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EXCEL-NOT-RESPONDING

Excel Excel Has Stopped Working / Not Responding Applies to: Windows 7, Windows 10, Windows 11

What it means

Excel crashed or froze completely, usually tied to a specific add-in, a very large/complex file, or a corrupted installation — though it can also just be a long calculation or macro still genuinely running, which looks identical from the outside but needs a completely different fix.

Also seen as: Microsoft Excel has stopped working, Excel is not responding

Quick fix steps

  1. Before assuming it's frozen, press Esc then Ctrl+Break and wait a minute or two — this interrupts a long-running calculation or macro specifically, which can look exactly like a crash while it's actually just still working.
  2. Start Excel in Safe Mode to check whether a third-party add-in is the cause: hold Ctrl while launching it, or press Windows+R and type excel.exe /safe for the same result without needing to hold a key at the right moment.
  3. Update Excel via File > Account > Update Options > Update Now.
  4. Run a Quick Repair from Settings > Apps > Installed apps > Microsoft 365/Office > Modify.
For the full step-by-step walkthrough, see Excel Freezing or Crashing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will Ctrl+Break always work to un-freeze Excel?
It works when the cause is a long-running calculation or macro — if Excel has genuinely crashed rather than just being busy, Ctrl+Break won't have any effect and you'll need to close and reopen it instead.
How do I tell if Excel is frozen versus just still working?
Check Task Manager's CPU usage for the Excel process — if it's actively using CPU, it's likely still working on something; if it's at 0% and unresponsive, it's more likely genuinely frozen.

Other error codes

#REF! — #REF! Error

A formula is pointing to a cell that no longer exists — usually because a row, column, or sheet it referenced was deleted.

#VALUE! — #VALUE! Error

The formula received the wrong type of data — commonly text where it expected a number.

#DIV/0! — #DIV/0! Error

The formula is dividing by zero or by an empty cell.

#N/A — #N/A Error

A lookup formula (VLOOKUP, MATCH, XLOOKUP, INDEX/MATCH) couldn't find a matching value.