Application Freezes or Not Responding (Windows)

Apps freezing or showing "Not Responding" can disrupt your workflow. Here's how to identify and fix these common issues.

Symptoms

• Apps like Excel, browser, or games regularly stop responding

• You see "Not responding" in the title bar

• Mouse cursor shows spinning wheel within applications

Step-by-Step Resolution

1. Force-Close and Reopen the App

1. Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open Task Manager

2. Select the frozen app

3. Click End task

4. Reopen the app and check if the issue repeats

2. Check for App Updates

For Microsoft Office:

1. Open any Office app

2. Go to Account > Update Options > Update Now

For Store apps:

1. Open Microsoft Store

2. Click Library > Get updates

3. Disable Add-ins or Extensions

For Office apps:

1. Go to File > Options > Add-ins

2. Temporarily disable third-party add-ins

For browsers:

1. Open browser settings/extensions

2. Disable unnecessary extensions and test again

4. Check System Resources

1. Open Task Manager

2. Check if Memory and Disk are constantly near 100%

3. If they are, close heavy programs and browser tabs

4. Consider following the "slow computer" steps to free up resources

Apps still freezing? There may be profile corruption, add-in conflicts, or deeper system issues. Our team can perform a clean analysis and configuration review.

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