What clearing cache in Excel actually does
Cache is temporary data Excel stores in your computer's memory to make the program run faster. When you open a file, Excel remembers things like which cells you looked at, what formulas you used, and how the spreadsheet looked the last time you closed it. This speeds up the next time you open that file — Excel doesn't have to recalculate everything from scratch.
Clearing cache means telling Excel to forget this stored information and start fresh. You might do this if a file is behaving strangely, if formulas aren't updating the way they should, or if Excel is running slowly. Most of the time you don't need to clear cache at all — it works quietly in the background. But when something goes wrong, clearing it often fixes the problem without losing any of your actual work.
Key Takeaways
- Cache is temporary data Excel stores to load files faster, and clearing it means erasing that stored information without deleting your spreadsheet.
- The simplest way to clear cache is to close Excel completely, then delete the temporary files folder, then reopen Excel.
- You can also clear cache by disabling add-ins, which are small programs that run inside Excel and sometimes cause slowdowns.
- If a specific file is causing problems, opening it in Safe Mode forces Excel to ignore add-ins and cached settings for that file only.
Close Excel completely and delete temporary files
The most direct way to clear Excel's cache is to shut down the program entirely, then remove the temporary files it created. This works because Excel can't access or rebuild cache while it's not running.
First, close Excel. If you have multiple spreadsheets open, close them all. Then open File Explorer (on Windows) or Finder (on Mac). On Windows, type %appdata% into the address bar at the top and press Enter. This takes you to a hidden folder where Excel stores temporary data. Look for a folder called Microsoft, open it, then open Office, then 16.0 (or a different number if you have an older version). Inside, find the folder called OfficeFileCache and delete everything in it.
On Mac, open Finder, press Command+Shift+G to open the "Go to Folder" dialog, type ~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Excel/Data/Library/Caches, and press Enter. Delete the contents of that folder. After you've deleted the temporary files, restart Excel. The cache is now cleared, and Excel will rebuild it fresh as you work.
Disable add-ins that might be slowing Excel down
Add-ins are small programs that plug into Excel to add extra features — things like data analysis tools, accounting software connectors, or custom functions your workplace uses. Sometimes an add-in causes Excel to slow down or behave oddly, and disabling it clears out the problems it was creating.
Open Excel and go to File in the top left. Click Options (at the bottom of the menu on Windows; in the sidebar on Mac). In the Options window, click Add-ins on the left side. At the bottom of the window, you'll see a dropdown that says Manage: with "COM Add-ins" selected. Click the Go button next to it.
A window opens showing all your active add-ins. Uncheck the boxes next to any add-ins you don't recognize or don't use regularly. Click OK, then restart Excel. If Excel runs faster or behaves normally now, one of those add-ins was the problem. You can turn them back on one at a time to figure out which one was causing trouble. If nothing changes, turn them all back on and try a different approach.
Open a problem file in Safe Mode
If one specific spreadsheet is causing problems — formulas won't update, the file opens slowly, or it crashes Excel — you can open just that file in Safe Mode. Safe Mode tells Excel to ignore add-ins and cached settings for that file only, which often fixes the issue without affecting your other spreadsheets.
On Windows, hold down the Ctrl key and double-click the Excel file you want to open. Excel will ask if you want to open it in Safe Mode. Click Yes. The file opens without any add-ins running, and Excel uses fresh settings instead of cached ones. If the file works normally in Safe Mode, the problem was either an add-in or corrupted cache for that specific file.
On Mac, open Excel, go to File, then Open. Find your file, select it, then hold down Shift and click Open. Excel opens the file in Safe Mode. Once you've confirmed the file works in Safe Mode, you can close it and open it normally — the fresh start often fixes the underlying problem permanently.
Restart Excel and your computer if nothing else works
Sometimes the simplest fix is the most effective. Restarting Excel closes all cached data and resets the program to its default state. If you've tried the steps above and Excel is still behaving strangely, a full restart of your computer clears cache at the system level too.
Close Excel completely. If you're on Windows, restart your computer by clicking the Start menu, then the power icon, then Restart. On Mac, click the Apple menu in the top left, then Shut Down, wait a few seconds, and turn your computer back on. Once your computer has fully restarted, open Excel again. This clears not just Excel's cache but also temporary files from other programs, which sometimes interfere with how Excel runs.
When to clear cache versus when to leave it alone
You should clear Excel's cache if you notice the program is slow, if a spreadsheet won't update its formulas, if Excel crashes when you open a certain file, or if you're seeing error messages that don't make sense. These are signs that cached data has become corrupted or outdated.
You should not clear cache as routine maintenance. Excel manages its own cache automatically, and clearing it when nothing is wrong just means Excel has to rebuild everything from scratch the next time you work, which temporarily slows things down. Think of it like clearing your browser history — useful when something is broken, unnecessary otherwise. If Excel is running fine and your spreadsheets are updating normally, leave the cache alone and let it do its job.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will clearing cache delete my spreadsheets or any of my work?
No. Cache is only temporary data that helps Excel run faster. Your actual spreadsheets, formulas, and all your work are stored in the file itself and are completely separate from cache. Clearing cache cannot delete or change any of your data.
How often should I clear Excel's cache?
You don't need to clear it on a schedule. Only clear cache when you notice a problem — Excel manages cache automatically in the background. Clearing it when nothing is wrong just forces Excel to rebuild everything, which temporarily slows the program down.
What's the difference between clearing cache and restarting Excel?
Restarting Excel closes the program and clears most cached data automatically when you reopen it. Clearing cache manually means going into the temporary files folder and deleting them directly. Both accomplish roughly the same thing, but restarting is simpler and works for most problems.
Can I clear cache for just one spreadsheet instead of all of Excel?
Opening a file in Safe Mode clears cached settings for that file only, without affecting your other spreadsheets or add-ins. This is useful if one file is causing problems but Excel works fine otherwise.
What should I do if clearing cache doesn't fix the problem?
If Excel is still slow or crashing after clearing cache, the problem might be the file itself rather than cached data. Try opening the file on a different computer, or save it as a new file and see if the problem follows it. You can also try disabling all add-ins permanently to see if one of them is the cause.