Fixes / Google Sheets · Checked September 30, 2026

Google Sheets stuck on "Loading...": what it means and how to fix it

Short answer

"Loading..." in Google Sheets means either the whole spreadsheet never finished opening, or a formula in a cell (IMPORTRANGE, an IMPORT function or an Apps Script custom function) is still waiting for data. For a stuck file, open it in an incognito window. If it loads there, a browser extension or bad cache is the cause. For a stuck cell, cut and re-paste the formula.

What this message means

Google Sheets shows "Loading..." in two different places. If the whole page or a grey bar says Loading and the grid never appears, your browser could not finish downloading and running the spreadsheet. The usual reasons are an extension, corrupted cached data, a weak connection, or a file that is too heavy. If only one or more cells say Loading..., the spreadsheet itself is fine. Those cells hold formulas that fetch data from somewhere else, such as IMPORTRANGE, IMPORTXML, IMPORTHTML, IMPORTDATA or a custom script function, and the fetch is slow, blocked, over quota, or can never finish. Work out which of the two you have first, because the fixes are different.

Common causes

Cause	How to tell
A browser extension is interfering with the Sheets editor	The file opens normally in an incognito or private window (where extensions are usually off) but stays on Loading in your normal window. Ad blockers, privacy tools, grammar checkers and script blockers are common culprits.
Corrupted cache or cookies for Google sites	Every Google Sheets file hangs, not just one, and other Google Docs editors also load slowly or show "Encountered an error. Please try reloading this page". A different browser opens the same files fine.
Too many IMPORT functions or IMPORTRANGE pulling large ranges	Only specific cells show Loading..., and hovering over them may show "Loading data may take a while because of the large number of requests." It gets worse as you add more IMPORTRANGE, IMPORTXML, IMPORTHTML, IMPORTDATA or IMPORTFEED formulas, or when one imports tens of thousands of rows.
A custom function (Apps Script) depends on NOW(), TODAY(), RAND() or RANDBETWEEN()	A cell using a function you or an add-on defined shows Loading... forever, never switching to a result or #ERROR!. Google documents that custom functions based on volatile functions display Loading... indefinitely.
The spreadsheet is very large or has heavy formulas	Small files open fine but this one hangs or makes the tab unresponsive. It has hundreds of thousands of filled cells, open-ended ranges like A:A in many formulas, or long chains of formulas referencing each other. Google Sheets caps files at 10 million cells.
Network, VPN, proxy or firewall blocking Google traffic	Sheets hangs on a work network, VPN or school Wi-Fi but loads on a phone hotspot or home connection. Other Google services may also show "Trying to connect" or partial loading.

How to fix it

1. Reload the page properly and wait a few minutes

Do a hard reload that skips the cache: Ctrl+Shift+R on Windows or ChromeOS, Cmd+Shift+R on Mac.
If it still hangs, close the tab completely, go to drive.google.com and open the file again from there.
If you see "A server error occurred" or "Encountered an error", wait 5 minutes before reloading, as Google recommends.
Check the Google Workspace Status Dashboard (google.com/appsstatus) for a Google Sheets outage.

2. Test in an incognito window, then turn off extensions

Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari on Windows, Mac and ChromeOS. Shortcut shown for Chrome.

Open an incognito window: Ctrl+Shift+N on Windows, Cmd+Shift+N on Mac (Firefox private window is Ctrl+Shift+P or Cmd+Shift+P).
Sign in to your Google account there and open the same spreadsheet.
If it loads, go back to a normal window and open chrome://extensions (edge://extensions in Edge).
Turn extensions off one at a time, reloading the sheet after each, until it loads. Leave the offending extension off or allow it to skip docs.google.com.

3. Clear cache and cookies

Chrome on Windows and Mac. Other browsers have an equivalent option under their privacy settings.

Press Ctrl+Shift+Delete on Windows or Cmd+Shift+Delete on Mac to open Delete browsing data.
Set Time range to All time.
Tick Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files, then click Delete data.
Sign back in to Google (clearing cookies signs you out) and reopen the spreadsheet.
If it still fails, update the browser or try a different one to rule out the browser itself.

4. Unstick cells showing Loading... from IMPORTRANGE or IMPORT functions

Click the stuck cell, press Ctrl+X (Cmd+X on Mac), then Ctrl+V (Cmd+V) in the same cell to force the formula to fetch again.
If the cell shows #REF! with "You need to connect these sheets", click Allow access.
Make sure you still have at least view access to the source spreadsheet; otherwise you get "You don't have permissions to access that sheet."
Import smaller, closed ranges (for example "Sheet1!A1:F5000" instead of "Sheet1!A:F"), and split very large imports into several smaller IMPORTRANGE formulas.
Reduce the total number of IMPORT formulas across all spreadsheets you own. The quota counts all of them, not just the ones in this file.
Wrap the formula as =IFERROR(IMPORTRANGE(...), "") if you want a blank instead of an error while data is unavailable.

5. Fix custom functions that stay on Loading... forever

Formulas that call Apps Script custom functions, including ones added by add-ons

Find the cell's formula and check whether any argument is, or points to a cell containing, NOW(), TODAY(), RAND() or RANDBETWEEN().
Replace the volatile value with a fixed value. For example, type the date into a cell (Ctrl+; inserts today's date as a static value) and reference that cell instead.
If the function calls an outside service, open Extensions > Apps Script and make sure it can finish within 30 seconds. Slower calls end with #ERROR! and "Exceeded maximum execution time".
Re-enter the formula to trigger a fresh calculation.

6. Lighten a spreadsheet that is too heavy to open

If the file never opens, make a copy from Google Drive (right-click > Make a copy) and try the copy, or open it on a faster computer.
Once it opens, delete unused empty rows and columns: select the first empty column, press Ctrl+Shift+Right Arrow (Cmd+Shift+Right Arrow on Mac), right-click and choose Delete columns. Do the same for rows.
Replace open ranges like A:B in formulas with closed ranges like A1:B5000.
Go to File > Settings > Calculation and set Recalculation to On change so NOW() and similar functions don't recalculate every minute.
Move old data or rarely used tabs into a separate spreadsheet.

Next time, skip the search

Crade is an AI assistant for Mac and Windows that sees your screen. When a message like this pops up, ask “what does this mean?” and it explains the exact error in front of you, step by step.

Download Crade

Still not fixed?

If nothing worked, check whether the problem follows the file or follows you. Ask a colleague to open the spreadsheet, or share it with a second Google account and open it there. If it opens for others, the problem is your browser, network or device: try another network (for example a phone hotspot), turn off any VPN or proxy, or update the browser. On a work or school account, ask your Google Workspace administrator to check firewall or proxy rules for Google domains. If nobody can open the file, use File > Version history on a copy, or pull the data out with IMPORTRANGE from a new spreadsheet. Workspace customers can contact Google Workspace support from the Admin console. Personal users can post in the Google Docs Editors Help Community.

Questions people ask

Why does my Google Sheet keep saying Loading?

If the whole file hangs, it's usually a browser extension, corrupted cache or a very large spreadsheet. If only certain cells say Loading..., those cells use IMPORTRANGE, IMPORT functions or custom functions that are still waiting for data or have hit a limit.

How do I fix IMPORTRANGE stuck on Loading?

Cut the formula and paste it back into the same cell, confirm you clicked Allow access, and import a smaller closed range. Google warns that too many import requests across your spreadsheets cause "Loading data may take a while because of the large number of requests."

Why does my custom function show Loading... forever?

Google's Apps Script documentation says a custom function that depends on NOW(), RAND() or other volatile functions displays Loading... indefinitely. Pass it a fixed value instead.

Is Google Sheets down right now?

Check the Google Workspace Status Dashboard at google.com/appsstatus. If Sheets is green there and the file opens in an incognito window, the problem is on your side, most often an extension or cached data.

How big can a Google Sheet be before it won't load?

The hard limit is 10 million cells per spreadsheet, but files often slow down well before that when they hold many imports, open ranges or volatile formulas.

Sources

Related errors