Windows 10: Excel window lags during dragging

[German]Today still a strange issue, which a blog reader reported by mail. Microsoft Excel 2016 lags under Windows 10 Version 1709/1809, when a window with an open table is dragged on the desktop.


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German blog reader Simon A. has outlined the issue to me in a mail, so that I provide it here within the blog with. Maybe someone has observed the effect before or knows a solution.

The error description: Windows laggs when dragging

Blog reader Simon wrote me in his mail that he has a massive issue with Microsoft Excel 2016 under Windows 10, which is annoying.

Excel windows that "lags" at snail's pace over the desktop

I have already done a lot of research on the internet and read many "solutions" but nothing that really helped. We are currently using Windows 10 1809 (previously 1709) in combination with Excel 2016.

As soon as you open the tool [mean backstage view] to select an excel document file,  everything still works normally. The window can be dragged like any other in a normal speed.

If I now open a table and then want to drag the window, it lags massively. The issue is present over various hardware and has already been present in 1709, but it became almost omnipresent in 1809.

According to my research the problem is probably that we are not alone affected – and it's not restricted to Excel 2016 – unfortunately we haven't found a real solution.

Simon A. has now contacted me about the issue, which I present now within the blog. Maybe there are other users affected and maybe somebody know a solution.

Lagging Excel window

f you search the internet for 'Excel Windows lags', there are numerous hits. In Microsoft Answers there is a Tread When moving word 2013 window it drags/lags behind the mouse. which describes a similar effect in Word 2013.

When i move the window it has this weird lag. When i move my mouse it does move but has a clear lag behind it. This isn't so bad because nothing else lags and i can write just fine, but its still annoying if i need to move the window.

Such behavior can have various causes, from stubborn add-ins to anti-virus solutions to annoying mice. In my German blog post Office 2016-Problem: Extrem langsamer Excel-Start, I addressed on the following topics:


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  • On some systems, animations and an activated hardware acceleration can be responsible for the slow moving of the windows.
  • A user has solved the issue by disabling the "Show window contents on drag-and-drop" option in the Windows performance options. Dragging the windows then works. In this MS Answers forum thread there are some more options that can be disabled.
  • In this longer German Microsoft Answers forum thread (and here, as well as at reddit.com) the drivers of Logitech mice (Racer Naga, and Roccat Cone mouse) are mentioned as possible root causes. After changing the poll rate of the mouse (poll rate below 500 polls/second, one user set the sampling rate to 125 Hz) the problem has been solved for some users. One user reports that he had to uninstall the Logitech Setpoint software.

Other options that could be explored can be found in the blog post Office 2016-Problem: Extrem langsamer Excel-Start. In a supplementary mail, the user mentioned above send me the following feedback:

I had already read the solution of the polling rate in various forums. A change is not possible because we use several standard office mice without software. But the issue also occurred with every mouse I tested.

That you can avoid the problem with the option "Show window content when moving" is also correct, but unfortunately no real solution.

The user notices that the issue does not occur with any other program. A change of the anti-virus solution, which took place in the company, did not bring any change in the lagging Excel windows when dragging. Updates are all installed on the affected systems. Activating or deactivating animations and hardware acceleration did not bring any success. The same applies to "2nd Click on the Compatibility tab and put a check on Disable display scaling on high DPI settings.

Addendum: Got on Facebook the feedback from Andreas E 'In most time its an outdates Touchpad driver. 64 Bit Office may helps also'. Can this be confirmed?


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20 Responses to Windows 10: Excel window lags during dragging

  1. MP says:

    Old touchpad driver issue confirmed.

  2. patrick richardson says:

    64 bit Office does not help- same delay issue

  3. Simon says:

    Just wanted to share with you guys. I updated Windows code to 1903 (19008.1) through the windows insider program. No more lag when dragging Windows !

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  5. Alex says:

    I fixed lagging excel window issue by checking "Disable hardware graphics acceleration" checkbox under Excel Options | Advanced | Display.
    (Win 10 1809)

  6. Dan says:

    I haven't had success yet getting rid of this, but one thing that's unusual is that the main document window in Word and Excel lags a lot but the settings window and other windows (e.g., Font, Paragraph) for Word/Excel drags fine.

  7. Saf says:

    My problem was lag when dragging Word 2016 windows within Windows 10 (17763.1039). My workaround is to disable "Show window contents while dragging":

    Control Panel > System > Advanced system settings. In Systems Properties dialog > Advanced tab > Performance pane, press Settings button. In Performance Options dialog > Visual Effects tab > untick "Show window contents while dragging" > OK.

  8. Carlos says:

    Thank you Alex! That fixed it!

    Alex says:
    2020-02-06 at 21:32
    I fixed lagging excel window issue by checking "Disable hardware graphics acceleration" checkbox under Excel Options | Advanced | Display.
    (Win 10 1809)

  9. Joao says:

    I had the same lag problem when draging Excel 2016 for many months and found no solution. Tried Alex solution "Disable hardware graphics acceleration" and… problem soved… Thanks !!!! I Was tired to have that boring drag delay…

  10. Michel M Russell says:

    FOUND A FIX!

    Change the polling rate of your mouse to 125hz. Mine is set at 1000hz for gaming and was sitting at 500hz for everything else. Once I changed to 125hz, the lag is gone.

  11. IP says:

    Thanks for the help mate, your solution fixed the problem :)

  12. thankful neighbor says:

    Thank you Alex!! a real life saver. My everyday frustrations are gone :)

  13. Headache Helper says:

    Since this is one of the top Google results for Excel lag I thought I'd share a fix for this.

    Open Excel, hit F9 on your keyboard and then shift+F9 if it isn't fixed yet. This refreshes the entire workbook and then just the current tab.

    Worked for a laptop with integrated intel + nvidia GPU

    Cheers

  14. Jonathan says:

    Fixed my problem!

    Had no issue with regular mice but with the Razer ultimate or any other high end mice I have this issue.

    Your solution worked.

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