How to Fix Excel Stuck on Getting Taxonomy Data While Opening Files
Question details
Users experience significant delays when trying to open large Excel workbooks, with the application appearing to hang.
- Product
- Microsoft Excel
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Opening large workbooks that may contain external connections, enterprise labels, or data classifications.
- Observed behavior
- Excel takes an unusually long time to open the file and displays the message 'Getting Taxonomy Data' in the bottom status bar.
Before troubleshooting, ensure your internet connection is stable, as taxonomy services rely heavily on cloud connectivity, and save any other open workbooks to prevent accidental data loss.
Open Excel in Safe Mode and Disable Add-ins
Running Excel in Safe Mode bypasses third-party add-ins, helping you identify if a problematic extension is causing the taxonomy data hang.
Third-party COM add-ins or custom extensions often interfere with Excel's ability to communicate with enterprise taxonomy services quickly. Disabling them can resolve the loading delay.
Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box. Type 'excel /safe' and press Enter. This opens Excel without loading any add-ins.
Open the workbook that previously got stuck. If it opens quickly without the 'Getting Taxonomy Data' delay, an add-in is the likely culprit.
Go to File > Options > Add-ins. In the 'Manage' dropdown at the bottom, select 'COM Add-ins' and click 'Go'. Uncheck all unnecessary add-ins and click OK. Restart Excel normally.
Update Microsoft Office
Taxonomy services and sensitivity label components receive frequent updates. Ensuring Office is up to date can resolve known hanging bugs.
Experience Faster Spreadsheet Loading with WPS Office
If Microsoft Excel continues to hang on background taxonomy services or enterprise connections, switch to WPS Office. It is a highly compatible, lightweight suite that opens large workbooks swiftly without enterprise connectivity delays.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 'Getting Taxonomy Data' mean in Excel?
It indicates Excel is trying to connect to a background taxonomy service, typically Microsoft SharePoint or enterprise sensitivity label servers, to retrieve metadata, data classifications, or linked terms for your workbook.
Why does this issue only happen on specific workbooks?
The delay is usually isolated to workbooks that contain heavy external data connections, pivot tables linked to external sources, or enterprise sensitivity labels that require cloud validation upon opening.
How do I stop Excel from checking taxonomy data?
While you cannot completely remove the core taxonomy feature if your organization mandates enterprise labels, you can mitigate the hang by disabling third-party COM add-ins, signing out and back into your Microsoft 365 account, or clearing the Office document cache.
