Microsoft Excel on Mac slow when plotting scatter with smooth lines

Question

I upgraded my Microsoft excel and word today for my MacBook. After the upgrade, any time I try to plot something using a scatter plot with smooth lines, the spinning wheel appears and the program comes to a halt. After a minute or so the graph is generated, but any time I try to update the graph the program slows again. If I use a plane scatter plot the program functions fine. 

Are there any suggestions to fixing this problem? It is quite an issue for me.

Answer 1

I work with thousands of data points

Answer 2

Hi Tina,

I have tried starting it up in safe mode and it still is running slow. It appears to run slow when there is a decent amount of data in a sheet, but I have not had this problem before. 

I am using microsoft excel 16.16.4, my mac osx is 10.14.1 and it seems to happen in all workbooks I try.

Answer 3

Hi Neal,

Please go to the Excel menu and choose About Excel to find the version information of your installation. If it is other than 16.16.4 please install updates, then test again and reply with the results.

INSTALL UPDATES

Make sure your Mac has a working internet connection before checking for updates. Install Mac OS X updates followed by Office updates.

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Install Mac OS X updates first:

To get Mac OS updates, go to the App store on your dock, and then click the Updates button to reveal available updates.

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Then Install Office Updates

To get the update:

1. Open any Office application
2. Go to the Help menu and choose Check for Updates
3. Let AutoUpdate check for and install updates
4. Restart your Mac

If you have any add-ins such as WebEx, Mendelay, EndNote, Zotero, TypeIt4me, etc it is essential that you install the latest updates for your add-ins. This includes font management add-ins, such as Suitcase. If you use Suitcase, you should have at least version 9.

Your copy of AutoUpdate may be too old to run in Mojave. If you were told no updates are available, you will have to install the current version of AutoUpdate. Install the latest version of AutoUpdate and when it runs, let it do its thing.

https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?linkid=830196

Answer 4

Hi NealKuperman,

Have you referred to the suggestions? Let us know if you need further help.

Thanks,

Tina

Answer 5

Hi NealKuperman,

Thanks for sharing your experience with us.

I test in 16.16.4 version of Excel on Mac Mojave, it works fine when I insert a scatter plot with smooth lines. May steps are the followings: In a spreadsheet, create a table and insert data in it>select the data>go to Insert tab>X Y (Scatter)>Scatter>Scatter with Smooth Lines> then the chart is generated immediately.

I'd like to suggest you try the followings to check the outcome:

1.Quit Excel and Mac.

2.Reboot Mac in safe mode with the steps in this article to isolate issues.

3.Launch Excel again and create a new workbook, create a scatter plot with smooth lines, see if the issue happens again.

If the issue persists, please provide the following information for troubleshooting:

1.The version of your Excel. (Excel menu>About Microsoft Excel)

2.Your Mac version. (Apple menu>About This Mac)

3.Does the issue happen in a specific workbook or all workbooks?

Disclaimer: Microsoft provides no assurances and/or warranties, implied or otherwise, and is not responsible for the information you receive from the third-party linked sites or any support related to technology.

Regards,

Tina