Excel Crashed: 8 Effective Ways to Resolve It!

Dealing with the frustrating issues of Excel crashed on Windows 10 is all too common. Not only does it prevent you from opening existing files, but it also poses a risk of losing your current workbook if you forget to enable the auto-save feature in Excel. Excel crashes can create error messages like “Microsoft Excel has stopped working,” “Microsoft Excel is not responding,” or “There is a problem that caused the program to stop working correctly.” When a solution is needed quickly, this article helps.

Part 1: How to Fix Excel Crashed – 8 Effective Methods

Method 1: Start Excel in Safe Mode

To address the issue directly, try opening Excel in safe mode. Excel opens in a clean environment without application conflicts. Press and hold Ctrl when opening Excel or use Windows + R to access the Run dialog, then type “excel.exe /safe” and press Enter to enter Safe Mode.

Method 2: Install the latest updates.

Software updates fix problems. Update Excel before updating the OS. Click File > Account, Product Information update options, and Update Now in Excel. Excel crashes? Update Office programs from the Microsoft Store.

Method 3: Check and remove problematic extensions.

Incompatible or defective add-ins can crash Excel often. It is essential to ensure that undesirable add-ins are checked and removed. Launch a new instance of Excel in the usual mode, navigate to the File menu, select Options, and then select Add-ins. From the submenu, select COM Add-ins, and then click the OK button. Excel has to be restarted in order to help repair the problem.

Method 4: Remove the process using Excel.

Other processes utilizing Excel will be noted in the status bar at the bottom. Working with another program may slow Excel. Complete the present work before starting another.

Method 5: Remove conditional formatting rules.

Conditional formatting is a useful feature for highlighting and distinguishing data in Excel. However, if a specific worksheet with conditional formatting causes Excel to freeze or crash, it may be worth considering removing those rules. On the Home tab, click on Conditional Formatting, select Clear Rules, and choose Clear Rules from Entire Sheet. Repeat this step for any additional sheets using the same rules.

Method 6: Remove the formatting and styles of the cells.

Excel can also misbehave due to cell formatting and styling. To fix “Too many different cell formats,” follow Microsoft’s instructions.

Method 7: Disable animations in Microsoft Excel.

Although creating animations in Excel can be fun and visually interesting, it requires additional processing power, which may cause Excel to overwork and crash. To disable excessive animations, click on File > Options, then select Advanced and uncheck the option “Disable hardware graphics acceleration.” Click OK to save the changes and close Excel.

Method 8: Repair MS Office

As an application in the MS Office suite, Excel’s crashing issues can sometimes be resolved by repairing MS Office itself. In Windows 10, open the Control Panel, find Microsoft Office in the list of programs and features, right-click on it, select Change, then choose Quick Repair, and click the Repair button.

Part 2: Recovering Data from a Crashed Excel File in Windows 10

Method 1: Recover a corrupted Excel file from AutoRecover.

This method will only work when you have the AutoSave feature enabled in Excel.

• Step 1: In Windows 10, open a new Excel file.
• Step 2: Check the latest Excel files under File > Open > Recent Documents. Search for system crash-lost unsaved files.
• Step 3: Select “Recover Unsaved Workbooks” to fix your crashed Excel file.
• Step 4: A pop-up box lets you save the recovered Excel file as a new document in a secure location on your computer.

Method 2: Recover lost Excel files from a crash using Excel recovery software.

After several crashes, third-party recovery tools like WinfrGUI can scan, search for, and recover deleted Excel files.

• Step 1: Click “Scan.” in the Excel file’s missing place.
• Step 2: Click “Documents” on the left sidebar to discover your Excel file after scanning. Verify that the file is yours.
• Step 3: Choose the Excel file and click “Recover.” Select the target folder to save the recovered file locally or in the cloud.

Following these steps, you may fix Excel freezing on Windows 10 and restore lost data. For a pleasant Excel experience, utilize them properly.

>>Also Read: Top 6 Excel File Repair Tool