Excel Performance Problems

Fix Excel Workbook Stuck on Please Wait While Loading

Maira Mehtab Sep 28, 2026 868 views

Question details

The user is unable to open a shared Excel file because it hangs indefinitely on the loading screen, both in the web browser and the desktop application.

Product: Microsoft Excel, SharePoint
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Opening a large, formula-heavy shared workbook hosted on SharePoint.
Observed behavior: The Excel workbook fails to open and remains stuck continuously displaying a "Please wait while loading" message.

Before you start

Verify that your internet connection is stable and try clearing your browser cache before attempting to reload the workbook.

Solution 1Recommended

Open the Workbook Directly in the Desktop Application

Bypassing Excel for the Web and opening the file directly in the desktop app provides more processing power for heavy files.

Excel for the Web has memory limitations and may struggle to render large workbooks with complex calculations. Launching the file directly into your local desktop application can often bypass these browser timeouts.

Navigate to the file

Open your SharePoint document library and locate the affected Excel workbook.

Access the context menu

Click the three-dot menu (...) next to the file name to open the options.

Open in App

Select 'Open' from the dropdown, and then click 'Open in App' to launch the file directly in your local Excel desktop software.

Solution 2

Optimize INDEX/MATCH Formulas and Reduce Range Sizes

Replacing full-column references with limited ranges prevents Excel from calculating millions of unnecessary blank cells, significantly improving load times.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Switch to WPS Office for Faster Large File Processing

If you frequently work with large datasets and heavy formulas that cause Microsoft Excel to freeze or get stuck, WPS Spreadsheet offers a lightweight and highly optimized alternative. It handles complex calculations efficiently while remaining completely compatible with standard Office file formats.

1. Download WPS Office: Visit the official WPS website and install the free suite.
2. Open your file: Launch WPS Spreadsheet and open your heavy .xlsx file directly to experience faster loading speeds.

Highly compatible with Microsoft Excel formats (.xlsx, .xls, .csv)Lightweight software architecture ensures faster loading timesEfficient memory management prevents crashes when handling massive datasetsFamiliar user interface requires no learning curve

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do full-column references cause Excel to get stuck on the loading screen?

When a formula references an entire column (like A:A), Excel processes 1,048,576 rows for that single calculation. If applied across many rows, the massive calculation overhead easily exhausts available memory, causing the application to freeze or hang during the loading phase.

Does file size affect Excel's loading time on SharePoint?

Yes, larger files require more browser memory and network bandwidth to render. Excel for the Web is primarily designed for lightweight editing; files exceeding 50MB or containing complex data models frequently experience slow performance or loading timeouts in the browser.

What should I do if the desktop app also hangs while loading the file?

Try opening the Excel application in Safe Mode by holding the 'Ctrl' key while clicking the Excel shortcut. Once open, attempt to load the file through the 'File > Open' menu. If it opens successfully, a third-party add-in may be causing the performance issue and should be disabled.

Excel & Data Problems