macOS Monterey - "insufficient memory" error in Excel when sorting

Anonymous
2021-10-28T19:00:20+00:00

On updating the macOS on my Macs (both of them) from Big Sur to the latest Monterey (12.0.1) I've discovered that both macro and manual sorts no longer work on my larger Excel data files. I'm getting the error message...

"There isn't enough memory to complete this action. Try using less data or closing other applications."

...on files that sorted just fine with the Big Sur and prior macOS's. Tried everything and confirmed that there really is enough memory! (Also verified I've got the latest Office/Excel version)

FYI - my data files are ~20mb, M columns by ~40,000 rows. Anecdotally it appears to "run out of memory" if I try sorting more than ~5,000 rows at a time.

Anyone else seen this issue with Monterey and/or have a solution? Talked with the Apple folks and they insist it's a "third party App issue" hence talk to Microsoft...

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | For home | MacOS

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Anonymous
2021-11-05T12:43:57+00:00

Just repeating my previous comment, since it seems like it's being missed by people who are finding this thread for the first time.

(Originally posted on 4-Nov):

Hi All - Here's an update on this issue from the Excel team. We have a fix which we are planning to release as follows:

  1. Insiders Beta Channel: The release is planned for Monday, 8-November. The version and build number will be 16.56 (21110400) or greater.
  2. Insiders Current Channel (Preview): The release is planned for Monday, 8-November. The version and build number will be 16.55 (21110400) or greater.
  3. Monthly update (for everyone else): The release is planned for Tuesday, 16-November. The version and build number will be 16.55 (21111000) or greater.

This is our current plan. If anything changes, I will update this thread to let everyone know about it.

To get the fix as soon as possible, you can join the Office Insiders Program. Once you install the update that solves the issue, you can opt out of the Insiders Program so that you return to the normal monthly updates going forward. If you choose the Current Channel (Preview), install the update, and then opt out of the Insiders updates, you should receive the normal Monthly update on 16-November.

Please review this article for instructions about joining the Insider Program and descriptions of the channels that you can choose: Join the Office Insider Program

Thanks again to all of you for providing detailed information about the issue, which was very helpful toward finding a solution.

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Anonymous
2021-11-16T17:22:32+00:00

The update should be available as of roughly 9am Pacific Standard time today. If you don't see it when you Check for Updates, you will be able to download it from the following article. The update should be posted there soon.

Update history for Office for Mac - Office release notes | Microsoft Docs

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Anonymous
2021-11-17T17:34:56+00:00

JacquesDrolet IDRG GbR I have shared your comments with the engineering team and managers who worked to resolve this issue and will work to protect against it from happening again. Thanks to all who provided such great feedback and information to help us find and fix the issue. We wish it had not happened, but we appreciate your engagement with this community and your patience while we worked to publish the update.

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Anonymous
2021-11-17T15:37:58+00:00

@PeteAbrahams1 - the easiest way is to go to the Help menu in Excel and choose > Check for Updates. It should offer you the update and install it for you.

The other option is to go to this page, click on the link for the install package to download it, and then run the installer.

Update history for Office for Mac - Office release notes | Microsoft Docs

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  1. Anonymous
    2021-11-09T18:30:12+00:00

    I moved app to trash, downloaded the file again, restarted my mac, and installed and still get an error, and I do not get any update to Excel.

    Here is all the report details. Note it is VERY long! Too long to post - Your message is too long. Reduce to 60,000 or fewer characters. Current count is 258216 characters.

    Microsoft Error Reporting log version: 2.0

    Error Signature:

    Exception: EXC_BAD_INSTRUCTION

    ExceptionEnumString: 2

    Exception Code: 0x00000001 (0x0000000108f5a00a)

    Date/Time: 2021-11-09 18:23:15 +0000

    Application Name: Microsoft Excel

    Application Bundle ID: com.microsoft.Excel

    Application Signature: XCEL

    Application Bitness: x64

    Application Version: 16.54.0.21101001

    Crashed Module Name: mso20

    Crashed Module Version: 16.54.21101001

    Crashed Module Offset: 0x000000000020e94f

    Blame Module Name: mso20

    Blame Module Version: 16.54.21101001

    UnsymbolicatedChecksum: D013AE474CCD43F005ABFC3BBC2C86BC

    Blame Module Offset: 0x000000000020e94f

    StackHash: 160defdca1219d6a-dm_0x000000000289265f

    Application LCID: 1033

    Extra app info: Reg=en Loc=0x0409

    Build Type: Release

    Crashed thread Stack Pointer: 0x_000070000bf585f0

    Crashed thread: 3

    Thread 0 (0x3821):

    1 0x00007ff80af32aba in _mach_msg_trap + 0x0000000A (libsystem_kernel.dylib + 0x0000000000000aba) 0x0000000000000000

    2 0x00007ff80b036a42 in ___CFRunLoopServiceMachPort + 0x0000013F (CoreFoundation + 0x0000000000080a42) 0x0000000000000000

    3 0x00007ff80b03511b in ___CFRunLoopRun + 0x0000052D (CoreFoundation + 0x000000000007f11b) 0x00007ff7bea87400

    4 0x00007ff80b03452d in _CFRunLoopRunSpecific + 0x00000233 (CoreFoundation + 0x000000000007e52d) 0x00007ff7bea88150

    5 0x00007ff813c523e1 in _RunCurrentEventLoopInMode + 0x00000124 (HIToolbox + 0x000000000002f3e1) 0x00007ff7bea881f0

    6 0x00007ff813c52137 in _ReceiveNextEventCommon + 0x0000024B (HIToolbox + 0x000000000002f137) 0x00007ff7bea88240

    7 0x00007ff813c51ed5 in __BlockUntilNextEventMatchingListInModeWithFilter + 0x00000046 (HIToolbox + 0x000000000002eed5) 0x00007ff7bea882c0

    8 0x00007ff80da5f8f0 in __DPSNextEvent + 0x00000376 (AppKit + 0x000000000003e8f0) 0x00007ff7bea882e0

    9 0x00007ff80da5df5c in -[NSApplication(NSEvent) _nextEventMatchingEventMask:untilDate:inMode:dequeue:] + 0x00000583 (AppKit + 0x000000000003cf5c) 0x00007ff7bea886d0

    10 0x00007ff80da50359 in -[NSApplication run] + 0x0000024A (AppKit + 0x000000000002f359) 0x00007ff7bea88950

    LOTS OF CONTENT DELETED

    ....

    OS Information

    Operating System: Mac OS X 12.0.1 (Build 21A559)

    CPU: Intel x86, Logical CPU Count: 8, Frequency: 2500 MHz

    Physical Memory: 16384 MB

    Device_model: MacBookPro11,5

    Screen: 1440.000000 x 900.000000, bitsPerPixel = 24, frame = 0.000000, 0.000000, 1440.000000, 900.000000

    Screen: 1920.000000 x 1080.000000, bitsPerPixel = 24, frame = 3360.000000, 0.000000, 1920.000000, 1080.000000

    Screen: 1920.000000 x 1080.000000, bitsPerPixel = 24, frame = 1440.000000, 0.000000, 1920.000000, 1080.000000

    CrashedApp_Virtual_Memory_Size_MB: 34396.000000

    CrashedApp_Resident_Memory_Size_MB: 272.000000

    CrashedApp_Memory_Footprint_MB: 191.000000

    ErrorReportingDeviceUUID: 6B65FE93-B5B0-52E6-939C-C79F93048AB0

    ErrorReportingUUID: 17C92BDA-1A40-4215-A6CD-9BFC8DF55866

    ULS UUID: 3123BA4B-B11F-4C06-B8F3-EFA6791B05BF

    CrashedLogSessionId: 3123BA4B-B11F-4C06-B8F3-EFA6791B05BF

    TimeFromLaunch: 0 hours, 0 minutes, 3 seconds

    CrashedSessionDuration: 3

    Total errors on this client: 111

    Microsoft Application Information:

    Audience: Insiders_DevMain

    AudienceChannel: DevMain

    AudienceGroup: Insiders

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