Excel (64 bit) never exceeds 2GB of memory usage

Hi Colin,

Welcome to the Microsoft Q&A forum.

Based on your description, your computer has 128 GB of RAM and an Intel Core i9 processor. However, you have noticed that 64-bit Excel typically uses only around 2 GB of RAM.

According to Microsoft's documentation, in a 64-bit environment, Excel does not have the same hard file-size limit as in a 32-bit environment. The workbook's capacity depends on the available memory and system resources.

Having 128 GB of RAM does not mean that Excel will automatically use more RAM. Therefore, if you see Excel using only around 2 GB of RAM, this does not necessarily mean that Excel is limited to 2 GB.

Regarding the "Not Responding" issue, the cause may be related to add-ins, the workbook itself, or how Excel is processing the task, rather than simply a lack of RAM.

You can refer to Microsoft's documentation here:

Excel not responding, hangs, freezes or stops working | Microsoft Support

In this case, please help me check the following information:

1. Make sure that your current version of Excel is 64-bit

In Excel, go to:

File > Account > About Excel

Then, check whether your Excel version is listed as 64-bit.

2. Try opening the affected file in Safe Mode

This will help determine whether the "Not Responding" issue is related to add-ins.

To open Excel in Safe Mode:

Win + R > type excel /safe > press Enter

Then, open the affected file again and check whether the "Not Responding" issue still occurs.

 I hope this information is helpful.

If you have any questions or need further assistance, please feel free to share them in the comments on this post so I can continue to support you.

I look forward to continuing the conversation.

If the answer is helpful, please click "Yes" and kindly upvote it.

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64-bit version of Excel is installed.

No non-standard add-ins being used and none are actively being used within the workbook. Just a very large data set in a data table with a few columns added to "standardize" description fields (columns, only for names) and to categorize other data. Those all work just fine. Just take ungodly long to recalculated (note that formula calculation is set to manual which Excel seems to ignore sometimes.)

Plenty of "available system resources" as without Excel running, and the system being otherwise idle, only 1-4% CPU usage and no more than 13% memory usage.

Right now, even just working with copy/pasted data into another tab to manipulate locks-up the workbook until I have to force quit it. I mean, I'm just taking a subset of the data table, moving pasting values into an another tab, and classifying it as a work around and the Excel goes into never-never land when I try to delete or move data around on a different tab.

I am not a novice user of Excel. I have been using it, literally, for decades. I am aware of how to optimize workbooks, and this has nada to do with that. Nether my prior work system nor my current one (more powerful) show Excel ever using more than 2 GB or RAM no matter the Excel add-ons active or not, no matter the sort of calculations occurring, and no matter how the workbook is optimized for performance. Nor am I a novice when it comes to computers as I've run an IT unit and been responsible for configuring systems with OS optimization/customization for deployments.

Right now, the workbook I'm working with is a moderately large data set and it keeps going "not responsive" every time I try to do anything, and never more than 1.6 GB of RAM and there is no more than a 3-5% additional load on the CPU that is, again, at idle (with Chrome, Outlook, Teams and Task manager open plus the security and other apps running in the background that IT has installed) using more more than 1-4% of CPU and no more than 13% of RAM.

This is persistent and consistent issue with Excel and large data sets being analyzed. I'd rather use SQL/PowerBi or anther such tool, but I don't have those to work with so I'm stuck with Excel as the tool provided me at work.

.....

Hi Colin,

Thank you for your response and for providing the additional information.

Since you have confirmed that you are using 64-bit Excel, have no notable add-ins installed, and have already set the calculation mode to Manual, in this case, could you please uninstall and reinstall Microsoft Office to check whether the issue persists after Office has been reinstalled?

If Excel continues to become Not Responding or its performance does not improve after reinstalling Office, I recommend contacting Microsoft Technical Support for further assistance.

A support engineer can perform additional diagnostic steps and, when appropriate, work with you through a remote support session to investigate what is causing Excel to become unresponsive or identify potential bottlenecks while Excel is processing data.

To contact Microsoft Technical Support, please follow the instructions provided in the following article:

 Get support - Microsoft 365 admin | Microsoft Learn

If you have any questions or need further assistance, please feel free to share them in the comments on this post so I can continue to support you.

I look forward to continuing the conversation.

System is managed by IT Department. I can do nothing (e.g., can't optimize system for Excel use or do any registry fixes) and IT Department won't - but I'll have them do an Office Repair or reinstall (already put in the request, though the problem I mentioned keeps re-occurring.)