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Fix Excel Menus and Dialog Boxes Appearing as Small Ovals
Question details
The user encounters a display bug where Excel settings menus and dialog boxes fail to render correctly, shrinking into unusable small oval shapes.
- Product
- Microsoft Excel
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Accessing settings, menus, or opening dialog boxes within the Excel application.
- Observed behavior
- Instead of opening normally, dialog boxes and settings menus appear as distorted, small oval controls that cannot be interacted with.
Ensure you have saved all active workbooks and completely closed Microsoft Excel. If you plan to reset the Excel registry key, verify you have administrative privileges and consider creating a system restore point first.
Start Excel in Safe Mode and Disable Add-ins
Booting Excel in Safe Mode bypasses third-party add-ins, helping you identify if a corrupted plugin is causing the graphical glitch.
Sometimes, incompatible or outdated COM add-ins interfere with Excel's user interface rendering. Safe mode allows you to isolate and disable the problematic add-in.
Press the Windows Key + R to open the Run dialog. Type 'excel /safe' and press Enter to launch Excel in Safe Mode.
Attempt to open a menu or dialog box. If they display correctly instead of showing small ovals, an add-in is the likely culprit.
Navigate to File > Options > Add-ins. At the bottom, change the Manage dropdown to 'COM Add-ins' and click 'Go'.
Uncheck all listed add-ins to disable them, click OK, and restart Excel normally to see if the issue is resolved.
Reset Excel Settings via Registry Editor
Renaming the Excel registry key forces the application to generate fresh, default settings upon the next startup.
Perform an Online Repair for Office
If standard troubleshooting fails, running the built-in Office repair tool can fix deep-rooted installation files causing graphical bugs.
Experience Bug-Free Spreadsheets with WPS Office
If Microsoft Excel continues to frustrate you with graphical glitches, distorted menus, and unresponsive dialog boxes, consider switching to WPS Office. It provides a highly stable, lightweight alternative that bypasses complex registry dependencies while keeping your workflow completely intact.
- 1. Download the Installer: Visit the official WPS Office website and click the free download button for your operating system.
- 2. Install WPS Office: Run the downloaded installer file. The installation is fast and requires significantly less disk space than Microsoft Office.
- 3. Open Your Spreadsheets: Launch WPS Spreadsheets and simply drag and drop your existing .xlsx files directly into the workspace to continue working immediately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do my Excel menus suddenly look like tiny ovals?
This is typically caused by a graphical rendering error triggered by corrupted COM add-ins, outdated display drivers, or corrupted Excel configuration keys in the Windows registry preventing normal UI elements from expanding.
Will running Excel in Safe Mode delete my personal settings?
No, Safe Mode is a diagnostic tool that temporarily launches Excel without loading your add-ins, customized toolbars, and startup programs. It does not permanently delete any of your files or personal configurations.
What should I do if the registry fix doesn't work?
If renaming the Excel registry key does not resolve the oval dialog boxes, the issue might be deeper within the software installation. You should perform a complete 'Online Repair' of your Office suite or update your computer's graphics card drivers.
