Is your Microsoft Excel file all of a sudden stopped working and starts throwing Excel Not Responding Error message? Sometime you may encounter the similar issue with a different error message i.e Excel has stops working while trying to operate over an Excel file?
Excel keeps not responding issue is actually very irritating and annoying but the situation gets more serious when you have some unsaved data. If you are unable to access your important insights saved in the MS Excel 2016 or any other version due to the Excel is not responding issue then also you don’t have to get worried. As, today in this post, we are going to discuss about this very commonly rendered issue.
This particular blog includes solution on how to fix Excel not responding issue and best ways to recover unsaved Excel data.
About Excel Not Responding Issue:
Meanwhile the occurrence of Microsoft Excel Not Responding you will see an hourglass or a looping circle showing that a heavy thing yet to be completed but actually it got stuck. After passage of few minutes, on your Excel window you will get to see a message Excel not responding.
Some of the common not responding message pops ups are:
- “Excel is not responding”
- “Excel has stops working”
Problems of Microsoft Excel not responding issue mainly occurs due to the following reasons:
- When you haven’t installed Excel application latest updates.
- Your Excel application may be currently being used by any another process.
- Previously installed or Pre-installed add-in may be hindering your Excel application to work properly.
- May be your MS Office programs needs to get repaired.
- Outdated antivirus software or sometime confliction of antivirus software with Excel.
- Some other program of your PC may be conflicting with your Excel application.
Now, coming to the main point how to fix Excel is not responding and “Excel has stops working” error without calling any professional. Try the following solutions one by one to fix Excel keeps not responding issue permanently.
How To Fix Excel Not Responding Error
In this section we will discuss about easy troubleshooting steps to resolve Excel 2016 not responding error. take a quick glance over the fixes of Excel is not responding error:
1: Try to open Excel in Safe Mode
2: Install the Latest Update
3: Recompile Macros
4: Disable Add-Ins
5: Try to Change the Default Printer
6: Fix Microsoft Office
7: Reinstall Microsoft Excel
So, let’s catch complete detail about each method…!
Method 1: Try to open Excel in Safe Mode
In order to fix Microsoft Excel is not responding on your Windows 10 computer or laptop, follow the below given steps:
Step 1: Press the Windows + R button simultaneously to open the run dialogue box.
Step 2: In the Run window, type excel.exe /safe and press the Enter key. This will open up the Microsoft Excel program into the Safe Mode.
Step 3: After it, try to open the Non-responsive Excel File again. If the file opens normally then save the data to another excel file for future use.
Method 2: Install the Latest Update
Sometime these issues may start appearing when you skip o install the latest Windows and Office Updates. So, make sure that you have installed the latest updates on your computer.
If not, then follow the below given steps:
Step 1: Go to the Control Panel and then click on the System and Security.
Step 2: Now, set it to the Automatic Mode by Start Maintenance option.
Method 3: Recompile Macros
Using problematic Macros may also trigger not responding issue. Follow the below-given steps to fix it:
Open the MS Excel and then navigate to the Developer –> Visual Basic.
Go to the Tools -> Options. After opening the Options window click on the General tab and clear the ‘Compile on Demand’.
Using the Project navigation pane you have to right-click on the Module and choose ‘Insert’ in order to insert a new module.
At last, save the excel file and close the MS office application.
After applying the above steps, when you try to use the macros next time then you shouldn’t face the Microsoft Excel not working error.
Method 4: Disable Add-Ins
Disabling Add-Ins will also help you to fix Microsoft Excel not responding, freezing or getting stuck issues.
First, you have to open the Excel file into safe mode. To do this, follow the Method 1.
After opening the Microsoft Excel file into the safe mode, follow the below-given steps:
Step 1: Click on the File option present at the top left corner and click on the Excel Options button
Step 2: Then click on the Add-ins option present at the side menu. After it, choose Excel Add-ins and click on the Go button to open the Add-Ins selection window.
Step 3: Now, you have to disable all the Add-Ins present on your system. To do this, unmark the box present along with the active Add-Ins 
Step 4: At last, save the changes by clicking on the OK
Reboot Microsoft Excel and check for the issue.
Method 5: Try to Change the Default Printer
This method seems irrelevant but it is not. As, whenever the user opens an Excel Spreadsheet then it internally tries to communicate with the connected Printers to check for the compatible margins.
That’s why it is recommended to change the Default printer in order to fix Excel 2016 Not Responding Error.
Step 1: Open the Control Panel and then click on the Printer and Devices.
Step 2: In order to set Printer to default, you have to right click on the Microsoft XPS Document Writer.
At last, try to open the Excel File again to verify the issue.
Method 6: Fix Microsoft Office
This is one of the common solutions from the several issues, this will help you to fix Microsoft Excel not responding error on your Windows 10 by fixing the damaged or inaccessible program files.
Follow the below given steps:
Step 1: Go to the Control Panel of your system by navigating through Start button -> Windows System. After it, click on the Control Panel
Step 2: Form the Control Panel window, click on the Program and Features.
Step 3: At the next Window you have to right-click on the Microsoft Office and then click on the Repair option.
Method 7: Reinstall Microsoft Excel
In order to uninstall and then install the fresh copy of MS Excel follow the given steps:
Navigate through the “Control Panel” -> “Programs” -> “Programs and Features” -> Search for the Microsoft Office and right click then select “Uninstall“.
After uninstalling, now download a fresh copy and install it again.
How To Restore Unsaved Excel Files When Excel Not Responding?
We have found that most commonly people ask one question regarding Excel Not Responding issue, that How Can I Save My Work When Excel Is Not Responding? Well you need not to worry about it…! As in this section you will get answer of this query.
Just try the following methods to retrieve unsaved Excel file data when all of sudden your Excel stopped working or starts showing Excel not responding error:
Method 1# Go with the Microsoft Office Application Recovery
Method 2# Use AutoRecovery Option
Method 3# Using Excel Repair Tool
Let’s discuss them one by one in brief…!
Method 1# Go with the Microsoft Office Application Recovery
Step 1: Navigate through the Start > All Programs > Microsoft Office Tools > MS Office Application Recovery.
Step 2: Select the contaminated Excel document that is showing Excel not responding error
Step 3: Click on the option “Recover Application” and restore the document.
Method 2# Use AutoRecovery Option
Step 1: Run Microsoft Excel application and then click on the File -> Tab Recent, search and select the exact one – unsaved Excel document.
Step 2: Click on the “Recover Unsaved Workbooks” and wait for the process to complete
Step 3: Open the lost Excel document and then click “Save As” and save this document into any other safe place.
Sometime it happens, that AutoRecovery option won’t work in Excel. In that case check out our tutorial on : How to Fix Excel AutoRecover Not Working Issue.
Method 3# Using Excel Repair Tool
Mostly it is seen that such Excel keeps not responding issue encounters due to corrupt or damaged excel file. So, to troubleshoot such issue, you need to first repair corrupt or damaged XLS/XLSX file. For this purpose, it’s highly recommended to make use of reliable software like Excel Repair Tool.
The software is having so many key features like it can do easy recovery of chart, cell comment, table, shared formulas, chart sheet, image, formula, number, sort and filter, text and other objects etc. It will not hamper damage in the worksheet layout, cell formatting and properties.
This software efficiently repairs many XLSX/ XLS files in one go and successfully fix other issues of Excel worksheet.
Wrap Up:
That’s all, it is hoped that Microsoft Excel Not Responding error is now fixed and your unsaved data get recovered.
If you have any other query or suggestion then you can freely ask in our comment section. we will try our best to fix it as soon as we can.
Also Read:
8 Common Excel Error Messages that Irritates You The Most
How To Recover MS Excel Lost Content From Excel Temp Files
7 Quick Ways To Fix Excel File Read Only Error
5 Quick Fixes To Resolve “Failed To Parse The Corrupted Excel File” Error
Priyanka Sahu
Priyanka is a content marketing expert. She writes tech blogs and has expertise in MS Office, Excel, and other tech subjects. Her distinctive art of presenting tech information in the easy-to-understand language is very impressive. When not writing, she loves unplanned travels.