Excessive Loading Time in Calc for ods file

English
#1

Whenever I load calc, I am double-clicking on the file I want to open - see attached. In a previous version of LibreOffice, it was taking 45 seconds (of blank screen) before the spreadsheet was shown. I found a comment somewhere that someone said the front end was trying to communicate with a printer that was off-line. So I changed the default printer from my local printer to “Microsoft save as pdf.” Suddenly the load time was reduced to 5 sec. I was able to live with that.

But in the past week or two, whenever I open the file again, it now takes 30-38 sec to load and display the spread sheet. I tried many things to no avail, including safe mode. I converted the file (save-as) to xlsx, and that file loads immediately without any delay. But when converted back to ods, it again takes 37 sec. to load. There is no change to this behavior if I first load LibreOffice and load the file from there.

So what’s the difference between an ods and an xlsx file that Calc is taking so long to load an ods? Is there any solution to this problem?
Video List 220501.ods (213.7 KB)

I’m using Win 10 and the latest LO version (7.2.7) x64. I have a QC i5 with 16G mem with 500G SSD.

Calc takes 17 minutes and longer to open some spreadsheets
#2

To be clear, can you repeat this behavior with any ODS file?

#3

Your file (213kB), double clicked, takes me 3 seconds to open.

With me:

Version: 7.3.4.2 (x64) / LibreOffice Community
Build ID: 728fec16bd5f605073805c3c9e7c4212a0120dc5
CPU threads: 8; OS: Windows 10.0 Build 19044; UI render: Skia/Raster; VCL: win
Locale: de-DE (de_DE); UI: de-DE
Calc: CL

The PC is 11 years old!
Prozessor Intel(R) Core™ i7-2600 CPU @ 3.40GHz 3.40 GHz
Installierter RAM 16,0 GB
Systemtyp 64-Bit-Betriebssystem, x64-basierter Prozessor
Stift- und Toucheingabe Unterstützung für Stifteingabe

First steps

Check step 4 in the Link.

#4

In case printer settings would be still a problem, you could try to uncheck Tools → Options → Load/Save → General, Load printer settings with the document.

4 Likes
#5

@joshua4 :
Yes, it does (with other ods files). One more thing that might help, if a Calc file is already open, and I open a 2nd file, it doesn’t get the delay (the 2nd file opens immediately). So the delay happens only if there is not a Calc file already open, and happens every time.

If I load Calc with nothing, the blank sheet comes up immediately, no delay. It’s only after a file has been saved as ods that it happens. I just did that, merely putting “x” in A1 and saving the file, and the delay happens after closing the file and reopening.

One more data point: I had 3 Calc files open, and I opened a 4th, and noticed that this time, there was about a 3 second delay (blank, grey screen with “L” at top left), before the spreadsheet was displayed. In that spreadsheet there are only 4 sheets with info in rows and columns, no calculations.

#6

Hrbrgr: I have no idea what your options/settings are. Are you starting from LibreOffice already open? Did you enable open LO on startup? Do you have any Calc files already open? If I have other Calc files open, I don’t get the delay.

#7

@erAck , unchecking “Load printer settings” had no effect.

#8

@Hrbrgr:
There are no calculations in the sheet. That option says “open CL is not used.”
I tried resetting the profile by both the help wizard and manual, and neither worked.

#9

“1. if you have specified a printer in your document that is switched off, delays may also occur. However, I do not know if this is LO version dependent” (7.1.8 very slow - #4 by Hrbrgr).

“I tried @ajlittoz’s suggestion, specifically Tools > Options > LibreOffice Writer > Print > Paper tray from printer settings. It was on, and I clicked it off. Since then, with the printer off, every spreadsheet I try opens immediately” (Calc: Simple .ODS file loads slowly under LO 7, .XLSX fast - #24 by djc).

#10

@LeroyG , I don’t see an option to eliminate specifying a printer. Like I said, it is set to “Microsoft print as pdf.” Also, the options path you show doesn’t exist in my options menu. I already know that a specified printer turned off will incur delay. That is not the issue at hand.

#11

LibreOffice Writer exists only if you have a Writer document open, and be it only an empty new document.

#12

@erAck : ok, I found it. However, “Paper tray from printer settings” was not enabled.

#13

I tried every suggestion in this thread, but the problem still exists. This problem has become so annoying that I have established a work-around. I am converting all my spreadsheet files to xlsx, and will no longer use ods. So with the responses I have gotten (and no-response since), I take it that no one has any idea what causes this problem. So until I get a workable response, I will continue to work around this problem by not using ods format.

#14

Other possibilities might be:

  • In Tools > Options > LibreOffice Calc > General is
    • *Update Links when Opening set to Always?
    • Use printer metrics for text formatting ticked?
  • In Tools > Options > LibreOffice Calc > Defaults is Enable very large spreadsheets ticked?

If you open Calc and then click Help > Restart in safe Mode > Continue in Safe Mode can you then open your spreadsheet quickly?

If so, then there might be an issue with your user profile. Consider resetting it, I prefer the manual method as I can then copy back the folders I need. Resetting user profile also returns the settings above back to their defaults of unticked.

#15

Update Links when Opening set to Always?

No.
Use printer metrics for text formatting ticked?
No.
Enable very large spreadsheets ticked?

No such option shown
Continue in Safe Mode can you then open your spreadsheet quickly?

No, I already tried safe mode.

EarnestAl
July 4

Other possibilities might be:

  • In Tools > Options > LibreOffice Calc > General is
    • *Update Links when Opening set to Always?
    • Use printer metrics for text formatting ticked?
  • In Tools > Options > LibreOffice Calc > Defaults is Enable very large spreadsheets ticked?

If you open Calc and then click Help > Restart in safe Mode > Continue in Safe Mode can you then open your spreadsheet quickly?

If so, then there might be an issue with your user profile. Consider resetting it, I prefer the manual method as I can then copy back the folders I need. Resetting user profile also returns the settings above back to their defaults of unticked.

#16

In that case look at your anti-virus scanning, possibly it gives a free pass to xlsx files but has to load itself to scan .ods. What are load times for xlsm like?

I turn off Windows File Indexing because of the huge resources it consumes. I instead rely on a simple file name search engine, Everything. Even with Indexer off, Windows File Explorer still occasionally makes me wait tens of seconds to display files in a directory. Possibly, Indexer takes the opportunity to index the contents of the .ods file during opening.

#17

I don’t know what an xlsm file is. Do you have some theory as to why you think it may be anti-virus? It does not appear to me to be related. Nothing else has this issue, only the loading of the initial ods file.

EarnestAl
July 4

In that case look at your anti-virus scanning, possibly it gives a free pass to xlsx files but has to load itself to scan .ods. What are load times for xlsm like?

I turn off Windows File Indexing because of the huge resources it consumes. I instead rely on a simple file name search engine, Everything. Even with Indexer off, Windows File Explorer still occasionally makes me wait tens of seconds to display files in a directory. Possibly, Indexer takes the opportunity to index the contents of the .ods file during opening.

#18

I am making suggestions. You have a problem that others don’t have; it doesn’t appear to be fixed in Safe Mode so probably the problem lies elsewhere.

I have had anti-virus software in the past that used to slow down loading of files. I do know that Indexer can slow things down a lot.

BTW xlsm is a macro-enabled Excel file likely to be of more interest to an anti malware program. You could see if xls take longer.

#19

I have the same problem: first file opens late when network printer is offline. All other files open in time. It happens to any file, regardless the size, content or complexity.
It’s that simple.
Tried the above tips with no result.
Calc is a great application but this and the inability to set paper size in Tools-Options are the two problems beyond reason.

#20

Sometimes, installing manufacturer’s printer driver rather than relying on the operating system printer driver can fix that.

Normally, setting a pdf printer as default printer prevents LibreOffice waiting for an offline printer to respond. What pdf printer did you use?

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