Normally the Excel Web App works fine and one can create and edit files easily. But a lot of time users face issues while working with the web version of Excel. One of the errors users regularly face is “Retrieving data, Wait a few seconds and trying to cut or copy again”. This error occurs when a user has edited an Excel file and wants to cut or copy the text to either the Excel’s desktop app or any other spreadsheet tool. It is a very common error and can be easily fixed using fixes I have explained below in this article.
Fix Retrieving data, Wait a few seconds and try to cut or copy again
You might be curious to know what goes wrong behind the scene so the “Retrieving data, Wait a few seconds and try to cut or copy again” error pops up. The simple reason is when you open an excel file on the web app. The file doesn’t only get created online but a copy also gets created in the system’s temporary folder. Each time you make a change in the online version the changes also get synced to the offline version. When you try to cut or copy it tries to validate with the offline version to make sure you are cutting or copying the correct entries. If the verification gets failed it throws the Retrieving data, Wait a few seconds and try to cut or copy again error. Now when you have a good idea of why this error happens check out the below fixes to get rid of it.
1. Deselect and Cut or Copy after few minutes
As I explained above you are not able to cut or copy the file because the entries on the offline version are not synced completely with the online version. The fastest and easiest way to fix this issue is to deselect everything you want to cut or copy. Wait a couple of minutes so the entries get synced properly. Once you have waited for a few minutes reselect the text and try to cut or copy it. Hopefully, you will not see any error the text will get cut or copied successfully. This fix is temporary as you would not like to do it each time the error occurs.
2. Open in a new tab
The next fix you can try is opening the save Excel file in a new tab. First, make sure you have saved all the changes you have made and close tab existing tab in which you are facing the error. After closing the tab open a new tab in your browser and edit the same Excel file. Chances are you might be able to cut or copy it without any error.
3. Try a different Browser
The “Retrieving data, Wait a few seconds and try to cut or copy again” error is faced by a lot of Excel users. Among those users mostly were using Microsoft outdated Internet Explorer or Edge browser. If you are also one of those users and facing the error too frequently. I would recommend trying a different browser. Open the same Excel file on Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox and try to perform the cut or copy. There are high chances you might not get the error in a different browser.
4. Open in Desktop App of Excel
If none of the above fixes worked for you then you can download a copy of the Excel file from the web app and open it in the desktop app. Follow the below steps to download a copy from the web app. Step 1: Look for the File option in the Excel file you are working on. It will be in the top left corner of your screen. Once you find the File option, tap on it. Step 2: On the next screen you will get a few options, tap on Save As. Now you will see four different ways to save the file. All you have to do is tap on Download a Copy. Following the above steps will download an offline copy of the Excel file to your computer. Now double click on the file to open it in Desktop. Once you have opened the file in the desktop app you can easily cut or copy the text anywhere you want. If you have tried all the above fixes but still facing the issue you can hire excel consultant. They will help more precisely to get rid of the issue.
Final Words
The Excel Web App is a useful way to create and edit Excel files without even the need of installing the Desktop app. But sometimes it creates issues when trying to cut or copy the text. You can easily resolve the issue by following the fixes mentioned above in this article. You can either deselect everything and wait for a few minutes and then try to copy-paste, open the file in a new tab, try a different browser or download a copy of the file and open it in the desktop app. One of the fixes should definitely work for you. Which fix did work for you? Do let me know in the comments.
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