How to Fix Microsoft Excel Not Responding (9 Ways)

How to Fix Microsoft Excel Not Responding – Microsoft Office Excel is a spreadsheet software from Microsoft Corporation. Microsoft Excel is usually used for work related to numerical data and formulas.

For beginners, not many are reliable using this program, because it is quite complicated compared to other office programs. In addition, Microsoft Excel has been used by many groups ranging from students, students, accountants, administration, management, and others.

If you often use this software, have you ever experienced Microsoft Excel suddenly stopping. Microsoft Excel stops this usually displays the message “ Microsoft Excel is not responding ”, which means the program hangs and cannot function properly. This can happen for one or more reasons. To find out the causes and solutions to these problems, see the following reviews.

Causes of Microsoft Excel Not Responding

An Excel program that suddenly doesn’t respond will interrupt and hinder work. There are several causes of Microsoft Excel not responding, such as imperfect program installation, system updates, problematic add-ins, and excessive multitasking. Here are some points that cause Microsoft Excel not to respond.

• Inadequate device – One of the mistakes that often causes Microsoft Excel to not respond is that the user forces the computer to exceed its limit. This can be caused by specifications that are less qualified to run Microsoft Excel. Given, that each version of Microsoft Office itself has different system requirements.
• Damage to the program – When Microsoft Excel is not responding, it can be ascertained that the program is indeed having a problem. This is usually caused by bugs, and file corruption until the installation is not perfect. To fix it, several methods you can do are system updates and office packages, repairs, to re-install programs.
• The existence of problematic add-ins – Add-ins play an active role in helping users in every activity they carry out, but when add-ins are in trouble, sometimes it also affects Microsoft Excel’s performance until it is not responding.
• Excessive multitasking – Multitasking can be the reason why programs often experience not responding, especially if you are running heavy programs at the same time on a low-spec computer/laptop.
• Conflicts with third-party applications – Not only that, but it is also possible that if this problem can be caused by a conflict with third-party applications such as antivirus, it may be that the antivirus has blocked access to add-ins installed in Microsoft Excel.
• And some other problems.

How to Fix Microsoft Excel Not Responding

After knowing some of the causes above, immediately make repairs by trying some of the tips that I describe below. Microsoft itself has provided a solution for users who experience similar problems. But not quite one possible solution can be tried. Here is the best solution you can do to solve Microsoft Excel not responding!

1. Make sure the device specifications are qualified

The first thing you need to do is make sure that your device specs are up to par. Why is that? Because not a few users force their device performance to exceed the limit to run heavy programs, such as the latest version of Microsoft Excel, while the device specifications are less qualified. Maybe it can be run but it will feel heavy and slow until finally, it doesn’t respond.

On the other hand, Microsoft also has the system requirements needed so that the program can run optimally on the device. Therefore it is necessary to check whether your device is capable of running Microsoft Excel or not. However, you can ignore this solution, if your device specifications are capable of running Microsoft Excel programs. Here’s more information about the system requirements in each version of Microsoft Office.

• Microsoft Office 2019
• Microsoft Office 2016
• Microsoft Office 2013
• Microsoft Office 2010

2. End Task via Task Manager

The next method is to force stop / End Task Microsoft Excel via Task Manager. This method is quite effective in dealing with Microsoft Excel that is not responding, but there is a possibility that unsaved data will be lost and cannot be restored. To do this, you can refer to the steps below.

1. First, right-click on Windows Taskbar » Task Manager.
2. Then find and select the Microsoft Excel program » click End Task to stop the program.
3. If so, reopen Microsoft Excel.
4. Finished.

In addition to forcibly stopping programs, you can also use Task Manager to monitor the use of computer resources, especially on programs that consume a lot of memory and CPU.

3. Restart your Computer/Laptop

Next is to try restarting your computer/laptop. Generally, the problem of not responding to a program can be caused by a Service or program component that is not running properly. This means that when the program suddenly experiences not responding after updating Windows or Microsoft Office, it is recommended to restart the device before running it.

Although consciously this does not affect newer versions of Windows, some Windows default programs and third-party programs still require a restart so that the system and programs can run optimally without interruption.

4. Disabling Microsoft Excel Add-ins

If the previous method still doesn’t get maximum results, try disabling the Microsoft Excel Add-ins. Given that under certain conditions, Add-ins can also have a bad impact on Microsoft Excel’s performance, To make sure the problem is caused by Add-ins, please try to disable/disable add-ins and see the results.

1. First, open your Microsoft Excel.
2. Then click the File menu » Options.
3. If you have, the “ Excel Options ” panel will appear » click Add-Ins.
4. In the “ Manage ” section, select the COM Add-ins option » click Go.
5. Then uncheck all Add-ins Available » click OK.
6. If necessary, you can click Remove to permanently remove the Add-ins.
7. Finished.

Note: If you can’t open Microsoft Excel at all, then please open it through safe mode as follows.

Opening Excel in Safe Mode

1. First, please press Windows + R on the keyboard.
2. If so, the ” Run ” dialog will appear.
3. Then type the command excel /safe, then click Enter.
4. Finished.

5. Stop the Antivirus app

Next, you can also try to stop the antivirus application for a while. Why does this need to be done? Because in certain cases, the antivirus can trigger conflict between programs. Although this does not have a direct impact, it can cause programs not to run normally, including Microsoft Excel which is not responding.

Especially if you install pirated Microsoft Excel from an untrusted source and it has been modified. This of course triggers the antivirus to delete files that are considered viruses/malware. Not only that, but outdated antivirus applications can also cause this problem to appear. You can check your antivirus configuration, and whether your antivirus allows installing add-ins or untrusted programs.

6. Run Microsoft Office Repair

Furthermore, you can also run a Microsoft Office repair to fix the not responding problem in Microsoft Excel. There are possible factors that occur if this problem is caused by imperfect program installation, or registry problems until program files are damaged. You can do your repair options offline or online, but I recommend doing repairs online to make them more optimal.

1. First, please click the Start menu » select Settings.
2. Then click Apps » select the Apps & features tab.
3. If so, find and click the Microsoft Office program » select Modify.
4. Then choose between two repair options, Online or Offline.
5. After that, follow the instructions given until the repair process is successful.
6. Finished.

If you are confused with the repair options provided, you can see the explanation below.

• Quick Repair: Repairs made without using an internet connection
• Online Repair: Repairs that are carried out with an internet connection take a relatively long time compared to the Quick Repair option.

7. Update Windows 10

Next is to update your Windows system and Office packages. This needs to be done, considering that there is a possibility that the problems that occur are caused by bugs in the system or program. Therefore, to be sure, please run the Windows system update to fix it. But make sure you have enabled the Microsoft updates section as follows.

Activating Microsoft updates

1. First click Start menu » select Settings.
2. Then select Update & Security » Windows Update.
3. If so, click Advanced Options » to enable the “Receive updates s for other Microsoft products when you update Windows” section.
4. Finished.

Running Windows system update

1. First, go to the Update & Security feature » Windows Update.
2. Then click Check for updates to see the latest Windows update version.
3. If available, you can update.
4. After the update, you can restart your laptop/computer.
5. Finished.

8. Reinstall Microsoft Office

And if all the repair options that I provide do not provide a solution to the problem of Microsoft Excel not responding, then I recommend re-installing the program. Uninstalling the application itself can be done in various ways. If you use the deletion method via the Settings menu, please follow the steps below.

1. First, click Start menu » select Settings.
2. Then select Apps » then Apps & features.
3. Find and select the Microsoft Office program, and select Uninstall.
4. If so, confirm with Uninstall and follow the instructions given by the system.
5. Finished.

After removing the program, try to clean all junk files, cache, registry, logs, and the like. After that, restart the computer and try to reinstall your Microsoft Office programs.

9. Use another spreadsheet program

There is an alternative solution that can be done when your situation is urgent or there is no time to fix the problem, namely by using another spreadsheet program.

Today there are many spreadsheet programs that you can use for free, both offline and online. For Example, Google Sheets, LibreOffice, WPS Office, and so on. Even Microsoft also provides a free version of the web application base office package that you can access anytime and anywhere.

Closing

The problem of not responding to programs often makes us feel irritated and frustrated. How come? All activities and work are disrupted. When viewed in general, the cause of the not responding problem is bugs in the program and full RAM due to excessive multitasking. Or another possibility is that you have not restarted the device after updating the system and office packages. Forcibly stopping the program and then restarting the computer is the most effective way you can do it.

FAQ:

What is the cause of the program often not responding?

Excessive multitasking can make the program not respond, especially if you often open several heavy programs at the same time.

Why can’t the application/program be opened in Windows?

Many possibilities occur when the application cannot be opened. For example, the installation of the program is not perfect, there are bugs in the program, the application does not support it, and much more.

Those are some tips that you can do in dealing with Microsoft Excel that are not responding. If there’s something you need to ask or say, write it in the comments section below. Thank you and good luck!