'%3e%3cpath%20d='M8%200C12.4183%200%2016%203.58172%2016%208C16%2012.4183%2012.4183%2016%208%2016C3.58172%2016%200%2012.4183%200%208C0%203.58172%203.58172%200%208%200ZM11.6162%204.38379C11.2257%203.99337%2010.5927%203.99338%2010.2021%204.38379L8%206.58594L5.79785%204.38379C5.40732%203.99334%204.77429%203.99329%204.38379%204.38379C3.99331%204.77429%203.99335%205.40733%204.38379%205.79785L6.58594%208L4.38379%2010.2021C3.99348%2010.5927%203.99341%2011.2257%204.38379%2011.6162C4.77426%2012.0066%205.40734%2012.0065%205.79785%2011.6162L8%209.41406L10.2021%2011.6162C10.5927%2012.0066%2011.2257%2012.0067%2011.6162%2011.6162C12.0067%2011.2257%2012.0066%2010.5927%2011.6162%2010.2021L9.41406%208L11.6162%205.79785C12.0066%205.40735%2012.0066%204.77429%2011.6162%204.38379Z'%20fill='%23080E17'%20fill-opacity='0.46'/%3e%3c/g%3e%3cdefs%3e%3cclipPath%20id='clip0_3761_713'%3e%3crect%20width='16'%20height='16'%20fill='white'/%3e%3c/clipPath%3e%3c/defs%3e%3c/svg%3e)
Fix Unexpected "Send a Frown" Message in Excel XLSM Workbooks
Question details
The user wants to stop an unexpected "Send a Frown" message that interrupts their Excel workflow.
- Product
- Microsoft Excel
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Running an XLSM workbook that connects to an Oracle database, which may trigger an error related to Power Pivot or Power BI instead of the VBA code itself.
- Observed behavior
- A "Send a Frown" and "Close" prompt appears unexpectedly. Clicking "Close" allows the VBA macro to continue, while clicking "Send a Frown" produces no visible response.
Verify if your Excel workbook utilizes Power Pivot or Power BI connections, as this specific "Send a Frown" prompt is frequently generated by these add-ins encountering background exceptions rather than your custom VBA code.
Create a Service Request via Microsoft 365 Admin Center
If you are an IT administrator, you can open a direct support ticket to have Microsoft investigate the backend failure causing the Power Pivot or Oracle database connection to crash.
Because this error is often tied to unhandled exceptions within Power BI or Power Pivot add-ins rather than user-level VBA scripts, investigating the root cause requires backend diagnostic assistance from Microsoft Support.
Navigate to the Microsoft 365 admin center and sign in using your administrator credentials.
On the left-hand navigation menu, locate and click on 'Support'.
Select 'New service request' from the dropdown menu to open the support ticketing system.
Provide details about the 'Send a Frown' error, mentioning that it occurs with XLSM workbooks connecting to an Oracle database via Power Pivot, and submit the request to connect with an agent.
Request Assistance via Microsoft Home Support
Personal users or employees without admin access can use the consumer support portal to chat with a Microsoft support agent regarding the unexpected error.
Switch to WPS Office for a Stable and Seamless Spreadsheet Experience
If frequent crashes, unexpected add-in errors, or mysterious "Send a Frown" prompts in Microsoft Excel disrupt your workflow, consider switching to WPS Office. It is a highly stable, lightweight, and fully compatible alternative that handles complex spreadsheets without the heavy resource overhead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Excel show a "Send a Frown" prompt?
The "Send a Frown" prompt is part of Microsoft's telemetry and feedback mechanism. It is typically triggered automatically when an internal component, such as Power Pivot or a database connection add-in, encounters an unexpected exception or crash in the background.
Does the "Send a Frown" prompt stop my VBA macros from running?
Not necessarily. In many cases, the background error does not fatally crash the workbook. Clicking "Close" on the prompt often allows the VBA macro to resume its execution and finish its tasks normally.
Why does clicking "Send a Frown" seem to do nothing?
When you click "Send a Frown", Excel silently bundles the error logs and telemetry data and sends them to Microsoft in the background. Because this happens silently, you will not see any immediate visual response, confirmation window, or fix applied.
Can I permanently disable the "Send a Frown" message?
There is no direct user setting in Excel to simply disable this specific error prompt. The prompt appears because a background process actually crashed. To stop the message permanently, the underlying cause—such as the Oracle database connection issue or the Power BI add-in bug—must be resolved, often with Microsoft Support's help.
