Does Microsoft Excel feel slow or laggy on your Windows computer? This can hinder your ability to work efficiently and decrease overall productivity. Several factors can contribute to this, including unnecessary background processes, faulty add-ins, misconfigured settings, and more.
Before you consider switching to Excel’s web version or another alternative, try the following tips to boost Excel’s performance on your Windows computer.
1. Run Excel in Safe Mode
One of the most common reasons why Excel may run slowly on your Windows computer is if one of the add-ins is disrupting app processes. To investigate this possibility, you’re able to run Excel in safe mode.
PressWin + Rtoopen the Run dialog box. Typeexcel /sin the “Open” field and pressEnter.
Once Excel opens in safe mode, try using it for a few minutes and see if it runs smoothly. If it does, it indicates that one of your add-ins is causing the issue. To identify the problematic add-in, you will need to disable all add-ins and then re-enable them one at a time. To do so, use these steps:
Restart Excel on your PC and enable your add-ins one at a time. Try using Excel after enabling each add-in and observe its performance. Once you identify the faulty add-in, consider removing it.
2. Optimize Excel for Compatibility
Another thing you can do to improve Excel’s performance on Windows is to optimize its interface for compatibility instead of the best appearance. This can lead to better overall performance and smoother operation.
Restart Excel after this and check if it still runs slowly or lags on your Windows computer.
3. Disable Hardware Graphics Acceleration
Hardware graphics accelerationis a useful feature in Microsoft Excel that allows the app to use your GPU and enhance performance during graphics-related tasks. However, if this feature fails to work as expected, Excel may operate slowly on Windows.
you may try disabling the hardware graphics acceleration in Excel to see if that fixes the problem.
4. Enable Manual Calculation
When you make changes to a cell, Excel recalculates all formulas and functions. This process can be resource-intensive and result in the app lagging when you input or edit data.
To fix this, you can try enabling manual calculation mode in Excel. For that, switch to theFormulastab, click theCalculation Optionsbutton, and selectManual. Following this, you can pressF9any time you want Excel to recalculate.
5. Reduce the Size of Your Excel File
The larger your spreadsheet, the more calculations and operations Excel has to perform. This can have a negative impact on Excel’s performance and lead to various problems. To avoid this, you can try reducing the size of your Excel workbook by decreasing the number of sheets, removing unnecessary formatting, and compressing any pictures within your workbook.
Another thing you can do is save your Excel file in binary (.xslb) format. To do so, pressF12on your keyboard to bring up theSave Asdialog in Excel. Click the drop-down menu next toSave as typeto selectExcel Binary Workbook (*.xslb)and click theSavebutton.
6. Update Microsoft Excel
Are you using an outdated version of Excel? If so, you may be missing out on new features and performance enhancements. Try updating Excel on your PC and see if that improves its performance on your Windows computer.
Wait for Microsoft Office to update Excel along with other Office apps and check if that fixes the problem.
7. Run the Office Repair Tool
If updating Excel proves ineffective, there may be an issue with some of the core app files. In that case, you can try running the Office repair tool to fix the underlying issue. Here’s how to do it.
Allow the repair tool to fix any issues with Excel. If the issue remains even after that, you can perform anOnline Repairinstead. This will allow the tool to perform a more comprehensive repair to resolve any issues.
8. Try Some Generic Windows Fixes
If none of the above tips help, you can try some generic fixes to speed up Excel’s performance on Windows.
Experience a Lag-Free Excel Again on Windows
It can be frustrating if Excel runs slowly and constantly lags on your Windows computer. However, you don’t have to put up with such a poor experience. Applying the above tips should speed up Excel’s performance on your PC and put you at ease.
