If your Excel application is crashing or causing issues, you can try opening it in the ‘Safe Mode’.
When you open Excel in safe mode, it disables features such as add-ins and custom settings, which helps you troubleshoot and identify the issues.
In this quick guide, I will show you two easy ways to open Excel in safe mode.
What is Safe Mode in Excel?
When you open Excel in safe mode, it opens the application with minimal functionality – bypassing certain features such as add-ins or custom settings.
Think of it as opening Excel in a bare-bones version where only those things that are absolutely necessary to open the Excel application would be used.
This stripped-down environment helps you troubleshoot problems like crashes, freezes, slow Excel file, or other performance issues by isolating the cause.
For example, if your Excel is crashing due to some conflicting add-ins, you can open the Excel application in safe mode and disable all add-ins. Now when you open Excel in the normal mode, and it solves your issue, you would know that it’s an add-in causing a problem.
Or if you have a corrupt Excel file and you’re not able to open it, you can try and open it in safe mode to recover the data.
2 Ways to Open Excel Application in Safe Mode
Now, let me show you two easy ways to open Excel in safe mode.
Using the Control and Click Method
The easiest way to open Excel is to use the safe mode keyboard shortcut trick.
Here are the steps to do this:
- Search for Excel in the search bar in Windows. This will show you the Excel App icon
- Hold the Control key and then click the Excel App icon (important – keep holding the Control key)
- Keep the Control key pressed till you see the dialog box that asks you whether you want to open Excel in Safe mode.
- Click on the Yes button.
The above steps would open the Excel application in safe mode, and you can confirm this by looking at the name of the file at the top where it says safe mode.
When you open the Excel application in safe mode and then use it to open any Excel file (by going to the File>>Open), it will also open in safe mode.
You can also use the same steps to open any specific Excel file in safe mode. To do this, hold the control key and then double-click on the file icon that you want to open and keep the control key pressed till you do not see the dialog box. Once you see the dialog box, click on yes and the file will open in the safe mode.
Using the Run Dialog Box
Another equally quick and easy way to open Excel application in safe mode is by using the Run dialog box.
Here are the steps to do that:
- In the search bar in Windows, type Run and hit enter. This will open the Run dialog box. Alternatively, you can use the keyboard shortcut Windows key + R
- In the Open field, enter the following text:
excel /safe
- Press the Enter key.
That’s it! This will open the Excel application in the safe mode on your system.
You can also use the same steps to open other Microsoft applications such as Word or PowerPoint using the below text:
- winword /safe – to open MS Word in safe mode on Windows
- outlook /safe – to open Outlook in safe mode on Windows
- powerpnt /safe – to open PowerPoint in safe mode on Windows
Also read: How to Turn On AutoSave in Excel
How do You Exit the Safe Mode in Excel?
To leave Excel Safe Mode, close Microsoft Excel as you normally would.
Just close the Excel application by clicking on the close button at the top right part of the application window (or use ALT + F4).
Now when you open Excel the regular way, it would open Excel application without getting in the safe mode.
How to Open Excel in Safe Mode on Mac?
The Mac operating system is built differently from Windows, and it doesn’t allow you to open specific applications in safe mode.
However, when you’re booting the Mac OS, you can open the entire Mac OS in the safe mode, and then when you open Excel, it will also be opened in the safe mode with only those essential features loaded.
In Mac OS, safe mode is integrated into the system’s startup options.
To boot Mac OS in safe mode, follow the below steps:
- Turn on your Mac system and immediately press and hold the Shift key.
- Release the Shift key when you see the login window. This starts your Mac in Safe Mode.
- Open Excel, and it will be opened in the Safe mode on Mac.
You can find more details in this here.
Note: Opening the Mac operating system in safe mode can take up to 5 minutes
Also read: How to Find the Version of Excel You Have?
Features Not Available in Safe Mode in Excel
The following features will not be available to you when you open your Excel application in the safe mode:
- Add-ins: COM add-ins and Excel add-ins are disabled. All 3rd party add-ins are also disabled
- Limited options are available in the File > Home, Open, Info, and Account menus
- Any customizations to the toolbars and command bars are not loaded. You can not also modify the ribbon or toolbar or Quick Access Toolbar (QAT)
- Custom templates are not available
- AutoCorrect settings are disabled
- Excel AutoFill for Custom Lists is not available
- Macros and VBA projects don’t load in safe mode.
- Any files in the startup folders will not be loaded.
- Custom dictionary settings are not available.
- Integration with third-party services may not function properly.
These limitations open the Excel application in a basic setup that makes it easier to spot and fix problems.
Excel Crashing Even in Safe Mode
If Excel crashes or freezes in Safe Mode, try these steps:
- Update Excel: Ensure you have the latest updates installed. Sometimes, bugs are fixed in newer versions.
- Check for Corrupt Add-Ins: Disable all add-ins and re-enable them one at a time to find the guilty ones.
- Reinstall Excel: If issues persist, consider reinstalling Excel. Go to “Control Panel” > “Programs” > “Uninstall a program,” select Excel, and uninstall. Reinstall from official Microsoft sources.
These steps should hopefully sort your Excel issues.
In this article, I showed you how to open Excel and safe mode on Windows and Mac.
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