Excel Frozen

Nick Andrews 0 Reputation points
2026-08-27T13:39:38.8533333+00:00

How do I unfreeze all my excel files? I just upgraded my Mircrosoft 365.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | For home | Other
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  1. DaveM121 928.6K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-08-27T14:14:15.3566667+00:00

    1

    Are you using the Office apps on a Windows PC or on an Apple Mac computer?

    Please provide a screenshot of any error you see when you try to open an Excel File.

    2

    If you are using the Office apps on a Windows device:

    Open Word.

    At the top right of Word, log out of Office.

    Restart (not shut down) your PC, then log back into Office, is your licence/subscription then recognized correctly.

    If not, open Word, go to File - Account, click the 'Switch Licence' button to try to register your subscription in the Office apps.

    2

    If you are using the Office apps on an Apple Mac computer:

    At the top left of your Desktop, click the Apple icon and select 'About this Mac', what version of MacOS is installed on your computer?

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  2. AI answer

    2026-08-27T13:39:54.21+00:00

    If the issue is that Excel is freezing or not responding after the Microsoft 365 upgrade, use this order:

    1. Install the latest updates
      In Excel, go to File > Account > Update Options > Update Now. Recent versions include fixes for freeze panes rendering and other performance issues.
    2. Check whether Excel is busy with another process
      Look at the status bar at the bottom of the Excel window. If Excel is processing something, wait for it to finish before trying more actions.
    3. Repair Microsoft 365
      If updates do not fix it, repair Office. This can resolve Excel not responding, hanging, or freezing.
    4. Try a selective startup (clean boot)
      Background apps and services can conflict with Excel. A selective startup can help identify whether another program is causing the freezing.
    5. If the freezing happens when opening or saving files and Excel asks to grant file access
      Update to version 16.34 or later, because that specific issue was fixed in that version.

    If the question is about frozen panes inside a worksheet, not app freezing, then removing frozen panes can be done in code with unfreeze():

    • Office Scripts: WorksheetFreezePanes.unfreeze()
    • Excel JavaScript API: sheet.freezePanes.unfreeze()

    References

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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