This is simply a rant. I have to use Excel for the Visual Basic Editor and I must say it is painfully slow when working with large spreadsheets on my Mac Mini (or any of my Mac's). Apparently it is not multi-threaded and working with 10,000+ row spreadsheets with custom Macros really bogs down. I'm trying to decide if I should buy a faster Mini (i.e. the 2.7ghz mini) or switch to Windows for all my Excel needs (since Windows version is multi-threaded). Ho hum....
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2011 Excel Painfully Slow
- Thread starter paulrbeers
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Go to Windows. It is Bill Gates way of saying hello to Steve Jobs.
Currently using a imac 27" with 2.8GHz Intel Core i5 - 16 MB 1333 MHz DDR3 memory with with 250 GB Flash drive and using EXCEL is slow.
You might try hitting the ESC at a point where you think it should be done. Doing this sometimes causes the computer to stop feeling like it is hanging and return you the changes you want; completely unscientific.
Currently using a imac 27" with 2.8GHz Intel Core i5 - 16 MB 1333 MHz DDR3 memory with with 250 GB Flash drive and using EXCEL is slow.
You might try hitting the ESC at a point where you think it should be done. Doing this sometimes causes the computer to stop feeling like it is hanging and return you the changes you want; completely unscientific.
Excel 2011 is much quicker than Excel 2008 for Mac, but it is still way slower than the Windows version of Excel with large complicated spreadsheets. As others have suggested your best option is to use the Windows version. Hopefully in the next version Microsoft will add a few more hamsters to wheel inside the spreadsheet engine.
Would running Excel in Windows on a dual boot on the mac net increased speeds over running the mac version of Office? I have the same issue w/ trying to cross process data between several spreadsheets w/ over 10,000 lines each..
Even small spreadsheets slow in Excel for Mac 2011. So is Word.
I have the mid-2011 Macbook Air 11", 256 GB SSD, which came loaded with Lion (now v. 10.7.2), 1.8 GHz Intel Core i7, 4 GB 1333 MHz DDR3. Normally very fast, but not with MS Office programs.
My uses of excel are relatively small and rudimentary, but I still find the Mac 2011 version very slow and frustrating. I had a spreadsheet with 600+ rows and 10-15 columns, 5-6 sheets, it couldn't handle it. I have had to copy some of the sheets to new workbooks and make sure I only had one or 2 sheets with all the rows in each one. Of course, being relatively ignorant, I may have done something that got it all upset.
I also notice in Word 2011 the same annoying little lag in editing that I had in NeoOffice - like it's translating from the Windows language to the Mac language. I click to insert something and then have to pause a little before I start typing. Sometimes I have to click 2 or 3 times, or maybe I'm just not waiting long enough for it to figure out that I want to do something there. It seems like Microsoft has managed to make the normally responsive and accurate Mac touchpad act like temperamental Windows touchpads when you're using MS programs.
It's hard to believe that Microsoft isn't deliberately making the Mac versions of their programs inferior. Can they really not get the basics right?
Anyway, thanks for the tip re the ESC button.
I have the mid-2011 Macbook Air 11", 256 GB SSD, which came loaded with Lion (now v. 10.7.2), 1.8 GHz Intel Core i7, 4 GB 1333 MHz DDR3. Normally very fast, but not with MS Office programs.
My uses of excel are relatively small and rudimentary, but I still find the Mac 2011 version very slow and frustrating. I had a spreadsheet with 600+ rows and 10-15 columns, 5-6 sheets, it couldn't handle it. I have had to copy some of the sheets to new workbooks and make sure I only had one or 2 sheets with all the rows in each one. Of course, being relatively ignorant, I may have done something that got it all upset.
I also notice in Word 2011 the same annoying little lag in editing that I had in NeoOffice - like it's translating from the Windows language to the Mac language. I click to insert something and then have to pause a little before I start typing. Sometimes I have to click 2 or 3 times, or maybe I'm just not waiting long enough for it to figure out that I want to do something there. It seems like Microsoft has managed to make the normally responsive and accurate Mac touchpad act like temperamental Windows touchpads when you're using MS programs.
It's hard to believe that Microsoft isn't deliberately making the Mac versions of their programs inferior. Can they really not get the basics right?
Anyway, thanks for the tip re the ESC button.
I find excel (latest version) on my mac painfully slow with my large multi sheet spreadsheet. It can take over 30 seconds to respond to any mouse click or button press.
I run parallels 7 with XP. I installed Office on that and there is no slowdown or hangs at all with exactly the same spreadsheet!
Edit:
Just timed it.
From double click on mac excel spreadsheet to available: 59.6 seconds!
Launch Parallels 7: 7 seconds.
from double click on PC excel spreadsheet to available: 7.1 seconds.
So it is quicker for me to launch Parallels then PC excel than use Mac excel. Sigh.
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same here
I am running into the same sort of thing.
Macros on the Windows version of Word and Excel run almost too fast to measure - same macro on Mac version takes 30 seconds or more.
Which doesn't sound like a lot - but I have run the word macro on something like 60,000 files over the past decade - which adds up. And it may actually be double that - since I sometimes run it - then find I need to change the source file and then have to run it again on the same file.
It would be nice if it was fast enough to set it up to run based on an automated folder trigger.
I have started looking into my code to see if there are places where perhaps better code - with fewer loops etc - can improve the speed - ut I suspect a large chunk of it is on MS to solve.
I am running into the same sort of thing.
Macros on the Windows version of Word and Excel run almost too fast to measure - same macro on Mac version takes 30 seconds or more.
Which doesn't sound like a lot - but I have run the word macro on something like 60,000 files over the past decade - which adds up. And it may actually be double that - since I sometimes run it - then find I need to change the source file and then have to run it again on the same file.
It would be nice if it was fast enough to set it up to run based on an automated folder trigger.
I have started looking into my code to see if there are places where perhaps better code - with fewer loops etc - can improve the speed - ut I suspect a large chunk of it is on MS to solve.
Crazy to realize Office is still slow on a mac in 2011 - remember MS Office existed on the Mac even before Windows came out...
Fonts could be a contributing factor to slow performance of MS Office apps. Open Font Book (in your /Applications folder) and click Edit > Resolve Duplicates. If that doesn't help, select all fonts and click File > Validate Fonts. That should tell you if you have any corrupt fonts, which should be deleted or disabled.
For more information:
Also, this may help: Performance Tips For Mac OS X
For more information:
Also, this may help: Performance Tips For Mac OS X
Extremely slow Excel 2011
Just purchased new 27' iMac and Office 11. Excell was very slow, so I added an additional 8GB ram. Still no help. It's so slow, I'm having to do my Excel work on my PC. Also, this version of Excel is very stripped down from the PC 2010 version. I'm very disappointed. I'm trying to find an authorized shop to install an SSD, but no one does it in the Salem, OR area. I feel your pain and hope a resolution is in the works, I purchases the iMac to work on large spreadsheets.
Just purchased new 27' iMac and Office 11. Excell was very slow, so I added an additional 8GB ram. Still no help. It's so slow, I'm having to do my Excel work on my PC. Also, this version of Excel is very stripped down from the PC 2010 version. I'm very disappointed. I'm trying to find an authorized shop to install an SSD, but no one does it in the Salem, OR area. I feel your pain and hope a resolution is in the works, I purchases the iMac to work on large spreadsheets.
Excel 2011 on Mac and pasting data
I have found Excel 2011 performs fine on my Macbook Pro 13" retina or on my Mac Mini 2.5 Ghz except when pasting data.
I have a spreadsheet with over 20,000 rows and when I want to add more data, it can take a very long time before control is returned.
I found that if I paste the data into an editor that has no formatting and then copy and paste it into the spreadsheet, it pastes instantly.
If I paste the same number of rows from another spreadsheet, it is instant as well. It seems to be something with the format of the data.
When it comes to macros, I have not seen any difference in speed between the Mac version or the PC version. They both perform the same. In my case, the macro reads the 20,000+ rows and inserts the extracted data into the appropriate columns. Its fast.
See http://blogs.technet.com/b/the_micr...t-can-cause-slow-copy-and-paste-in-excel.aspx
I have found Excel 2011 performs fine on my Macbook Pro 13" retina or on my Mac Mini 2.5 Ghz except when pasting data.
I have a spreadsheet with over 20,000 rows and when I want to add more data, it can take a very long time before control is returned.
I found that if I paste the data into an editor that has no formatting and then copy and paste it into the spreadsheet, it pastes instantly.
If I paste the same number of rows from another spreadsheet, it is instant as well. It seems to be something with the format of the data.
When it comes to macros, I have not seen any difference in speed between the Mac version or the PC version. They both perform the same. In my case, the macro reads the 20,000+ rows and inserts the extracted data into the appropriate columns. Its fast.
See http://blogs.technet.com/b/the_micr...t-can-cause-slow-copy-and-paste-in-excel.aspx
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Night and day difference
I followed these instructions posted on this thread and there has been a *huge* improvement.
I followed these instructions posted on this thread and there has been a *huge* improvement.
I think the person who said it was Bill Gates' present to Steve Jobs is correct.
With people going back to Win7/XP that just validates MS. If people quite buying Mac Office I think MS would have to move it (speed wise) or lose it.
My $.02
With people going back to Win7/XP that just validates MS. If people quite buying Mac Office I think MS would have to move it (speed wise) or lose it.
My $.02
Frustrated Office 2011 User
Your helpful discussion caused me to remember the "Get a Mac" commercials that ran between 2006 and 2009, where the Mac character, played by Justin Long, acknowledges to the PC character, played by John Hodgman, that PCs are superior when it comes to spreadsheets.
I wonder if anyone here has any thoughts about for Excel's slow performance on OSX platform being attributed to the Mac's Intel chip design, as opposed to a clandestine conspiracy concocted by Microsoft. I realize such thinking would require one to be blind to the ongoing rub that has always been omnipresent between Apple and Microsoft.
My wishful thinking says that Apple and Microsoft could develop iWork and Office applications that operate in sync with each other without infringing on each other's patent rights, but I suspect there's probably a better chance of peace breaking out in the Middle East.
Your helpful discussion caused me to remember the "Get a Mac" commercials that ran between 2006 and 2009, where the Mac character, played by Justin Long, acknowledges to the PC character, played by John Hodgman, that PCs are superior when it comes to spreadsheets.
I wonder if anyone here has any thoughts about for Excel's slow performance on OSX platform being attributed to the Mac's Intel chip design, as opposed to a clandestine conspiracy concocted by Microsoft. I realize such thinking would require one to be blind to the ongoing rub that has always been omnipresent between Apple and Microsoft.
My wishful thinking says that Apple and Microsoft could develop iWork and Office applications that operate in sync with each other without infringing on each other's patent rights, but I suspect there's probably a better chance of peace breaking out in the Middle East.
Excel and HP printer
Finally fixed the glacial response of excel (Excel 2011 for Mac) I use an HP printer (hpC4780) and apparently there was a file hogging (386%) the CPU. I opened the Activity Monitor, clicked on %CPU to sort from highest to lowest usage. I deleted the file "hp4dot" or similar name. and voila....problem fixed. The excel spreadsheet was only ~200kb in size, but was painfully slow. Now responds the way one would expect. I also re-installed the HP software. btw, the HP printer was also acting strange.... very slow speed, after finally printing a single and simple text page, it would keep the print job/file in memory, then print again DAYS later when trying to print something else. Anyhow, the excel problem appears to be fixed. Hope the printer issue is fixed too!
Finally fixed the glacial response of excel (Excel 2011 for Mac) I use an HP printer (hpC4780) and apparently there was a file hogging (386%) the CPU. I opened the Activity Monitor, clicked on %CPU to sort from highest to lowest usage. I deleted the file "hp4dot" or similar name. and voila....problem fixed. The excel spreadsheet was only ~200kb in size, but was painfully slow. Now responds the way one would expect. I also re-installed the HP software. btw, the HP printer was also acting strange.... very slow speed, after finally printing a single and simple text page, it would keep the print job/file in memory, then print again DAYS later when trying to print something else. Anyhow, the excel problem appears to be fixed. Hope the printer issue is fixed too!
Very slow copy and paste
This one has been plaguing me too, but only intermittently - bizarrely in one file some sheets were fast, others slow.
What I discovered, by chance, was that there were hidden objects sitting on a layer above the cells - revealed by accident only if I moved the cursor slowly around a sheet, and cross occasionally turned either to an arrow, or the floating text cursor. Using the shift key I could hunt these down in a cluster, then delete, but it literally was like playing 'pin the tail on the donkey'.
This process would delete most objects, but for some reason a long column would always remain. Each deletion just seemed to spawn a new 'child'. Haven't a clue what was causing this, but it was frustrating.
Like others on various fora I have been frustrated by the lack of an ability to select / lasso a area to highlight anything that might be lurking; then, after a lot of searching, I found this site:
http://www.excelforum.com/excel-new-users-basics/761143-ghostly-text-boxes.html
...and this advice.
Hit ctrl+g
Select Special
Select objects
Any objects on your worksheet are then highlighted - you can then delete.
This seems to kill everything, including the pillar of objects that keep reforming, and the copy + paste on previously affected sheets is now back to normal.
Hurrah!
This one has been plaguing me too, but only intermittently - bizarrely in one file some sheets were fast, others slow.
What I discovered, by chance, was that there were hidden objects sitting on a layer above the cells - revealed by accident only if I moved the cursor slowly around a sheet, and cross occasionally turned either to an arrow, or the floating text cursor. Using the shift key I could hunt these down in a cluster, then delete, but it literally was like playing 'pin the tail on the donkey'.
This process would delete most objects, but for some reason a long column would always remain. Each deletion just seemed to spawn a new 'child'. Haven't a clue what was causing this, but it was frustrating.
Like others on various fora I have been frustrated by the lack of an ability to select / lasso a area to highlight anything that might be lurking; then, after a lot of searching, I found this site:
http://www.excelforum.com/excel-new-users-basics/761143-ghostly-text-boxes.html
...and this advice.
Hit ctrl+g
Select Special
Select objects
Any objects on your worksheet are then highlighted - you can then delete.
This seems to kill everything, including the pillar of objects that keep reforming, and the copy + paste on previously affected sheets is now back to normal.
Hurrah!
Any one know a light excel alternative? I really do not need all the blows and whistles in Excel . I want something more like how TextEdit is to Word.
All the alternatives are heavy and slow to work with including LibreOffice, OpenOffice, NeoOffice, Google Docs .. etc .
The only thing I have not tried is Pages.. which I am not sure how well it will run on my Core2Duo macbook 2GHz 6GB RAM.
Launching Excel 2008 feels like launching photoshop
All the alternatives are heavy and slow to work with including LibreOffice, OpenOffice, NeoOffice, Google Docs .. etc .
The only thing I have not tried is Pages.. which I am not sure how well it will run on my Core2Duo macbook 2GHz 6GB RAM.
Launching Excel 2008 feels like launching photoshop
Office 2014 may be the solution
or maybe a new problem
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In my case launching MS word 2011 is like to launch a spaceship
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In my case launching MS word 2011 is like to launch a spaceship
I converted my file into Google Sheets, links now open as fast as clicking a link on the web. Google Sheets has all the functions I need in Excel plus it's save on the cloud (Google drive). You can always convert it back to Microsoft Excel.