Overview: This article outlines how to troubleshoot the Active Workpapers excel add-in when it is slow to load or takes a long time to insert sheets into a binder.
Resolution
Excel Addin Load times can depend on a few factors.
Excel add-in load times can vary depending on several factors. If you are stuck on a spinning/loading circle for longer than one minute, right-click on the spinner and select Refresh, or alternatively close and reopen your binder. A spinning circle stuck in a loop is often caused by clicking outside of Excel or performing actions that cause the add-in’s session to time out.
If you experience general slowness when opening a binder or working in an Excel workbook, please check the following:
System Requirements
Confirm that your computer meets our recommended system requirements. Excel is resource-intensive, and lower system specifications may cause slowness. You can also try disabling any unused third-party Excel add-ins.
(See: How to troubleshoot Excel program crashing when opening an Active Workpapers binder)VPN or Security Software
Ensure you are not using a VPN or web security program that may delay or filter network traffic.Named Ranges
Go to Formulas > Name Manager and check for any named ranges with values such as#REF!,#NAME?,#VALUE!, or#N/A. These can be difficult for the add-in to interpret and may slow down loading. If you find any, trace them back to the worksheet they reference and correct the master template so future binders don’t inherit the issue.
Expected Performance
It is normal for the add-in to take approximately 3–7 seconds per sheet when creating a new binder. Actual time may vary depending on the number of formulas, volume of data, and whether the sheet imports information from external sources.