excel getting hang not responding

Question

MICROSOFT EXCEL NOT OPENING , EVERYTIME HANGING MORTHAN 30 MNIUTES , EVEN IF WE CONNECT WITH ONLINE REPAIR ALSO NO USE

Answer 1

Dear Magesh KP,

I understand how frustrating it must be to keep experiencing this issue when Microsoft 365 applications still aren't working properly, even after you ran an Online Repair.

Have you already tried uninstalling and reinstalling Microsoft 365, as previously suggested? If so, please let me know the outcome. You can follow the Microsoft Official Instructions here:

1/ Uninstall Microsoft 365 or Office from a PC - Microsoft Support

2/ Download, install, or reinstall Microsoft 365 or Office 2024 on a PC or Mac - Microsoft Support

If the issue persists, to better understand the issue, could you please help confirm the following:

• Does Excel hang when opening a blank workbook, or only when opening specific Excel files?
• Does the issue affect only Excel, or do other Office applications such as Word and PowerPoint also hang?
• Are other users in the same Microsoft 365 tenant experiencing the same issue, or is it affecting only your account?‌
• Have you already tried creating a new Windows user profile and testing Excel there? For reference: Manage User Accounts in Windows

Note: Please understand that as a forum moderator, my role is to provide general guidance and troubleshooting support. I don’t have access to internal systems or backend tools, and I appreciate your understanding of these limits.

Thank you for your patience and understanding. If you have any questions or if I have misunderstood anything, please feel free to reach out.

Looking forward to your update.

Answer 2

still i am facing issues with microsfot 365 even after on repair

Answer 3

Dear Magesh KP,

If Excel remains stuck on "Not Responding" for more than 30 minutes and even an Online Repair did not resolve the issue, this may indicate a deeper problem.

In this case, to better understand the issue, could you please help confirm the following:

• Does Excel hang when opening a blank workbook, or only when opening specific Excel files?
• Does the issue affect only Excel, or do other Office applications such as Word and PowerPoint also hang?
• Are other users in the same Microsoft 365 tenant experiencing the same issue, or is it affecting only your account?‌
• Have you already tried creating a new Windows user profile and testing Excel there? For reference: Manage User Accounts in Windows

In the meantime, I recommend that you uninstall Office completely, restart your computer, and then reinstall it using the account associated with your subscription. You can follow the Microsoft Official Instructions here:

1/ Uninstall Microsoft 365 or Office from a PC - Microsoft Support

2/ Download, install, or reinstall Microsoft 365 or Office 2024 on a PC or Mac - Microsoft Support

Note: Please understand that as a forum moderator, my role is to provide general guidance and troubleshooting support. I don’t have access to internal systems or backend tools, and I appreciate your understanding of these limits.

Thank you for your patience and understanding. If you have any questions or if I have misunderstood anything, please feel free to reach out.

Looking forward to your update.

Answer 4

Start Excel in Safe Mode and isolate anything loaded during startup, because the Online Repair has already completed without resolving the hang.

1. Test Excel in Safe Mode

1. Close Excel using Task Manager if it is still unresponsive:
   • Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc.
   • Select Microsoft Excel.
   • Select End task.
2. Press Windows key + R.
3. Enter:

excel /safe

4. Select OK and wait for Excel to open.

Safe Mode bypasses Excel and COM add-ins, startup folders, alternative startup locations, and toolbar customizations, making this the appropriate next diagnostic step after repair fails.^1^

2. If Excel opens in Safe Mode

Disable the COM add-ins before returning to normal mode:

1. In Excel, select File → Options → Add-ins.
2. At the bottom, set Manage to COM Add-ins, then select Go.
3. Record which items are enabled, then clear every checkbox.
4. Close Excel and start it normally.
5. If Excel now opens, enable one add-in at a time, restarting Excel after each one. Leave the add-in that causes the hang disabled.^1^

If Excel still hangs with all COM add-ins disabled, check files automatically loaded at startup:

1. In Excel Safe Mode, open File → Options → Advanced.
2. Under General, clear At startup, open all files in if it contains a folder path.
3. Close Excel.
4. Press Windows key + R and enter:

%appdata%\Microsoft\Excel\XLSTART

5. Move any files from that folder to a temporary folder on the Desktop—do not delete them yet.
6. Start Excel normally.

Excel automatically opens files in XLSTART and any configured alternative startup folder. An invalid workbook or a file on a slow network location can delay startup or make Excel stop responding.^2^

If this resolves the issue, return the files one at a time until the problematic startup file is identified.

3. If Excel does not open in Safe Mode

Safe Mode failure indicates that the problem was not isolated to the components it bypasses. Proceed with these checks:

1. Install Office updates:
   • Open another Office application if possible.
   • Select File → Account → Update Options → Update Now.
2. Install pending Windows updates and restart Windows.
3. Test whether other Office applications also fail.
4. If only Excel remains affected after updates, run Microsoft’s Excel check troubleshooter from the Excel hang support article. On Windows 10 or later, it can test add-ins, startup files, and toolbar settings automatically.^1^

The automated troubleshooter can modify the registry and move startup files. Back up the registry and startup-folder files before running it.

4. If only particular workbooks hang

Copy one affected workbook to the local Desktop and open it there. If the local copy works, investigate its original OneDrive, SharePoint, network-drive, or external-device location. If it still hangs:

1. Start Excel in Safe Mode.
2. Select File → Open → Browse.
3. Select the workbook.
4. Select the arrow beside Open, then Open and Repair.

A workbook with extensive formulas, external connections, conditional formatting, pivot tables, or damaged content can take much longer to open even when Excel itself starts normally.^3^

If Excel still cannot open in Safe Mode after updates and automated troubleshooting, contact Microsoft Support or the organization’s Microsoft 365 administrator and provide the Excel version, Windows version, whether other Office apps open, and whether the failure affects blank workbooks or only existing files.

---

References

1. Excel not responding, hangs, freezes or stops working | Microsoft Support
2. How to prevent files from opening automatically in Excel
3. There is a problem in excel of microsoft 365. while open some file it will take more time than usual. - Microsoft Q&A