Excel Keeps Crashing? Here are the Top Reasons and Quick Fixes

Sometimes, while trying to open an Excel file or launching the application, MS Excel stops responding, freezes, or crashes. When MS Excel crashes, it might also generate error messages. Some common ones are:

• Excel has stopped working
• Excel is not responding
• A problem caused the program to stop working correctly. Windows will close the program and notify you if a solution is available.

The above error messages indicate an issue with either a component (add-in/s) of MS Excel, the workbook you are trying to open, or the application itself. Let’s read further to understand more about the issue and the solutions to fix it.

Reasons Behind the Excel Keeps Crashing Issue

There could be several reasons why Excel is crashing on your system. Some possible reasons behind the issue are:

• Incompatible/conflicting COM Add-Ins
• Outdated MS Excel program
• MS Excel conflicting with other applications or the antivirus tool
• Problem with MS Office installation
• Damaged or corrupt Excel file

How to Resolve the Excel Keeps Crashing Issue?

Sometimes, insufficient system resources can cause applications, like MS Excel, to freeze or crash while opening. So, check the RAM or other system resources if they’re sufficient to run the applications. Also, check if there are multiple instances of Excel running on the system. For this, open the Task Manager, search for Excel related processes, and end them. If these didn’t resolve the issue, then follow the methods mentioned below.

Solution 1: Start Excel in Safe Mode

Conflicting or faulty third-party add-in/s can interfere with the MS Excel application’s functionality, resulting in freezing or crashing. You can launch the MS Excel in safe mode to check and confirm if any add-ins are causing the issue. In safe mode, the program is launched with necessary settings only and without the third-party add-ins. Here is how to launch Excel in safe mode:

• Press Windows + R to launch Run.
• Type excel /safe, and press Enter.

If the Excel launches without any issues in safe mode, then you can try to disable the third-party add-ins. Here is what to do:

• Restart Excel in normal mode and go to File > Options > Add-ins.
• Choose COM Add-ins from the dropdown and click Go.
• Uncheck all the checkboxes and click OK.
• Restart Excel and check if the issue is resolved.

If Excel doesn’t crash or freeze anymore, open COM Add-ins and enable one add-in at a time, followed by an Excel restart. Then, observe Excel for freeze or crash problems. This will help you find the faulty add-in/s. 

Solution 2: Check and Install the Latest Updates

An outdated MS Excel/MS Office program may develop some bugs or glitches that can cause various issues. So, check if your application is fully updated. If not, then install the latest updates. Here is how:

• Launch MS Excel (if it is opening).

Note – If it is crashing, open any other Office application, such as Word, PowerPoint, etc.

• Go to File > Account.
• Under Product Information, look for Office Updates.
• Select Update Options, and click Update Now.

In case you have installed MS Excel from the Microsoft Store, open the store and check for updates. You can also check and install the latest Windows updates. 

Solution 3: Repair or Reinstall MS Office

Corrupt or damaged MS Office program files can also result in the crashing of MS Excel. The Repairing Office program may resolve the issue if it is caused by damaged MS Office program files. Here are the steps:

For Click-to-Run Installation

• Press WIN + X and click on Apps and Features.
• Scroll down to locate MS Office in the list of installed applications.
• Select it and click on Modify.
• The How would you like to repair your Office Programs window will appear.
• Select Quick Repair > Repair. This will scan for corrupted program files and replace them with healthy versions.

For MSI-based Installation

• Close all MS Office apps and open the Control Panel.
• Click Uninstall a program, under Programs.
• Right-click on Microsoft Office and then click on the Change option.
• Choose Repair and then select Continue.
• The software will begin repairing MS Office and related applications.

If the Excel crash issue persists after repairing, try to reinstall the MS Office program. 

Solution 4: Repair Excel File

If the application is crashing while opening an Excel file, then it indicates that there is a problem with the file – it might be corrupted or damaged. In such a scenario, you can try to repair the problematic Excel file using the Open and Repair utility in MS Excel. This built-in utility in Excel can fix minor corruption instances.

If there is severe file corruption, then you can repair the file using Stellar Repair for Excel. The powerful software is available in two versions – online and desktop-based. 

Stellar’s online Excel repair tool is quick and easy to use. You can open it in any web browser and use it to repair Excel files that are ≤ 100 MB in size for free. 

However, if you want to fix larger, multiple Excel files, you can opt for the desktop version of Stellar Repair for Excel. This advanced Excel file repair software is designed to help you repair severely corrupted or damaged Excel files (.xls, .xlsx, .xltm, .xltx, and .xlsm).

The software is compatible with Excel files created using MS Excel 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010, 2007, 2003, or 2000. After repairing, you can save it in a new Excel file and open it in your MS Excel program. 

Conclusion

There are several reasons, such as conflicting add-ins, outdated MS Office, etc., that can lead to MS Excel crashing issues. You can follow the methods explained above to troubleshoot the problem at hand. Sometimes, Excel can crash while opening a workbook. In such a scenario, you can try to repair the workbook using the Open and Repair utility in MS Excel. If this fails to rectify the Excel file corruption, simply use Stellar Repair for Excel. It is a powerful DIY tool that can help you repair corrupted or damaged Excel files without any hiccups. You can also use it to recover data from severely corrupted XLS/XLSX files with ease.