WebView2 makes it difficult to use multiple Office apps simultaneously

Question

In Excel I sometimes have to watch "Calculating (14 Threads): n%" slowly creep up from 1% to 2% to 3%, and so on when I am working with a big file with a huge number of formulas. While this recalculation is going on I cannot switch to other Office products I have running at the same time, such as Outlook, because of all of the Office suite using the same WebView2 processing. Locking all of these apps into the same process was a stupid idea. How do I launch each Office app in its own separate process so WebView2 does not create this bottleneck? I'm not even connecting anything to the web, since I am only using (and will only ever use) desktop versions.

Answer 1

Hi @DaveAtWork,

Based on your sharing, the behavior you're experiencing is a plausible behavior with a calculation-heavy workbook, not likely due to WebView2. Since you mentioned that you're working with "a big file with a huge number of formulas", if Excel recalculates all the formulas, it consumes a lot of computer resources so Outlook and other apps can be stuck/slow to switch to.

To avoid this behavior, there are two workarounds I want to suggest for your case:

1/ Put Excel in Manual calculation instead of Automatic

• Go to File > Options > Formulas > set Workbook Calculation to Manual
• This prevents Excel from auto-recalculate itself while you are working/editing the file. Then you can manage when you want to recalculate by pressing F9

2/ Reduce the number of calculation threads

• Go to File > Options > Advanced > scroll down to Formulas
• Check the box of "Enable multi-threaded calculation"
• Change from "Use all processors on this computer" to "Manual" and pick a smaller number like 6 or 8
• Since your Excel currently uses all 14 threads and makes computer stuck, reducing the number leaves enough headroom for other apps while still letting Excel recalculates.

I hope my sharing would be helpful for your concern. If you have any questions or need any further clarification, please leave a comment here and I will be happy to continue to help you.  

Thank you for your patience and understanding. I'm looking forward to your reply.

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