3 Fixes for Google Sheets Not Loading in Chrome

Basic Fixes:

• Restart Chrome: In some cases, a simple restart should fix the issue. Press the Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys to Task Manager (on Windows) or search for Activity Monitor in macOS and open it. Identify and force exit all instances of Google Chrome. Once done, try relaunching the browser and then accessing Google Sheets.
• Use Incognito Mode: Try using your Google Sheets in Incognito Mode — this temporarily disables most Chrome extensions. If Google Sheets loads up quickly and normally, an extension is the root cause of the issue. You can then head over to Menu > Extensions to determine which extension is affecting Google Sheets.
• Update Chrome: Make sure you have the latest version of Chrome installed on your computer. Head over to Menu > Help > About Google Chrome. The browser will now automatically check for any updates.

Fix 1: Clear Google Sheets Data

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

Step 1: Go to the Google Sheets tab and click the lock icon at the address bar’s left corner.

Step 2: Next, select Site Settings on the context menu.

Step 3: In the Usage section of the Settings page, click on the Clear Data button.

Step 4: Finally, click on the Clear button to confirm.

Note: Ignore the first warning on the prompt; you will not be signed out of your Google (Sheets) account. However, if you were working offline on Google Sheets and recent modifications to the documents were being saved on your computer, you might lose changes not saved to the cloud.

Fix 2: Clear Chrome’s Hosted App Data

Data from Google apps (Gmail, Docs, etc.) that you use in Google Chrome are stored as ‘Hosted app data.’ When you run into problems using Google’s services on Chrome, try clearing the browser’s ‘Hosted app data.’

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

Step 2: Select the ‘Privacy and security‘ option from the left pane, and click on ‘Clear browsing data.’

Step 3: Go to the Advanced tab and check only the ‘Hosted app data‘ box. Finally, click on the Clear Data button to proceed.

Now, go back to the Google Sheets tab and reload the page.

Fix 3: 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 PC and uploaded to the cloud when you’re connected to the internet. Quite nifty, no? Well, this mode sometimes causes documents not to load up correctly in Chrome.

Step 1: Open your Google Drive Settings by following this link.

Step 2: Here, in the General section, scroll down and toggle off the Offline option and click on OK.

Follow the same steps to re-enable the feature. Now, open a sheet and check if Chromes load it correctly.