Office for Mac Issues

Fix Excel Freezes and Spinning Cursor on macOS Sonoma

Amos Gikunda Oct 9, 2026 868 views

Question details

Microsoft Excel becomes completely unresponsive and displays a spinning wait cursor after every click.

How to Fix Excel Freezing and Spinning Cursor on macOS Sonoma

Product: Microsoft Excel
Device & OS: macOS Sonoma
Scenario: Opening, editing, or navigating workbooks after updating the Mac operating system to Sonoma.
Observed behavior: Excel freezes upon user interaction, triggering the macOS spinning cursor. This occurs even with small workbooks and with automatic calculations disabled.

Before you start

Use the Force Quit Applications menu (Option + Command + Esc) to close the frozen Excel process before proceeding with system updates or profile testing.

Solution 1Recommended

Update Software and Test in a New macOS User Account

Applying the latest updates and isolating the issue in a fresh user profile helps determine if the freezing is caused by corrupted user settings or an outdated app version.

Testing in a new macOS user profile allows you to check whether the spinning cursor issue is profile-specific or system-wide.

Update macOS and Excel

Open System Settings > General > Software Update to install the latest macOS Sonoma patches. Then, open Microsoft AutoUpdate from your Mac's menu bar to ensure Excel is on the latest version.

Create a new user account

Navigate to System Settings > Users & Groups, click 'Add Account', and follow the prompts to set up a new standard user or administrator profile.

Test Excel in the new account

Log out of your current session, log in to the newly created Mac account, launch Excel, and test clicking within a workbook to see if the spinning cursor returns.

Update Software and Test in a New macOS User Account

System-wide vs Profile-specific: If Excel works perfectly in the new user account, your original profile settings are likely corrupted. If it continues to freeze, the issue is system-wide.

Solution 2

Disable Third-Party Extensions and Utilities

Some third-party macOS utilities or Excel add-ins may conflict with macOS Sonoma, causing severe unresponsiveness.

Solution 3

Report the Issue to Apple

If the freezing persists across all versions and user accounts, the bug is likely rooted in macOS Sonoma and requires an OS-level fix from Apple.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Try WPS Office to Avoid Excel Freezing on Mac

If Microsoft Excel continues to freeze on macOS Sonoma, consider switching to WPS Office. It provides a lightweight, highly compatible spreadsheet tool that runs smoothly on Mac without the spinning cursor interruptions.

1. Download WPS Office: Visit the official WPS website and download the installation package specifically designed for macOS.
2. Install and launch: Follow the on-screen instructions to install the application, then launch WPS Spreadsheets.
3. Open your workbooks: Drag and drop your existing .xlsx files into WPS Spreadsheets to continue working without freezing.

Fully compatible with Microsoft Excel (.xlsx, .xls) formatsLightweight architecture optimized for smooth macOS performanceFamiliar interface that requires zero learning curveFree to use for all standard spreadsheet tasks

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Excel freeze after upgrading to macOS Sonoma?

The macOS Sonoma update can occasionally introduce compatibility issues with Excel's rendering or processing engines, leading to unresponsiveness and the spinning wait cursor when interacting with the application.

Does disabling automatic calculation prevent the spinning cursor in Excel?

In this specific macOS Sonoma scenario, users have found that disabling calculations does not resolve the issue. This indicates the freezing is related to OS compatibility rather than the complexity of the spreadsheet.

Can downgrading my Mac OS fix the Excel issue?

Yes, reverting to a previous macOS version (like Ventura) using a Time Machine backup can temporarily restore normal Excel functionality until Apple and Microsoft release a permanent patch for Sonoma.

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