always waiting for the program

steve te namu 0 Reputation points
2026-09-16T02:00:09.19+00:00

Why does Excel take so incredibly long to launch when I just need to do some quick data entry? Every single time I open the program, I'm left staring at the screen waiting for it to finally load and let me type. It's highly frustrating because I frequently need to jump in, log a few numbers, and get out, but the loading time completely kills my momentum.

Has anyone else dealt with this persistent lag?

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | For business | Windows
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  1. Jade Ng 15,665 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-09-16T03:07:22.4033333+00:00

    Dear steve te namu,

    I understand how frustrating this can be, especially when you only need to open Excel briefly to enter a few numbers. I’d be happy to help you narrow down what may be causing the slow startup.

    To better understand the issue, could you please confirm the following?

    • What is your current Excel version?
    • Does Excel take a long time to start even when you open Excel itself without opening a workbook, or does this happen only when opening a particular file?
    • Approximately how long does Excel take before it becomes usable?
    • Do other Office applications, such as Word or PowerPoint, also take a long time to launch?

    As an initial test, please try starting Excel in Safe Mode:

    1. Close Excel completely.
    2. Press Windows + R.
    3. Type excel /safe and select OK.
    4. Check whether Excel starts noticeably faster.

    Safe Mode bypasses certain Excel add-ins, most COM add-ins, startup folders, and customized settings, so this is a useful way to determine whether one of these components may be contributing to the slow startup.

    I tested this in my own environment, and Excel launched noticeably faster in Safe Mode than in normal mode. Therefore, it would be helpful to know whether you observe the same behavior on your device.

    Additionally, you may refer to this article for more troubleshooting guidance: Excel not responding, hangs, freezes or stops working

    Please give these steps a try and let me know how it goes. I’ll be happy to assist further based on the results.

    Thank you very much for your valuable time and your cooperation!

    Was this answer helpful?

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