A family of Microsoft spreadsheet software with tools for analyzing, charting, and communicating data.
Excel continues to work on Windows 10. The behavior described (screen disappearing, freezing, or not responding when performing operations) is typically caused by add-ins, conflicting programs, or a damaged Office installation rather than Windows 10 itself.
Try these steps in order:
- Start Excel in Safe Mode
This checks whether add-ins are causing the issue.
- Press
Windows+R. - Type
Excel /safeand select OK. - If Excel works normally in safe mode, disable add-ins:
- Select File > Options > Add-ins.
- In Manage, select COM Add-ins and choose Go.
- Clear all check boxes and select OK.
- Close Excel and reopen it normally (not in safe mode).
- Re-enable add-ins one by one, restarting Excel each time, to find the one causing the problem.
- Press
- Install the latest updates Even if updates are believed to be current, explicitly follow the steps in Update Microsoft 365 and your computer to ensure all Office and Windows updates are installed.
- Check for conflicting programs (clean boot / selective startup)
Background applications can interfere with Excel.
- Run a selective startup (clean boot) using System Configuration as described in the Perform a selective startup section.
- If Excel works correctly in this mode, gradually re-enable startup items and services to identify the conflicting program.
- Repair Office
If the issue persists, repair the Office installation.
- Follow the steps in Repair a Microsoft 365 application and choose Online Repair if available. This reinstalls Office components and often resolves crashing or disappearing screens.
If these steps do not resolve the problem, use the guided support or contact options mentioned in the Excel troubleshooting article for additional diagnostics.
References:
- Excel not responding, hangs, freezes or stops working
- Excel opens to a blank screen
- Troubleshoot opening a blank screen when you double-click a file icon or file name in Excel
- Excel stops responding when using the "3DxWare 10 for Windows" PlugIn for Microsoft Office version 10.8.7 or earlier
- When I open an excel file it shows - We're sorry, but excel has run into an error that is preventing it from working correctly, Excel will need to be closed as a result. would you like us to repair now? then shows the option "repair now","help","close" - Microsoft Q&A