Question

What to do when Excel is not responding

Answer 1

Start Excel in Safe Mode
Disconnect plugins
Antivirus software problems
Problems with other programs that use Excel
Change Windows default printer
Repair Microsoft Office
Compile the macros again
Update Excel

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What to do when Excel is not responding

Microsoft Excel is by far the most popular spreadsheet software in Windows, but it doesn't always work well. From time to time, Excel crashes when opening or stops working when we open a certain file. Often the problem lies not with Excel itself, but with additional add- ins or macros . Antivirus software and Windows updates are also often a source of errors. The cause of the Excel crash can also be a poorly saved Excel table..

The following strategies usually help us to solve the problem when Excel stops working.

Index

1. Start Excel in Safe Mode
2. Disconnect plugins
3. Antivirus software problems
4. Problems with other programs that use Excel
5. Change Windows default printer
6. Repair Microsoft Office
7. Compile the macros again
8. Update Excel

Start Excel in Safe Mode

In a similar way to when we have Windows startup problems, Excel also offers us the possibility of opening it from the so-called? Safe mode ?. Plugins, macros, custom toolbars, shortcuts, and autostart programs are not taken into account in this mode..

To start Excel in Safe Mode, you just have to hold down the [Ctrl] key while double-clicking the program icon. The same result is achieved with the / safe command on the command line. Hit the [Win] + [R] key combination to access the run dialog box and type excel / safe .

Excel is started in safe mode via the / safe command line parameter.

Disconnect plugins

If Excel works in safe mode, the problem is probably due to an installed add-in. These handy extensions offer optional features and functions for spreadsheets, but they can also cause Excel to stop working. To find out if this is the case and to determine which plug-in is causing the problem, perform the following steps:

1. In the menu item ? File? , click? Options ?
2. In the next dialog box, select ? Add-ons ?. All installed plugins are listed here.
3. In the list field ? Manage? At the bottom of the dialog box, select the option ? COM Add-ins ? and click ? Go ...? .
4. Disable all COM add-ins listed to start Excel without these potentially erroneous extensions.
5. Click ? OK? and start Excel again.

COM add-ins can be the cause of Excel not working properly.

If any of the add-ins was the cause of the crash, Excel will open smoothly. You can also repeat this process by re-activating the add-ons one by one to determine which add-on is causing problems. If you really need the faulty plugin, try installing a new version. If not, uninstall it or leave it disabled until its developer releases an update..

Antivirus software problems

Third-party antivirus can also cause problems when using Office programs. They can cause Excel to crash, not open, or unresponsive once opened, among other options. Some of these antiviruses do not detect macros or add-ons correctly and proceed to block them, and in fact, often, they do not even warn with a message. Access the protocol of your antivirus software to check if Excel or a used add-in has been blocked. Even if you can't find anything, try at least once to open Excel with the antivirus disconnected. If the problem does not arise in this way, the antivirus software will be responsible.

Some antiviruses provide their own add-ins that are installed in Excel to add additional security features. These plugins often conflict with plugins from other developers. In these cases, you must assess which complement you want to give priority to.

Try to enable both Excel and all the add-ins used in the antivirus. If you do not use external antivirus software, but Windows Defender installed by default in Windows 10, there are usually no problems when opening Excel and other Microsoft applications.

Problems with other programs that use Excel

Some third-party programs use Excel in the background to perform calculations or render tables. If they are not programmed correctly, according to Microsoft's guidelines for OLE (Object Linking and Embedding), Excel may not open while the other program is still running. If Excel is unresponsive but the program window opens, the status bar at the bottom of the window will indicate that another process is using Excel. Wait until the process has finished with the calculation or finish it (for example, using Task Manager) for Excel to work again.

Change Windows default printer

Like all other Microsoft Office programs, Excel accesses information from the installed default printer to render documents on screen as close to the printed image as possible. If the default printer driver does not work or if the printer is not connected, Excel may stop responding. To solve this problem, do the following:

1. Click on the Windows key and select ? Settings? .
2. Now select ? Devices? .
3. In the left menu bar, click on ? Printers and scanners? . If the option ? Allow Windows to manage my default printer? , uncheck it to select another default printer.
4. Now set a printer that works properly as the default printer.
5. Click ? Manage? and on the next page under ? Set as default? .
6. If the problem came from the printer settings, now Excel will open without problem.

In? Printers and scanners? You can set your default printer in Windows 10 Settings.

Repair Microsoft Office

Microsoft includes its own repair option for Office that fixes many errors that can cause Excel or another Office program to become unresponsive. This function is hidden in the section? Applications and Features? from Windows 10 Settings. Just follow these instructions to use the repair function:

1. Access the ? Settings? (for example through the Start menu).
2. Now select ? Applications and Features? .
3. In the list of applications and functions select ? Microsoft Office? and click ? Modify? .
4. Confirm the user account control question. A selection window appears in which you can add or remove more features and repair the program.

If the repair completes successfully, Excel will normally open without a problem.

Compile the macros again

A bad Visual Basic macro can cause Excel to stop working when using a particular macro. If Excel doesn't work, follow these steps:

1. In the Excel menu bar, access the section ? Developer? . If the section does not appear, first go to ? File / Options? and "Customize Ribbon ". In the right window, check the checkbox for ? Developer? . Now this ribbon will be displayed by default in Excel.

The Scheduler functions on the menu ribbon allow you to control the behavior of macros.

2. In the? Developer? Category, click on ? Visual Basic? and the Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications editor will open.
3. Go to the menu ? Tools? and select ? Options? .
4. In the next dialog box, access the section ? General? and disable the option ? Compile on demand? field ? Compile? .
5. Then add an empty module. To do this, return with the mouse to the window ? Project? , right-click and on the context menu ? Insert? select the option ? Module? .
6. Close the empty window that opens below and close the Visual Basic editor.
7. Save your current file in Excel and restart the program.

The next time you use a macro, you should no longer get the message? Excel is not responding ?.

Update Excel

Lack of Excel updates can lead to problems if you combine this with macros or newer Windows system components. Thus, Excel may stop working or respond if it is running. Follow these steps to ensure Excel and Windows itself are regularly updated:

1. Click on the Windows key and select ? Settings? .
2. Click the "Update and Security " button.
3. Click ? Advanced Options? at the bottom of the screen and adjust the marker ? Receive updates for other Microsoft products? a ? Enabled? . Thus, in the event of an update, Windows will also automatically check for updates for Excel and other Office components and install them in the background just like Windows security updates.

advice

You can buy Excel and the rest of the famous Microsoft Office programs directly from IONOS. With Microsoft 365, previously known as? Microsoft Office 365 ?, you will get a server solution for private users and small businesses in which you can not worry about updates. You will always have an updated version available automatically.

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