10 ways to Fix Microsoft Excel Not Responding on Windows 11

Remember to keep your Excel and Windows 11 installation up to date, check for conflicting applications, and try disabling add-ins or hardware

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Microsoft Excel is a powerful spreadsheet application widely used for data analysis, calculations, and reporting. However sometimes you may encounter an issue where Excel not responding, Excel hangs or freezes when you launch it, or open an Excel workbook. A number of users report, Microsoft Excel not responding on Windows 11 after update. This problem can occur from a minor glitch or problem with the app. Here is a complete troubleshooting guide, How to Fix Microsoft Excel When It’s Not Responding on Windows 11.

Microsoft Excel not responding on Windows 11

Antivirus or Firewall Interference, Third-party add-ins or plugin Conflicts, Corrupted Workbook or File, Outdated windows or Microsoft Excel Versions, and software bugs are some common reasons why Microsoft Excel not responding to Windows 11.

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Sometimes this issue can be resolved by closing and relaunching Excel. Also, you need to start Microsoft Excel in safe mode, disable Add-ins and even use the repair utility to fix the problem on Windows 11.

Here is the solution work for most users.

  • Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open taskmanager,
  • Locate the Microsoft Excel in the Processes tab and right-click on it select end task.
  • Now open the Microsoft Excel app on your system and check whether the issue with it is fixed.

Performing a system restart can help resolve temporary issues that may be causing Excel to stop responding.

Check System Requirements

Before troubleshooting, ensure that your system meets the minimum requirements for running Microsoft Excel on Windows 11. Verify that your computer has sufficient RAM, processing power, and disk space to handle Excel’s operations smoothly.

Update Excel

Make sure you have the latest version of Microsoft Excel installed on your Windows 11 computer. Updates often include bug fixes and performance enhancements that can address issues causing Excel to become unresponsive.

  • Open Excel, go to the “File” tab, then select “Account,”
  • Click “Update Options” to check for updates

Update Microsoft excel

In addition, ensure Windows 11 is up to date with the latest version.

  • Press Windows key + X and select settings
  • Go to windows update then hit Check for updates
  • If updates are pending there, allow them to download and install them on your computer.
  • And finally, reboot your computer to apply the updates.

Windows 11 download

Open Excel in Safe Mode

Start Excel in Safe Mode to run the application without add-ins, this will help verify if one of the installed plugins causes excel not responding on Windows 11.

  • Press Windows key + R, type excel.exe /safe and click ok, This will start Microsoft Excel in safe mode,
  • Try using Excel and check if there is no more problems. If yes then one of the third-party add-ins might be the reason why Excel not responding on Windows 11.
  • And you need to disable all add-ins and re-enable them individually to isolate the culprit.

Disable Add-ins:

Third-party add-ins can sometimes conflict with Excel and cause it to freeze or become unresponsive. Temporarily disable all add-ins and check if the problem persists.

  • To do this, open Excel, go to the “File” tab, select “Options,”
  • choose “Add-Ins,” select Excel Add-ins next to manage and click on Go.

Open Excel Add ins

  • Uncheck all add-ins After that, select “OK.” When finished, restart Excel again.

Repair Office Installation

If Excel continues to be unresponsive, you can try repairing the Office installation.

  • Press Windows key + X and select installed apps on Windows 11
  • locate Microsoft Office, click the three-dot menu and select “Modify” or “Repair.”
  • Follow the on-screen instructions to repair the installation files.

Disable Hardware Acceleration

Hardware acceleration uses your computer’s GPU to enhance Excel’s performance. However, in some cases, it can cause compatibility issues. Let’s Disable hardware acceleration and check if this help fix Excel not working problem on windows 11.

  • Open Microsoft Excel, click on the “File” tab, select “Options,”
  • Choose “Advanced,” and uncheck the “Enable hardware acceleration” option.
  • Restart Excel and see if the problem is resolved.

Check for Conflicting Applications

Certain applications or processes running simultaneously with Excel may interfere with its functioning. Close unnecessary applications and disable any background processes that might be conflicting with Excel.

You can use the Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc) to identify resource-consuming processes.

Clear Temporary Files

Excel uses temporary files to store data during its operations. Over time, these files can accumulate and affect Excel’s performance. Clear the temporary files following steps below that probably help fix the Excel not responding problem on your PC.

  • Press the Windows key + R, type %temp% and click on ok.
  • Delete all the files and folders in the Temp folder that appears.

Delete Temp file on windows 11

Additionally, navigate to “%localappdata%\Microsoft\Office\16.0\OfficeFileCache” and delete the contents of the folder.

Disable Antivirus or Firewall

In some cases, antivirus software or firewalls may incorrectly flag Excel as a threat or restrict its access, causing it to become unresponsive. Temporarily disable your antivirus or firewall and check if Excel works properly. If the issue is resolved, consider adding Excel to the software’s whitelist or adjusting the settings accordingly.

Reinstall Excel

If none of the above solutions work, you may need to reinstall Microsoft Excel on your Windows 11 computer. Uninstall Excel through the “Apps & Features” settings, restart your computer, and then reinstall Excel using your original installation media or by downloading it from the official Microsoft website.

Steve Ballmer
Steve Ballmer
With over 7 years of experience in the IT industry, I have experience in IT support, helpdesk, sysadmin, network admin, and cloud computing. Certified in Microsoft Technologies (MCTS and MCSA) and also Cisco Certified Professional in Routing and Switching.

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