Fix Excel Hanging When Resizing Columns With Shift Key
Question details
The user experiences severe application freezing or hanging in Excel when holding the Shift key while adjusting column widths.
- Product
- Microsoft Excel 2021
- Device & OS
- Windows
- Scenario
- Adjusting column boundaries in a spreadsheet while holding down the Shift key.
- Observed behavior
- Excel becomes entirely unresponsive and hangs for several minutes, whereas resizing without the Shift key works perfectly fine.
Save any open workbooks to prevent data loss in case Excel crashes completely, and ensure you have administrative privileges to modify system settings or update display drivers.
Perform Basic System Checks and Office Updates
Ensure your Office application is up to date and verify that background programs or third-party antivirus software aren't interfering with Excel's performance.
Software conflicts and outdated Office versions are common culprits for UI hanging. A clean boot helps isolate background interference.
Open Excel, navigate to File > Account > Update Options, and select 'Update Now' to ensure you have the latest patches.
Temporarily pause or disable your third-party antivirus software to test if it resolves the freezing during column resizing.
Press Win + R, type 'msconfig', and press Enter. Go to the Services tab, check 'Hide all Microsoft services', click 'Disable all', and restart your computer to test Excel.
Troubleshoot Graphics Drivers and Hardware Acceleration
Display driver conflicts or running multiple GPUs can cause UI hanging during specific visual rendering actions like resizing columns.
Adjust Default Printer Settings
Excel's interface rendering is tightly coupled with the system's default printer; changing it to a virtual printer can resolve unexpected UI hangs.
Try WPS Office to Avoid Frustrating Spreadsheet Freezes
If Microsoft Excel continues to hang or underperform despite troubleshooting, consider switching to WPS Office. WPS Spreadsheet is highly optimized, exceptionally lightweight, and completely free to use without unexpected UI freezes.
- 1. Download WPS Office: Visit the official WPS website and download the free installer for your operating system.
- 2. Install the Software: Run the downloaded setup file and follow the straightforward on-screen instructions.
- 3. Open Your Spreadsheets: Launch WPS Spreadsheet and instantly open your existing Excel workbooks to edit them smoothly without hanging.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does holding Shift while resizing a column cause Excel to freeze?
This is often caused by a software glitch related to UI rendering, graphics driver conflicts, or background program interference when triggering specific keyboard-mouse combinations in certain versions of Excel.
Do I actually need to hold the Shift key to resize columns in Excel?
No, holding the Shift key is not required for standard column resizing. You can resize columns normally by simply clicking and dragging the column boundary line with your mouse.
Will setting a new default printer affect my actual document printing?
Setting a virtual printer like Microsoft XPS Document Writer as default is simply a troubleshooting step for Excel rendering. When you actually need to print a document, you can still manually select your physical printer from the print dialog menu.
What should I do if none of the troubleshooting steps fix the Excel hanging issue?
If the issue persists across new Windows user accounts and clean Office reinstallations, it is likely a reproducible bug in Excel 2021. You can report it via File > Feedback in Excel and simply avoid using the Shift key during this action.
