How to Fix Excel Freezing When Changing Fonts or Font Sizes
Question details
The user experiences complete freezing in desktop Microsoft Excel and Word when attempting to change text fonts or font sizes.
- Product
- Microsoft Excel
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Editing a spreadsheet or document and attempting to format text by changing the font style or size.
- Observed behavior
- The application freezes indefinitely when fonts are changed. This issue occurs even in Safe Mode, after reinstalling Office, and on brand-new blank documents, though Microsoft 365 online works normally.
Before applying these troubleshooting steps, ensure you have saved all your current work to prevent any data loss if the application forces a restart.
Save as a Macro-Enabled Workbook and Revert
Use this workaround to force Excel to rebuild the file's internal formatting structure, which effectively resolves persistent font-related freezing issues.
This method addresses the issue by altering the file container. Converting a standard Excel workbook (.xlsx) to a macro-enabled workbook (.xlsm) and back clears out corrupted formatting metadata that causes the application to hang when rendering font lists.
Click on 'File' in the top-left corner of the Excel ribbon and select 'Save As'.
Choose a location on your computer, click the 'Save as type' dropdown menu, and select 'Excel Macro-Enabled Workbook (*.xlsm)'.
Click 'Save' and then completely close the Excel application.
Reopen the newly saved .xlsm file, go to 'File' > 'Save As' again, and change the format back to 'Excel Workbook (*.xlsx)'. Test changing the fonts to confirm the freezing has stopped.
Change the Default Printer to Microsoft Print to PDF
Apply this fix if the freezing is caused by Excel attempting to communicate with an incompatible or disconnected default printer driver during formatting changes.
Switch to WPS Office to Avoid Frustrating Formatting Freezes
If Microsoft Excel continues to crash or freeze when you simply want to change a font, consider switching to WPS Office. It is a highly stable, lightweight, and free alternative that flawlessly handles all your spreadsheet formatting needs without the annoying lag.
- 1. Download and Install: Download WPS Office for free from the official website and follow the simple installation prompts.
- 2. Open Your Spreadsheet: Launch WPS Spreadsheets, click 'Open', and select your existing .xlsx or .xlsm file.
- 3. Format Without Lag: Highlight your data and easily change fonts or font sizes using the top ribbon without experiencing any freezes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Excel freeze exactly when I click the font dropdown?
Excel may freeze due to corrupted font caches in Windows, incompatible printer drivers (as Excel constantly polls the default printer for page layout rendering and font spacing), or a structural glitch in the specific workbook's formatting metadata.
Does reinstalling Office fix the font freezing issue?
Not always. As reported by many users, reinstalling Office or running it in Safe Mode might not resolve deep-seated registry or file-specific formatting errors. Converting the file format to .xlsm and back is often more effective.
How do I clear the Windows font cache to stop Excel from crashing?
You can clear the Windows font cache by opening the 'Services' app, stopping the 'Windows Font Cache Service', navigating to 'C:\Windows\ServiceProfiles\LocalService\AppData\Local\FontCache' in File Explorer, deleting the contents of that folder, and restarting your computer.
