Best Tricks to Fix – ‘Microsoft Excel is Not Responding in Excel 2016’ Error!

Have you faced any Excel error message that says “Excel is not responding?” In this post, I will provide some solutions to this problem, including all the manual and automated methods that can be used. Excel 2016, Excel 2010 and Excel 2007 are all supported by these methods, which apply to all versions of Microsoft Excel.

When it comes to Microsoft products, Excel is the most fundamental and frequently used. It is used by a variety of commercial enterprises. MS Excel is used to perform all of the complex and simple mathematical tasks, ranging from calculating averages to determining profit and loss. It is used for a variety of operations such as data graphics, forecasting, charts, and other visual representations, all of which are used to make critical business decisions. However, there are times when all of these activities are hampered by a clerical error. The following error message is displayed: –

In order to better understand this Excel is not responding error and the many manual techniques to fixing it, let’s start with the basics.

Manual Techniques to fix ‘Microsoft Excel is not responding’ error

In order to get rid of error – Microsoft Excel is not responding in Excel 2016 and other versions, users can use any of the methods listed below.

1st Technique: Run the Excel in Safe Mode

Excel not responding error can be resolved in a number of ways, the first of which is to simply run the application in safe mode. It is necessary to open a command prompt and type Excel.exe/safe in order to accomplish this task. In order to run Microsoft Excel in Safe Mode, we must do the following.

To open the command prompt, we must press the Windows key + R at the same time. We can still access the command prompt by selecting Run from the Start Menu, which is a convenient alternative.

We can now attempt to reopen Excel after it has been run in safe mode for the first time. It is important to note that this strategy is only useful if we have another software or ‘add-in’ that is the source of the Excel freezing.

2nd Technique: Change the Default Printer

When we open an Excel document, like a spreadsheet, it usually tries to interact with the printer first. The printer’s margins are revealed as a result of this process. If the communication isn’t complete or the connection hasn’t been created, Excel will crash. Changing the default printer is the simplest approach at this moment. It can be easily done by –

  • Go to the Control Panel and select Device and Printers.
  • To make the Microsoft XPS Document Writer the default printer, right-click on it and select “Set as default printer.”
  • After that, simply reopen the Excel spreadsheet and any other files that may have been affected to determine whether the problem has been resolved or not.

3rd Technique: Install the Latest Updates

All of the most recent Office and Windows updates should be installed as soon as possible. It is possible to accomplish this simply by allowing Windows to automatically install any updates. To accomplish this, follow the steps outlined below:

  • Open Control Panel and Click on System and Security
  • Select the option to automatically install any Windows updates that are available.

This method can be used to resolve issues that arise as a result of the installation process. 

4th Technique: Disable the Add-ins 

If the Microsoft Excel is not responding error in Excel 2016 is caused by an add-in, the problem may be solved. Start deleting the add-ins one by one to figure out which one was the problem. To delete the add-ins, follow the procedures below.

  1. To begin, open Microsoft Excel file in safe mode.
  2. Click the File option in the left corner at the top of the screen. Click on Excel Options button.
  3. After that, go to the side menu and select Add-ins.
  4. After that, pick Excel Add-ins and press the Go button to bring up the Add-Ins box.
  5. You must now disable all of the Add-Ins on your machine.
  6. To accomplish this, uncheck the box next to the active Add-Ins.

After using this method, you will be able to disable any unwanted Add-ins that have been installed on your system, as well as resolve the Microsoft Excel is not responding error that occurs when you attempt to open an Excel file.

5th Technique: Repair MS Office

Repairing Microsoft Office is another option for resolving the problem. Follow the steps below to complete this task:

  • Navigate to your system’s Control Panel by pressing the Start button and selecting Windows System.
  • After that, select Control Panel.
  • Select Programs and Features from the Control Panel window.
  • In the next window, right-click on Microsoft Office and select Repair from the drop-down menu.  
  • Once the process completes, check if the Excel error has been fixed or not.

6th Technique: Uninstall and Reinstall the Office  

Find a simple and easy Fix tool program on the Microsoft official website by searching for it. It will assist you in uninstalling and reinstalling Microsoft Office. 

7th Technique: Disable Anti-virus Software

It is possible that antivirus software will interfere with the proper operation of Excel. As a result, it is recommended that you disable your anti-virus software and check to see if the error has been resolved.

8th Technique: Using an Professional method

When the manual solutions listed above fail to fix the ‘Microsoft Excel is not responding’ error, you are advised to use a third-party professional software that helps you resolve the issue. It is possible to easily fix corrupted Excel files and effectively restore all the data contained in the Excel file by using professional Excel Recovery software. Once the corruption in the Excel file is repaired, you will no longer face the error like ‘Microsoft Excel is not responding’.

Final Words The troubles created by the above Excel error in Excel 2016, 2010, and 2007 are described in this article. The numerous options for resolving this problem have also been presented. Simply go over them.

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