Top 5 Fixes for Google Sheets Not Loading in Chrome

Are you opening a document in Google Sheets but not getting past the page with the message ‘Still loading…’ in Chrome? It gets even more confusing when you can access the same document in other browsers. The problem is almost always caused by the end of Chrome and in this guide we will show you five (5) different fixes for the problem.

Try restarting Chrome and reload the Google Sheets page before continuing. If you still cannot access the document(s), refer to the tried and trusted solutions below.

1. Clear Google Sheets Data

To fix website-related malfunctions in Chrome, clearing site data is always a good place to start. There are many (secret and simple) ways to clear Google Sheets data in Chrome, but here is one of the fastest.

Stage 1: Go to the Google Sheets tab and click the lock icon in the left corner of the address bar.

Step 2: Then select Site Settings in the context menu.

Stage 3: Tap the Clear data button in the Usage section of the Settings page.

Step 4: Tap Clear at the confirmation prompt to continue.

Note: Ignore the first warning in the command prompt; You will not be signed out of your Google (Sheets) account. However, if you’re working offline in Google Sheets and recent changes to documents are being saved to your computer, you may lose changes that weren’t saved to the cloud.

2. Clear Chrome’s Hosted App Data

Data from Google apps (Gmail, Docs, etc.) you use in Google Chrome is stored as ‘Hosted app data’. When you encounter problems using Google services in Chrome, try clearing the ‘Hosted app data’ of the browser.

This method fixed the issue for some Chrome users who were encountering similar Google Sheets loading issues.

Stage 1: Tap the Chrome menu icon and select Settings.

Step 2: Go to the ‘Privacy and security section’ and select ‘Clear browsing data’.

Stage 3: Go to the Advanced tab and check the ‘Hosted app data’ only box. Finally, tap on the Clear data button to continue.

Now go back to the Google Sheets tab and reload the sheet.

3. Use Incognito Mode

Chrome extensions are great and they come with their benefits. However, some extensions may expose you to security risks, slow down your browser, and affect the performance of other websites. If you notice that Google Sheets is not loading after installing a new extension, disable the extension and try uploading your spreadsheet again.

If you can’t pinpoint the problem with a particular extension, try using your Google Sheets in Incognito Mode; this temporarily disables most Chrome extensions. If Google Sheets loads quickly and normally, the root cause of the problem is an extension. To determine which one is affecting Google Sheets, you need to disable your extensions (Menu > More Tools > Extensions) one by one.

To open an Incognito tab in Chrome, tap the menu icon and select ‘New Incognito Window’.

Alternatively, you can use the keyboard shortcuts below.

• Ctrl + Shift + N – for Windows, Linux or Chrome OS.
• Command + Shift + N for Mac.

If Google Sheets still won’t load in Incognito mode, continue to the next troubleshooting solution.

4. Re-Enable Offline Mode

With offline mode enabled, you can create and edit documents in Sheets and other Google apps without an Internet connection. The document is saved on your computer and uploaded to the cloud when you connect to the internet. Pretty stylish, right? This mode sometimes causes documents not to load properly in Chrome.

As reported by some affected users, disabling offline mode and turning it back on helped Google Sheets load correctly. To do this, follow the instructions outlined.

Stage 1: Visit the Sheets homepage and tap the hamburger menu button in the top left corner of the page.

Step 2: Next, select Settings.

Stage 3: Turn off the offline option and tap OK.

Follow the same steps to re-enable the feature; You don’t have to turn it off. Now open a page and check if Chrome loads correctly.

5. Update Chrome

Make sure you have the latest version of Chrome installed on your computer. If you downloaded a Chrome update but did not restart the browser, you may want to do this. Like the user below, incomplete updates can break the browser and performance of some websites.

Just enter this to update Chrome chrome://settings/help into the address bar and press Enter. Tap the ‘Update Google Chrome’ button to start downloading the latest version of the browser. If you can’t find this button, you have the latest version. To learn more, you should read our comprehensive guide to Chrome updates.

Edit Pages

Apart from being effective fixes for Google Sheets not loading issue in Chrome, these troubleshooting solutions can also be used to fix glitches in other Google apps and services like Forms, Slides, and Google Docs.

Next: Below is a guide on how to fix cells turning green or displaying a green line under a cell in Google Sheets. There’s also a bonus trick to make sure this never happens again.