Is Excel Freezing in Windows 11 When Copying or Pasting Big Data?

Can’t Copy Big Data Fast? Best Solutions for Stopping Excel Crashes Now

When large data in Excel slows your work or causes crashes, quick and steady fixes restore speed, reduce mistakes, and help keep your work safe. Use these steps on Windows 11 to avoid headaches and get back to smooth data handling, even with lots of rows or columns.

Why Does Excel Freeze with Big Copy-Paste Jobs?

• Windows clipboard looks at the data and may slow down Excel.
• Lots of color rules and highlights (conditional formatting) make Excel work harder.
• Extra programs that add features (add-ins) may cause conflicts.
• Old software or lots of temporary files can lead to crashes or slowdowns.

Fixes You Can Try Right Away

Solution 1. Turn Off Clipboard Suggested Actions in Windows 11

1. Press the Windows key and type Clipboard settings.
2. Open the Clipboard settings panel.
3. Find Suggested Actions and switch it to Off. This stops Windows from checking copied data for quick actions and helps Excel go faster.
4. Close and reopen Excel—try pasting again for a noticeable boost.

Solution 2. Remove Extra Conditional Formatting

1. Open your Excel file and go to the worksheet that freezes.
2. On the Home tab, click Conditional Formatting.
3. Choose Clear Rules, then pick Clear Rules from Entire Sheet or Clear Rules from Selected Cells.
4. Save the file, close Excel, and reopen it.

Fewer rules mean less lag when copying and pasting lots of data.

Solution 3. Disable Live Preview

1. In Excel, click File > Options.
2. Go to the General tab.
3. Remove the checkmark from Enable Live Preview.
4. Hit OK and restart Excel.

Live Preview shows how changes would look, but can freeze Excel during heavy work. Turning it off lowers pressure on your computer.

Solution 4. Start Excel in Safe Mode and Disable Add-ins

1. Press Windows + R and type excel /safe, then press Enter.
2. In Excel, go to File > Options > Add-ins.
3. At the bottom, set the dropdown to COM Add-ins, then click Go.
4. Uncheck all add-ins, press OK, and restart Excel in normal mode.
5. Test copy-paste; if fixed, enable add-ins one at a time to find the one causing trouble.

Solution 5. Clear Excel’s Cache Files

1. Press Win + R; type %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Wef\ and press Enter.
2. If files appear, select and delete all of them.
3. Restart Excel.

Clearing the cache can fix freezing if old temporary files are getting in the way.

More Fast Tips and Smart Alternatives

• Change your default printer to a built-in option like “Microsoft Print to PDF.” Sometimes Excel checks the printer, and if it’s offline, Excel could freeze.
• Use the Selection Pane (Home > Find & Select > Selection Pane) to spot hidden pictures or shapes—remove anything not needed.
• For huge data jobs, try using Power Query instead of copy-paste. Power Query is quicker and won’t bog down.
• Save files as .xlsb (binary) format. These files load faster and take up less space, but note: Power Query may open .xlsx files even quicker for basic use.
• For those always working with giant data, upgrading your computer—more memory (RAM) or more CPU cores—will help, but always clean up your files and use smart formulas first.

Reduced frustration means quicker work, fewer mistakes, and more reliable results. Use these steps; Excel will be smooth even with big data.