ActiveX Control freezing

[SThrun10]

I have made a workbook with roughly 250 sheets, each sheet is copy and pasted from a template I made on the first sheet. On the template I have inserted active X control textbox many times. It was working awesome then started freezing. Now wherever I have a textbox theres a small 'x' then it says 'the picture cant be displayed'. I try clicking anywhere else and it just freezes. Whats wrong? Its not a huge file, about 6gb.

[#2 · Accepted solution]

@SThrun10 

Working with a large Excel file that contains many sheets and active controls can sometimes lead to performance issues. Here are some suggestions to troubleshoot and potentially resolve the freezing issue:

1. Check System Resources:
• Ensure your computer has sufficient resources (RAM, CPU) to handle the large file size.
2. Reduce the Number of ActiveX Controls:
• Having a large number of ActiveX controls, especially textboxes, can impact performance. Try reducing the number of controls if possible.
3. Update Excel:
• Ensure that your Excel 365 installation is up-to-date. Microsoft frequently releases updates that may address performance issues.
4. Optimize Your Workbook:
• Remove any unnecessary formatting, styles, or formulas.
• Use the "Clear" option to remove excess data or formatting that may not be visible.
• Check for hidden sheets or objects that are not needed.
5. Consider Form Controls Instead:
• If possible, try using Form Controls (e.g., Form Control Textbox) instead of ActiveX controls. Form controls are generally less resource-intensive.
6. Disable Graphics Acceleration:
• In Excel options, go to "Advanced" settings, and under the "Display" section, try disabling hardware graphics acceleration.
7. Check for Circular References:
• Circular references can cause performance issues. Use the "Formulas" tab, then "Error Checking," to check for circular references.
8. Use Manual Calculation:
• Switch to manual calculation mode (Formulas tab -> Calculation Options -> Manual) to prevent constant recalculations.
9. Try in Safe Mode:
• Try opening the workbook in Excel Safe Mode (excel.exe /safe). This will disable add-ins and may help identify if an add-in is causing the issue.
10. Check for Corrupted Sheets or Controls:
• It's possible that one of the sheets or ActiveX controls is corrupted. Create a copy of the workbook and try removing sheets or controls one by one to identify the problematic one.
11. Split the Workbook:
• Consider splitting the workbook into multiple smaller workbooks if feasible.

If the problem persists after trying these suggestions, it may be helpful to contact a trusted IT support in your area for a more in-depth investigation, especially given the large file size and complexity. Additionally, you should consider breaking the data into smaller workbooks or optimizing the workflow to process such a large amount of data more efficiently. The text and steps were edited with the help of AI.

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[#3]

@NikolinoDE 

Thank You so much for the reply! I did try a couple things before it completely froze on me and I accepted fate and deleted it. Started with a whole new approach and it works great. Thanks again! Lesson learned haha