Excel files will not stop opening upon login

Gladys Morrar 0 Reputation points
2026-11-07T15:27:36.28+00:00

How to stop Excel from opening files when I log in

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | For home | Windows

2 answers

Sort by: Most helpful
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. SD - IA 182.6K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-11-07T16:19:36.12+00:00

    Hi,

    Do you mean Excel automatically opens at Startup and opens files?

    Or do you mean that when you open Excel, it opens previous files on the first run?

    #1:

    1. Open Excel.
    2. Go to File → Options → Advanced.
    3. Scroll down to the General section.
    4. Check whether At startup, open all files in: contains a folder path.
    5. If it does, clear the path and click OK.

    User's image

    #2:

    Also check whether Excel files are configured to reopen after Windows sign-in:

    • Go to Settings → Accounts → Sign-in options.
    • Turn off Automatically save my restartable apps and restart them when I sign back in, if available.

    I hope this information helps. If you have any more questions, don't hesitate to reach out. Wishing you good luck!

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments

  2. AI answer

    2026-11-07T15:27:50.55+00:00

    Excel usually opens files at sign-in because those files are in an Excel startup folder or an alternate startup location is configured.

    Try these steps on Windows:

    1. Clear the alternate startup folder setting:
      • Open Excel.
      • Go to File > Options > Advanced.
      • Under General, clear At startup, open all files in:.
    2. Check the Excel startup folders and remove the files causing auto-open:
      • Press Start > Run.
      • Open these locations one at a time:
        • C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\rootxx\XLSTART for Office 365 or Office 2019 32-bit
        • C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\rootxx\XLSTART for Office 365 or Office 2019 64-bit
        • %appdata%\Microsoft\excel\XLSTART
        • C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\excel\XLSTART
      • Delete the files in XLSTART, or move them to another folder.
      • Restart Excel.
    3. If Excel keeps opening files and cannot be controlled normally, start Excel in safe mode temporarily:
      • Press Start > Run.
      • Type excel.exe /safe and select OK.
      • In safe mode, startup folders and add-ins do not load, which makes it easier to remove the files or clear the startup setting.
    4. If Excel hangs or freezes during startup, startup files may be part of the problem:
      • Invalid workbooks in startup folders can cause Excel to stop responding.
      • Files on a slow network drive in a startup folder can also delay or block startup.

    Safe mode is only a temporary workaround. The permanent fix is removing the files from the startup folders or clearing the alternate startup location.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

    Was this answer helpful?

Your answer

Answers can be marked as 'Accepted' by the question author and 'Recommended' by moderators, which helps users know the answer solved the author's problem.