Fix: Microsoft Excel Not Responding When Running Macro

Is Microsoft Excel not responding when you are running macro?

VBA Macros use the Visual Basic Application in Microsoft Excel to create custom functions in your worksheet and speed up manual tasks by generating automated processes. In addition, VBAs can be used to access the Windows Application Programming Interface. 

One of the main functions of VBA Macros in Excel is to change and customize the user interface by creating custom menus, dialog boxes, and toolbars. 

While VBA Macros are very helpful, they don’t work all the time correctly. 

If you are reading this, we can assume that Microsoft Excel on your computer is not responding when you’re running a VBA Macro. 

Most of the time, this issue occurs when your system runs out of CPU and Memory resources to run Excel. On the other hand, it can also be due to the status bar not getting updated all the time when you are running a VBA Macro. 

To help you out, we’ve decided to make a guide for fixing Microsoft Excel if it’s not responding when running VBA Macro. 

Let’s get started!

1. Restart Your Computer. 

When you encounter problems with Microsoft Excel, the first thing you should do is restart your system. This should flush out temporary caches from your computer and clear any bugs or glitches that may have occurred during use. 

Here’s how you can restart your PC: 

  1. First, save your progress and ensure that Microsoft Excel is closed. 
  2. After that, access the Start Menu and click on the Power Options tab. 
  3. Lastly, choose Restart and wait for your computer to reboot. 
Restart your PC

Once done, go back to Microsoft Excel and check if the problem is solved. 

2. Recompile Your Macro. 

Recompiling your macro often resolves this issue on Microsoft Excel. If you haven’t already, see the steps below to recompile your Excel VBA Macro. 

  1. First, access the Developers tab in Microsoft Excel
  2. After that, click on Visual Basic
  3. Now, go to the Tools tab and click on Options
  4. In the new window, access the General tab. 
  5. Lastly, enable the Compile on Demand option under the Compile section. Hit OK to save the changes. 

Restart Microsoft Excel afterward and check if the problem is solved. 

3. Update Microsoft Excel. 

There might be an underlying issue with the version of Microsoft Excel you’re using, which affects its performance. To rule this out, install any pending updates in Excel to patch bugs and errors. 

Follow the steps below: 

  1. First, open Microsoft Excel and access the File tab. 
  2. Now, go to Accounts
  3. Lastly, click on Update Options and choose Update Now or Enable Updates
microsoft excel not responding when running macro

Once done, relaunch Excel and check if its performance has improved. 

4. Update Windows. 

Performance issues on applications could also be due to a problem with the version of Windows you’re running. Since apps are run through your OS, it is important that you keep it up to date to avoid issues. 

Here’s how you can update Windows: 

  1. First, open the Start Menu by clicking the Windows icon in the Taskbar
  2. After that, go to Settings.
  3. Lastly, click on Windows Update in the side menu and follow the prompts to install the update. 
Windows Update

Reboot your system after the update and check if the problem is solved. 

5. Disable Add-Ins. 

Add-Ins are useful third-party programs in Excel that allows you to automate basic processes. While it can help you become more productive, it can also pose performance issues when used incorrectly. 

If you experience performance issues on Excel, see the guide below to turn off your Add-Ins: 

  1. On your computer, launch Microsoft Excel and open your workbook. 
  2. Next, go to File > More > Options
  3. Finally, access the Add-Ins tab and ensure that your add-ins are turned off. 
microsoft excel not responding when running macro

Go back to your worksheet and check if the problem is solved. 

6. Run Excel as Administrator. 

Your system could be blocking Microsoft Excel from accessing crucial resources, which causes it to hang or freeze. To rule this out, we suggest running Microsoft Excel as an administrator to bypass restrictions. 

Here’s what you need to do: 

  1. First, look for Microsoft Excel on your desktop. 
  2. After that, right-click on the app and choose Properties
  3. Lastly, go to the Compatibility tab and enable the ‘Run this Program as an Administrator’ option. 
microsoft excel not responding when running macro

Relaunch Microsoft Excel and see if its performance improved. 

7. Close Unused Applications. 

If your system runs out of resources to use, expect applications to take a hit in terms of performance. When you don’t have enough RAM or CPU cores to run Excel, it may stop responding and crash. 

To ensure that you have enough resources for Excel, close unused applications on your computer. 

  1. First, press the CTRL + SHIFT + ESC keys on your keyboard to open the Task Manager
  2. After that, open the Processes tab. 
  3. Identify the applications you are not using and close them. 
microsoft excel not responding when running macro

Once done, go back to Microsoft Excel and check if the problem is solved. 

8. Reinstall Microsoft Excel. 

If none of the solutions above worked, the last thing you can do is reinstall Excel on your computer. This should ensure that there are no broken or missing files in your system and Microsoft Excel is installed correctly. 

Here’s how you can delete Excel: 

  1. On your computer, go to the Control Panel and click on Uninstall a Program
  2. Look for Microsoft Excel afterward and right-click on it. 
  3. Finally, choose Uninstall and follow the prompts. 

Reinstall Microsoft Excel on your computer and observe if the situation improves. 

That brings us to the end of our guide for fixing Microsoft Excel if it’s not responding when running VBA Macro. If you have questions, please drop a comment below, and we’ll do our best to answer them. 

If this guide helped you, please share it. 🙂

Author

  • John Sixto

    John is a staff writer at Saint and comes from a SAP ABAP development background. He has a Bachelors in IT and has been writing since 2018, with over 500 posts published. He loves to build PCs and has a deep curiosity in understanding how different components and configurations work. John spends hundreds of hours at a time, researching and testing the software and apps, before he proceeds to write about it. LinkedIn X (Twitter)

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