Fixes / Excel · Checked September 30, 2026

Excel "Microsoft Excel is not responding": causes and fixes

Short answer

"Microsoft Excel is not responding" means Excel has stopped reacting to Windows because it is busy or stuck. Often it is a slow calculation, a large file or a faulty add-in. First wait a few minutes. If it stays frozen, restart Excel in safe mode (Windows key + R, type excel /safe). If that works, disable your COM add-ins one at a time.

What this message means

Windows adds "(Not Responding)" to Excel's title bar, or shows a "Microsoft Excel is not responding" dialog, when Excel stops processing window messages for several seconds. Excel has not necessarily crashed. It may still be recalculating formulas, refreshing a PivotTable or external data, or waiting on a network drive, an add-in or antivirus software. If the status bar shows progress or disk and CPU activity continues, it may finish on its own. If it stays frozen, the cause is usually an add-in, a problem inside the workbook, an out-of-date or damaged Office install, or another program interfering with Excel.

Common causes

Cause	How to tell
A heavy calculation or data refresh is still running	It happens with one particular large workbook, the status bar shows "Calculating (x%)" or a refresh message, and Excel.exe uses a lot of CPU in Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc).
A faulty or outdated COM or Excel add-in	Excel freezes on every workbook, even new blank ones, but works normally when started with excel /safe (safe mode loads no add-ins).
Problems inside the workbook: formulas that reference whole columns, lots of conditional formatting, thousands of hidden objects or shapes, or too many cell styles	Only one file freezes. It is slow to scroll, copy or save, and the file is much bigger than its data suggests.
The file lives on a network drive, SharePoint or a synced OneDrive folder	Freezes happen while opening or saving, and a copy saved to your local Desktop opens and saves without trouble.
Office is out of date or damaged	Excel hangs even in safe mode, or Word and PowerPoint misbehave as well.
Another program (usually antivirus) is interfering with Excel	The freezes started after a security suite was installed or updated, and they stop after a clean boot of Windows.

How to fix it

1. Wait, then close Excel safely and recover your work

Give Excel 2 to 5 minutes, especially if the status bar shows Calculating or a data refresh. Clicking inside the window while it is frozen does not speed it up.
If it is still frozen, press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open Task Manager, right-click Microsoft Excel and choose End task.
Open Excel again. If the Document Recovery pane appears on the left, open each listed version and save the one you need with File > Save As.
If nothing is offered, go to File > Info > Manage Workbook > Recover Unsaved Workbooks.

2. Start Excel in safe mode and disable COM add-ins

Excel for Microsoft 365, 2021, 2019 and 2016 on Windows 10 and 11

Close Excel. Press Windows key + R, type excel /safe and press Enter (or hold Ctrl while opening Excel and click Yes).
If Excel works normally in safe mode, an add-in or startup file is the likely cause. Close it and start Excel normally.
Go to File > Options > Add-ins. Next to Manage, select COM Add-ins and click Go.
Clear every check box and click OK, then restart Excel.
If the freezing stops, turn the add-ins back on one at a time, restarting Excel each time, until you find the one that causes it. Leave that add-in off, then update or remove it.

3. Install the latest Office and Windows updates

Microsoft 365 and Office 2016 or later on Windows

In Excel, go to File > Account.
Under Product Information, click Update Options > Update Now and wait for it to finish.
Run Windows Update as well (Settings > Windows Update on Windows 11, Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update on Windows 10).
Restart the PC and test the workbook again. Microsoft says builds from version 2503 improved PivotTable refresh, freeze panes and shape loading performance.

4. Slim down the workbook that freezes

Set Formulas > Calculation Options > Manual so Excel stops recalculating after every edit. Press F9 to calculate when you are ready.
Copy the file to your local Desktop and open that copy, to rule out network, SharePoint or OneDrive delays.
Replace whole-column references such as A:A with exact ranges such as A2:A5000.
Remove extra conditional formatting on each sheet with Home > Conditional Formatting > Clear Rules > Clear Rules from Entire Sheet (then re-add only the rules you need).
Press F5, click Special, choose Objects and click OK to select every shape and object on the sheet. If thousands are selected that you don't need, press Delete.
Save the file and reopen it to check whether it is faster.

5. Repair Office

Windows 11 and Windows 10 (menu names differ)

Close all Office apps.
Windows 11: right-click Start, choose Installed apps, find Microsoft 365 or Office, click the three dots (...) and choose Modify. Windows 10: right-click Start, choose Apps and Features, select Microsoft 365 or Office and click Modify.
Choose Quick Repair first and click Repair.
If Excel still freezes, run the repair again and choose Online Repair (slower, downloads Office again, more thorough).
Restart the PC when it finishes.

6. Check for conflicts with antivirus and other programs

Windows 10 and 11

Update your antivirus from the vendor's website. If it has an Excel or Office integration, turn that integration off and test.
Close other heavy programs and check in Task Manager that memory usage is not close to 100%.
If you still can't find the cause, do a clean boot: press Windows key + R, type msconfig, go to the Services tab, tick Hide all Microsoft services, click Disable all, then disable startup items in Task Manager and restart.
If Excel works after the clean boot, turn services back on in small groups until the freeze returns to find the conflicting program. Then undo the clean boot settings.

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Still not fixed?

If Excel still freezes after safe mode, updates and Online Repair, test with a brand-new blank workbook. If a blank workbook is fine, the problem is in your file: rebuild it by copying only the data (Paste Special > Values) into a new workbook. If even blank workbooks freeze, uninstall Office, reinstall it from your Microsoft account, and make sure your PC has enough free RAM for the files you use. On work or school computers, contact your IT department, because add-ins, antivirus and network drives are often managed centrally. Home users with Microsoft 365 can contact Microsoft Support through support.microsoft.com.

Questions people ask

Will I lose my work if I close Excel while it is not responding?

You lose anything that was not saved or captured by AutoRecover. When you reopen Excel, the Document Recovery pane usually offers the last AutoRecover version, and File > Info > Manage Workbook > Recover Unsaved Workbooks lists any that were never saved.

How long should I wait before ending Excel in Task Manager?

If the status bar shows Calculating or a refresh, or Task Manager shows Excel still using CPU, give it a few minutes, and longer for very large files. If there is no CPU or disk activity for several minutes, Excel is probably stuck and ending the task is reasonable.

Why does Excel freeze only with one specific file?

The problem is almost always inside that workbook: formulas referencing entire columns, large amounts of conditional formatting, thousands of hidden objects or excess cell styles. Switch calculation to Manual and clean those up, or rebuild the file in a new workbook.

Why does Excel stop responding when I copy and paste?

Pasting between workbooks copies cell styles and formatting, and over time this can leave a file with thousands of styles that slow every operation. Clipboard add-ins or clipboard sync tools can also hang it. Test in safe mode, and use Paste Special > Values when you only need the data.

Does this happen on a Mac too?

The "Microsoft Excel is not responding" message is a Windows message. On a Mac, a frozen Excel shows a spinning wheel and "(Not Responding)" in the Force Quit window (Command+Option+Esc). The same causes apply: add-ins, heavy files and out-of-date Office.

Sources

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