[8 Fixes] Excel Stuck At Opening File 0% Issue

Overview:

If your Excel stuck at opening file 0% error and frequently rendering Excel stuck on processing issues then check out the fixes listed this post.

As this post covers reasons along with the effective solutions to fix Excel stuck on processing when opening issue.

What Does Excel Stuck At Opening File 0% Error Means?

Just like any other program, you may face difficulty with Excel application also at the time of opening or working on any specific Workbook.

Sometime it starts freezing or displaying error messages like ‘Excel stuck at opening file 0%’. When such situation arises, you will wait until the program starts responding. But Excel stuck on processing.

Several users found reporting on the forum threads about this Excel processing not opening issue. You can see the latest thread on the Microsoft Community thread.

The Excel stuck at opening file 0% is the error that looks quite harmless, but this arises when you double-click the Excel icon and the welcome screen appears and even after the 15 minutes or half an hour the Excel file is with the loading percentage stuck at 0%.

The error Excel stuck on 0% is a clear sign that MS Excel application is having any issues and need to be fixed immediately. But before moving toward the fixes here check out what causes this error.

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Why Does My Excel Keep Processing?

Well there is no any exact reason that causes Excel Stuck at Opening file 0% error. But there are some highly responsible causes of this Excel stuck on processing issue. Knowing the root cause of the problem fixes half of the error.

  • Volatile functions are used in Excel workbooks which recalculate itself after every small change. So this takes lots of processing time.
  • When the Excel file damaged or corrupted badly
  • Installation of the Excel file compromised and needed to be repaired.
  • Excel add-in has failed.
  • Problem with one of the display drives on the system that causes errors in the Excel application.
  • If complex formulas and link sources are attached then Excel application will consume more processing time and computational power.

So, these are some of the common reasons that imparts to Excel stuck on processing when opening problem.

Moreover, if the error is occurred due to any of the above listed reasons, then it can be fixed manually with the following tricks. But if the problem is due to Excel file corruption then using reliable software to repair corrupt Excel file is the best option.

How To Fix ‘Excel Stuck At Opening File 0%’ Issue?

1: Canceling A Command

2: Start MS Excel In Safe Mode

3: Remove The Problem Causing Add-in

4: Repair MS Excel Application And Install Latest Updates

5: Processing Excel From Network or Web App

6: Disable Hardware Graphics Acceleration

7: Make Use Of Open And Repair Utility

8: Avoid Using Volatile Functions

9: Repair Corrupted Excel File With Automatic Solution

Let’s discuss all these fixes in brief…!

1: Canceling A Command

Sometimes the command or action which you perform in Excel gets stuck and it denies to get cancelled. In that case the very first thing you can do is cancelling the command by pressing the Esc button from your keyboard.

ESC key will immediately cancel off any ongoing action or command that Excel is currently been processing.

2: Start MS Excel In Safe Mode

The next trick that you can try to resolve Excel stuck on starting problem is running it in safe mode.

When Excel enters into the safe mode then it is loaded with some basic system components only. So there are least chances that your Excel stuck at loading problem in this mode.

It is the best way to understand if the external factors like third-party add-ins are causing issues with the functioning or not.

If in Safe Mode Excel file starts without any issue than it is clear the third-party add-ins are causing the error, so here it is worth to disable them

Follow the steps to disable Excel COM add-ins

  • Hit Windows + R Key and in the Run dialog box > type excel.exe /safe
  • Now hit Enter button. This will open your Excel application in safe mode.

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If your Excel file successfully gets open in safe mode  and running without getting stuck then it means that the problem is with the installed Add-ins.

3: Remove The Problem Causing Add-in

  • Go to File > Options 

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  • In Excel options windows, hit the Add-ins tab from the left panel. Now from the Manage drop-down choose the COM Add-ins  and then hit the Go button.

Turn off EXCEL Add-ins

  • Clear the checkbox of enabled COM add-ins > OK.

disable excel add-ins

  • Select one add-in at one time, this will help you to spot which add-ins are causing the problem.

Hope doing this will help you to fix Excel stuck at 0% error but if not then check for the driver’s issues as well.

You can make use of the free Driver Booster, this scan, detect and fixes the driver issues automatically and update the outdated drivers as well.

Now check whether the error is fixed or not but if not then try the second solution.

4: Repair MS Excel Application And Install Latest Updates

This is a working solution that helped many users to fix the error. Installation of MS Excel application is the cause of many unknown Excel issues. Corruption of the registry settings, bugged updated and wrong user “Preferences” causes Excel application failure.

Try fixing the entire Excel issues for repairing Excel installation:

  • Start Control Panel > under Programs from Category view > choose to Uninstall a program.

Reinstall The Microsoft Office Application

  • Now click Office product needed to repair (eg.- Excel) > click Change

ms office repair from control panel

  • And when prompted > click Repair > now follow the online instructions to complete the process.

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It is estimated the works for you but if not then try the next solution

5: Processing Excel From Network or Web App

Most of the time it is seen that direct editing of spreadsheets in the Web App such as SharePoint results in Excel stuck on processing SharePoint issue.

Instead of editing this file directly from the web app or on the network, downloads the file to your PC and then edit it. After doing complete editing, upload your file back and then check it out immediately.

6: Disable Hardware Graphics Acceleration

Well, if you are making use of the hardware graphics acceleration adapter for running an external monitor then you might encounter issues with Excel application. If the adapter is plugged in the Excel, hangs on the loading screen.

And to fix the issue, try disabling hardware graphics acceleration adapter.

Follow the steps given:

  • From the Task manager close the entire Excel running files.
  • Start MS Excel from Windows Start button (avoid double-clicking the faulty file as this won’t open)
  • Next click on File > Options > Advanced

disable hardware graphics acceleration 2

  • Then under “Display” option check mark the box ‘Disable hardware graphics acceleration’
  • And click OK

disable hardware graphics acceleration 4

Now try to open Excel file and check if this opens or not. If still stuck, then this means Excel file you are trying to open is harshly corrupted. So here try repairing the Excel file corruption.

7: Make Use Of Open And Repair Utility

Try the inbuilt Open and Repair utility available in the Excel file, in many cases, this helps you to repair corrupted Excel file.

Follow the given steps:

  • Click on “Open” > select corrupted Excel file.
  • And from the list select Open and Repair

excel open and repair 1

  • Perform below-given steps one by one
    • Click Repair tab. (For repairing Excel file data)
  • OPEN AND REPAIR
    • Click Extract Data tab. (For extracting values and formulas from Excel file when repair file is unsuccessful.)

excel open and repair 2

Hope this works for you but if not then feel free to utilize MS Excel Repair Tool.

8: Avoid Using Volatile Functions

In your Excel spreadsheet if you are using so many volatile formula such as RAND() or the RANDBETWEEN() functions, then it will raise Excel stuck in calculating mode like problem.

The problem with the volatile function is that even though you make changes in a single cell of your spreadsheet entire cells having these formulas starts recalculating themselves.

Alike this Conditional formatting also has the same impact. This is the reason why your Excel spreadsheet with thousands of these functions results in Excel stuck at processing issue.

Although, this doesn’t mean you should stop making use of these formulas but try to avoid them using generously across thousands of cells.

9: Repair Corrupted Excel File With Automatic Solution

If your Excel file denies to get open even on some other PC then it’s a clear indication that your Excel file is got corrupted. So, if you have the proper updated backup of that file then use it or else approach for some reliable repair tool.

You should go with the professional recommended MS Excel Repair Tool to repair corrupt, damaged as well as errors in Excel file. This tool allows to easily restore all corrupt excel file including the charts, worksheet properties cell comments, and other important data.

With the help of this, you can fix all sort of issues, corruption, errors in Excel workbooks. This is a unique tool to repair multiple excel files at one repair cycle and recovers the entire data in a preferred location.

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It is easy to use and compatible with both Windows as well as Mac operating system. This supports the entire Excel versions and the demo version is free.

Steps To Utilize MS Excel Repair Tool:

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Conclusion:

You can try the certain manual tweaks to fix Excel keeps processing error. But if it won’t work for you then approach for the professional recommended MS Excel Repair Tool. This is a trusted solution to fix various Excel errors, corruption, damages and recovers everything stored in it.

So this is all about the Excel stuck on processing issue.

Check out the solutions given to fix “Excel stuck at Opening file 0%” error and follow them one by one.

Well, facing Excel issues and errors is a common problem and once a while every user faces it, so in this case, remember to get on the root of the issue as this help you resolve 50 percent of the error.

Additionally, we all know how essential is Excel application, so it is recommended to handle the Excel file properly and follow best preventive steps to protect your Excel files from getting corrupted.

Despite it, always create a valid backup of your crucial Excel data and as well scan your system with good antivirus program for virus and malware infection.

If, in case you have any additional questions concerning the ones presented, do tell us in the comments section below.

Good Luck….



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.