Excel Ctrl-F very slow in medium sized spreadsheet. All settings are correct.

Mike Ohr 0 Reputation points
2026-10-17T19:53:55.8766667+00:00

When I use Ctrl-F on a 6,000-row spreadsheet (or smaller), it works correctly but is extremely slow. Set to manual. Set to Values. Windows 11. Microsoft 365 Basic Subscription.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | For home | Windows
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Mike Ohr 0 Reputation points
2026-10-19T06:31:49.2233333+00:00

Thank you. I apologize for the delay in my response. I did an app repair on my Microsoft Office and that solved the issue.

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  1. Norah-L 13,770 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-10-18T02:46:32.52+00:00

    Hello Mike Ohr,

    Since you have already tested manual calculation and changed the search setting to Values, you can try limiting the search to the specific column or cell range where the value is expected.

    As a test, select only the columns or data range you need to search, then press Ctrl+F. If this is noticeably faster, check Home > Conditional Formatting > Manage Rules and change Show formatting rules for to This Worksheet. Remove duplicate rules or limit any rules applied to entire columns, as excessive conditional formatting has caused similar search slowdowns.

    If the workbook is stored in OneDrive, also save a temporary copy to the Desktop, turn off AutoSave for that copy, and test again. This helps identify interference from cloud syncing.

    As a quick comparison test, open the workbook in Excel for the web and try searching there. If the search is noticeably faster, the slowdown is likely specific to the Excel desktop app. You can use the web version temporarily while troubleshooting the desktop installation.

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