How to Fix Google Spreadsheets That Won't Open

If you have any spreadsheets already open, copy the content, just in case. Then close them all.

Try opening them anew from Google Drive. If they open, problem solved. If you still see the whirring circle attempting to open them, proceed on.

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.

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.

Check the Google blog to see if there are any alerts about spreadsheet problems. 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 you're sharing with other people, contact them to see if they're experiencing the problem as well. If they are, find out what everyone has done with the spreadsheet that day to see if you can identify a fault.