How to Fix Google Spreadsheets That Won't Open

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Last Updated: February 19, 2026

After storing your precious information in a Google spreadsheet, an inability to open the spreadsheet can give rise to panic. Assume the best to begin with and try the following.

Steps

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Then close them all.
If they open, problem solved. If you still see the whirring circle attempting to open them, proceed on.

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3
Check to see if it's a browser issue. Possibly your current browser is playing up. If you can, either switch to a different browser or hop on another computer. See if you can open the spreadsheet from the new browser or computer. If you can, it is likely a browser issue on your usual computer. To fix:
- Turn the browser off. Shut down all open tabs.
- Wait a few seconds (always a good idea to let things settle).
- Open your browser again.
- Open the Google Drive.
- Click on the spreadsheet you want to open. If it was a browser issue, then the spreadsheet should now open, no problems.
4
Wait. If the above steps haven't worked, consider waiting a half hour or so before trying again. Possibly something is held up Google's end, possibly there is just too much traffic or something isn't right out there. Come back and try again later and hopefully it will remedy.
- Stay calm by turning this wait into a coffee break and an excuse to clean up that messy stack of papers or bills.
This might alert you to a temporary issue. (Just search for "Google blog"––the return will point you to the blog using your country location.)
If they are, find out what everyone has done with the spreadsheet that day to see if you can identify a fault.
If all else fails, contact Google Technical Support with your problem. See: https://www.google.com/contact/ for more details.

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I am unable to open a shared Google spreadsheet. The owner and others sharing the document are not having issues. What can I do?

Community Answer

If you have another google account, try to go on that account and get the spreadsheet shared to you!

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Tips

Check your internet access is working properly. Intermittent or shorting-out access can have an effect on opening anything large on the internet.

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Be 100 percent sure that you have authorisation to use the spreadsheet. If you're sharing with others and someone else started the spreadsheet, be sure to check that your authorisation is still alive––if someone chooses to revoke your access, then you'll need to find out why.

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