Office Apps Freezing

How to Fix Laptop Freezes When Running Excel on Battery Power

Aamir Naveed Akram Oct 9, 2026 870 views

Question details

The user experiences complete laptop freezing when operating on battery power, particularly when opening or running Microsoft Excel, though it sometimes occurs even when Excel is closed.

Fixing Laptop Freezes When Running Excel on Battery Power

Product: Microsoft Excel
Device & OS: Windows
Scenario: Using a laptop disconnected from the AC adapter, relying solely on battery power.
Observed behavior: The system freezes completely and becomes unresponsive. The issue is temporarily avoided by running Excel in Safe Mode, but persists under normal conditions and occasionally when Excel is entirely closed.

Before you start

Ensure your laptop is plugged into the AC adapter while troubleshooting to prevent sudden shutdowns, and save any ongoing work before updating system drivers.

Solution 1Recommended

Start Excel in Safe Mode and Disable Problematic Add-ins

Use Safe Mode to determine if third-party Excel add-ins are causing the application and system to freeze.

Starting Excel in Safe Mode bypasses features and settings such as alternative startup locations, changed toolbars, and most importantly, COM add-ins. If the freezing stops in Safe Mode, an add-in is likely the culprit.

Launch Safe Mode

Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box. Type 'excel /safe' and press Enter to launch Microsoft Excel in Safe Mode.

Access Add-ins Menu

Click on 'File' in the top-left corner, select 'Options' at the bottom, and click on 'Add-ins' in the left pane of the Excel Options window.

Disable COM Add-ins

At the bottom of the window, ensure the 'Manage' dropdown is set to 'COM Add-ins' and click 'Go'. Uncheck all the add-ins in the list and click 'OK'.

Restart and Test

Close Excel and reopen it normally while on battery power to see if the freezing issue is resolved.

Start Excel in Safe Mode and Disable Problematic Add-ins

Solution 2

Update System Drivers and Power Settings

Adjust Windows power management configurations and update critical hardware drivers to prevent power-saving states from crashing your system.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Try WPS Office for a Stable, Lightweight Experience

If Microsoft Excel continues to freeze your laptop and drain your battery, consider switching to WPS Office. It is a highly optimized, lightweight alternative that consumes fewer system resources and helps extend battery life while remaining fully compatible with your existing files.

1. Download the Installer: Visit the official WPS Office website and click the free download button to get the lightweight installer.
2. Install WPS Office: Run the downloaded file and follow the quick on-screen instructions to install the suite on your laptop.
3. Open Your Spreadsheets: Launch WPS Spreadsheets and open your existing Excel files directly—no format conversion is necessary.

Fully compatible with Microsoft Excel (.xlsx, .xls, .csv) formatsLightweight architecture reduces strain on laptop battery and hardwareFamiliar user interface requires no learning curveFree to download and use with comprehensive spreadsheet features

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my laptop only freeze when unplugged from the charger?

When running on battery power, laptops often switch to lower power states to conserve energy. This can cause resource-heavy applications like Excel, or hardware with outdated drivers, to crash or freeze due to improper power throttling.

Will reinstalling Microsoft Office fix the freezing issue?

Reinstalling Office might not resolve the issue if the root cause is related to hardware components, power-management settings, or outdated system drivers. However, it can help if the freezing is solely caused by corrupted application files.

How can I tell if the laptop battery itself is failing?

If your system shuts down unexpectedly, the battery drains rapidly, fails to hold a charge, or freezes across multiple applications (even when Excel is closed) after disconnecting the AC adapter, you likely need a physical battery or motherboard inspection.

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