this helps.

Best Regards,

Fordy B.

Microsoft Community Moderator

Hi,

We have noticed that you  have not replied to our last response. We would like to know if the issue you have raised to us is still on-going. If yes, please reply to the thread so we can continue troubleshooting your concern.

Regards,

Fordy B.

Microsoft Moderator