Excel Performance Problems

Fix Excel Workbook Opening Slowly After Office Update

Natalie Taylor Oct 1, 2026 868 views

Question details

The user is experiencing significant delays when opening an Excel workbook containing external links, which started immediately after a recent Microsoft Office update.

How to Fix an Excel Workbook Opening Slowly After an Office Update

Product: Microsoft Excel
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Opening an Excel workbook containing external data links after applying a software update.
Observed behavior: The workbook takes an unusually long time to open, whereas it previously loaded quickly without requiring the linked source workbook to be open.

Before you start

Before troubleshooting, verify that your internet or network connection is stable, as external links rely on network access to retrieve data from source files.

Solution 1Recommended

Check for Hotfixes or Roll Back Office Version

Microsoft frequently patches known bugs. Updating to the latest build or temporarily rolling back to a previous version can resolve update-induced performance issues.

If this issue was directly caused by an update bug, Microsoft may have already released a patch. If no patch is available, reverting to the previous Office version can act as a temporary workaround until a permanent fix is issued.

Check for Updates

Open Excel, go to File > Account. Under Product Information, click Update Options > Update Now to see if a hotfix is available.

Roll Back Office (Administrator Guidance)

If no update is available and the problem persists, use the Microsoft 365 Command Prompt rollback procedure to revert to the previous version. It is highly recommended to do this under IT administrator guidance.

Check for Hotfixes or Roll Back Office Version

Temporary Workaround: Rolling back Office should be treated as a temporary workaround. Remember to re-enable updates once Microsoft addresses the bug in a future release.

Solution 2

Temporarily Disable External Links

Disabling the automatic update of external links can bypass the delay during file loading.

Solution 3

Review Link Paths and Network Availability

Broken link paths or unreachable network drives can cause Excel to hang while trying to fetch data.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Experience Fast Spreadsheet Performance with WPS Office

If Microsoft Excel continues to run slowly or hang on external links after an update, consider switching to WPS Office. It is a highly compatible, lightweight, and free alternative that opens large spreadsheets quickly without heavy resource consumption.

1. Download WPS Office: Visit the official WPS website and download the free installation package.
2. Install the Software: Run the installer and follow the straightforward on-screen instructions to set up WPS Office on your computer.
3. Open Your Workbook: Launch WPS Spreadsheets, click Open, and select your slow-loading Excel file to experience faster load times.

Fully compatible with Microsoft Excel (.xlsx, .xls) formatsLightweight software architecture for fast loading of large filesFamiliar user interface for seamless and quick migrationFree to use with comprehensive spreadsheet analysis tools

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do external links slow down Excel after an update?

Office updates can occasionally introduce bugs affecting how Excel processes network requests or calculates external data references. This can cause the application to hang while attempting to fetch data from closed source files.

How do I report this bug to Microsoft?

You can report the issue directly by opening Excel and navigating to File > Feedback. Select 'Send a Frown' or 'Report a Problem' and provide specific details about the slow loading behavior you experienced after the update.

Will breaking external links delete my data?

No, breaking external links will not delete the data currently displayed in your workbook. However, it will convert the linked formulas into static values, preventing future automatic updates from the source file.

Excel & Data Problems