Excel Freezing

Question

Everything I do in Excel causes the program to say "not responding". I have opened new files and try to just change the font size and it freezes.

Answer 1

Hi, I'm John! I will help you with this.

May I know what troubleshooting steps have you already taken? This will help me avoid recommending them again.

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If you haven't tried anything yet please start by:

First, please check if your Microsoft 365 is active or if your Office license is listed. You can do this by signing in at https://account.microsoft.com/services if the subscription is active or if your Office license is listed, try these steps:

Repair Office apps:

• Press Windows + R, type appwiz.cpl and press Enter.
• Find Microsoft 365 or Office in the list, select it, then choose Change > Quick Repair.
• If that doesn’t help, run the repair again but select Online Repair instead.

Check for updates:

• Open any Office app (if it opens even briefly), go to File > Account > Update Options > Update Now.
• Restart your device after repair and try opening the apps again.

If the apps still don’t open, please let me know if you’re using Microsoft 365 or a one-time purchase version (like Office 2021), so I can guide you with the next specific steps.

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Let me know how it goes or if you have any further questions or concerns.

Click "Add comment" to let me know.

Regards,

John J.D.

Answer 2

Use a step-by-step approach to isolate what is causing Excel to freeze, starting with the most common causes.

1. Start Excel in Safe Mode Running in safe mode bypasses most add-ins and custom settings that often cause freezing.

• On Windows 11/10: Select Start > All apps > Windows System > Run.
• Type Excel /safe and select OK.
• In safe mode, try simple actions like changing font size.
  • If Excel works normally, the issue is likely with add-ins or startup files (continue with steps 2–4).
  • If Excel still freezes, skip to step 5.

2. Disable COM Add-ins If Excel works in safe mode, disable COM add-ins in normal mode.
3. Open Excel normally.
4. Go to File > Options > Add-ins.
5. At the bottom, set Manage to COM Add-ins and select Go.
6. Clear all check boxes and select OK.
7. Close Excel and reopen it normally, then test again.
8. If it works, re-enable add-ins one by one (restarting Excel each time) until the freezing returns; leave the problematic add-in disabled.
9. Check Excel Add-ins Loaded from the Registry If COM add-ins are not the cause, check Excel add-ins that load via the registry.
10. Press Windows key + R, type regedit.exe, select OK.
11. Navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\<1x.0>\Excel\Options (for Excel 2016 or newer, <1x.0> is 16.0).
12. In the Name column, look for any REG_SZ values whose name is OPEN, OPEN1, etc.
13. Right-click each such value and select Rename.
14. Add Renamed to the beginning of the name (for example, OPEN → RenamedOPEN, OPEN1 → RenamedOPEN1).
15. Close Registry Editor and start Excel normally.
16. If Excel no longer freezes, one of these startup add-ins/files was the cause. You can re-enable them one by one by removing Renamed from the name, testing Excel after each change.
17. Check Startup Folders Excel automatically opens files from its startup folders, which can cause freezing.

• Remove or move any files from the XLStart folder and any alternate startup folder configured in Excel.
• Restart Excel and test again.

5. Install the Latest Updates Out-of-date Office or Windows components can cause hangs.

• Follow the steps in Update Microsoft 365 and your computer to install all important and recommended updates.
• Restart the computer and test Excel again.

6. Repair Microsoft 365 If freezing continues across new and existing files, repair the Office installation.

• Follow the instructions in Repair a Microsoft 365 application to run a repair of Microsoft 365.
• After the repair and a restart, test Excel.

7. Check Antivirus Integration Antivirus integration with Office can cause performance issues.

• Ensure antivirus definitions are up to date (via the antivirus vendor’s update mechanism).
• If the antivirus has specific Excel or Office integration, temporarily disable that integration or any Excel-related add-ins within the antivirus software, then test Excel.
  • Changing antivirus settings can increase security risk; only adjust them if comfortable and consider reverting changes after testing.

8. Check Environment and File Location Even if freezing occurs on simple actions, environment can contribute.

• Save and test files locally (e.g., Desktop or local Documents) instead of network drives, SharePoint, redirected folders, Remote Desktop/Citrix, or virtualized environments.
• Ensure the PC has sufficient RAM for Excel and meets Office system requirements.
• If issues appear only with certain files, review them for:
  • Formulas referencing entire columns.
  • Array formulas with uneven argument sizes.
  • Hundreds or thousands of hidden objects.
  • Excessive styles or invalid defined names.

9. Perform a Selective Startup (Clean Boot) If Excel still freezes, another background program or service may be conflicting.

• Use System Configuration (msconfig) to perform a selective startup/clean boot as described in Run Selective Startup using System Configuration for the Windows version in use.
• In the clean environment, test Excel again to see if the freezing stops; if it does, re-enable services/apps gradually to identify the conflicting one.

If all of these steps fail to resolve the freezing, contact Microsoft Support for guided troubleshooting.

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References:

• Excel not responding, hangs, freezes or stops working
• Safe mode troubleshooting
• Install the latest updates
• Check to see if your antivirus software is up-to-date or conflicting with Excel
• More Information
• Perform a selective startup to determine whether a program, process, or service conflicts with Excel
• Repair your Microsoft 365 programs