4 Ways to Fix Microsoft Excel Not Responding on Windows 11

Quick Tips

• Try running Excel in safe mode to check if one of the add-ins is causing problems.
• If you are experiencing this issue with a specific spreadsheet, remove any conditional formatting from it.
• Running Microsoft’s Office repair tool is an effective way to fix such issues with Excel on Windows.

Fix 1: Open Microsoft Excel in Safe Mode and Disable Add-Ins

You can open Excel in Safe Mode to run the app without add-ins. This will help you verify if one of the installed plugins causes the issue. Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog. Type excel -safe in the box and press Enter.

Try using Excel in safe mode to see if it works fine. If it does, one of the third-party add-ins might be why Excel is not responding on Windows 11. You can disable all add-ins and re-enable them individually to isolate the culprit.

Step 1: Open Excel and click the File menu in the top left corner.

Step 2: Click Options in the bottom-left corner.

Step 3: In the Excel Options window, navigate to the Add-ins tab. Then, select COM Add-ins in the Manage drop-down menu and click the Go button.

Step 4: Uncheck all the Add-ins and click OK.

Restart Excel after this and enable your add-ins one at a time. Observe Excel’s performance after enabling each add-in to identify the one causing the issue.

Fix 2: Clear Conditional Formatting

Excel might encounter problems opening specific spreadsheet files with peculiar formatting. If the issue only occurs when you try to access a particular spreadsheet, try temporarily disabling conditional formatting for that sheet.

Step 1: Open the problematic Excel file and switch to the Home tab.

Step 2: Click the Conditional Formatting option, go to Clear Rules, and select Clear Rules From Entire Sheet from the sub-menu. Repeat this step to clear conditional formatting for all the sheets in your file.

Step 3: Press F12 to open the Save As dialog and save your Excel file with a new name.

Fix 3: Change the Default Printer

Whenever you open a spreadsheet in Excel, the app communicates with your PC’s default printer to determine supported margins. Excel may fail to connect to the default printer if it is not working correctly. In such cases, selecting another printer as the default printer should fix the issue.

Step 1: Press the Windows key + I to launch the Settings app and go to Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners.

Step 2: Under Printer preferences, toggle off the switch next to Allow Windows to manage my default printer.

Step 3: Select a working printer from the list and click the Set as default button.

Fix 4: Repair Microsoft Office

Microsoft Office offers a handy repair tool that you can use when Office apps such as Word or Excel aren’t working correctly. Here’s how to run it.

Step 1: Right-click on the Start icon and select Installed apps from the list.

Step 2: Scroll down to locate the Microsoft Office product on the list. Click the three-dot menu icon next to it and select Modify.

Step 3: Select Online Repair and hit Repair.