Retrieving data. wait a few seconds and try to cut or copy again.
Introduction
Undoubtedly, Microsoft Excel is the most dominant spreadsheet application software out there. Recently, Google Sheets has become very popular. In contrast, there is not that big of a dent in Excel’s reputation. This is because it is well-established and preferred by many individuals worldwide. MS Excel is widely used in many workspaces by professionals. By providing a range of features, especially for the management and analysis of data, Excel has appealed to the masses. However, no matter how well-established it may be. Some errors are inevitable. Similarly, many people who engage with MS Excel regularly have been facing a specific error. This refers to ‘Retrieving data. wait a few seconds and try to cut or copy again.’
Surely, this Excel error has caused a lot of interruption and confusion. If you are also someone facing this issue currently on the internet and looking for a fix/solution, stay tuned. This blog will cover this error in detail with its fixes and every relevant information.
Understanding MS Excel’s ‘Retrieving data. wait a few seconds and try to cut or copy again.’ – What is it?
This error has become pretty common while using Excel online. The most common causes of this error include working on large data or having some network troubles. In simple words, you can understand this error as Excel letting you that the data is being processed. And, taking longer than expected. Therefore, whatever you commanded Excel to copy/cut is under process. Demanding you to wait until the process gets completed successfully. Poor network connectivity is one of the most common reasons indeed. Meanwhile, the external data source facing certain issues or being unavailable is very usual as well.
What’s more is that if you are working on large data sets on the Excel online interface, it can get overstressed often. Consequently, this causes delays in the processing of said data. Yet, it can also be a specific configuration in Excel settings causing all this. In some special cases, add-ins as well as extensions can also interfere with your data. This blog will dive deep into the causes of this error ahead. Firstly, let’s discuss the fixes and solutions.
Fixing the error ‘Retrieving data. wait a few seconds and try to cut or copy again.’ – Using another browser
The retrieving data issue is indeed very frustrating. To fix this and continue with your work you can start by trying out another internet browser. Often, this fixes the issue straightaway and is considered as one of the seamless ways of doing so. The reason behind this is that sometimes there are compatibility problems or glitches in a browser. And, if you decide to switch your browser there is a high probability that your problem will be solved. Even though some interruption has been caused, by doing so you might be able to go on with your work.
‘Retrieving data. wait a few seconds and try to cut or copy again.’ Fix – Offline Document File
If you are troubled by this error, one of the options you have is to download your document. Leave aside making changes in the online Excel version directly. Instead, go ahead and download a copy of your file. Hence, saving it on your device i.e., offline. To do so, when your Excel file is in front of you click on the File option. Then, use ‘Save As’ to download it. Now, you can use the offline downloaded copy on the application itself. Most probably the error will be long gone.
Fixing the error ‘Retrieving data. wait a few seconds and try to cut or copy again.’ – Deselecting and waiting
Meanwhile, you can also choose to deselect the information or data. The one you tried to copy or cut. Thereafter, you can wait for a few moments. What might happen is that your interface might stabilize. This is also a widely used method of solving your retrieving data error. Once, it has stabilized and the data is deselected. You can go ahead and try once again copying the data. If you deselect and then wait before trying again it provides Excel some time to refresh. In fact, in some cases, your data retrieval might even get processed. If not, you can go ahead and try copying or cutting it again.
Fixing the error ‘Retrieving data. wait a few seconds and try to cut or copy again.’ – Clearing cached files and images
Your internet browser’s cookies are often known to cause a lot of trouble such as this. Therefore, one of the solutions can be deleting the cached files and images. Hence, all the outdated data as well as corrupted files vanish allowing your browser to work efficiently. Such files interfere with the operations of MS Excel. To clear out cache data and images you can use the shortcut i.e., ctrl+shift+delete. Thereafter selecting the timeframe and cached files you need to click on Clear data.
Commonly known causes (Retrieving data. wait a few seconds and try to cut or copy again.)
- Working on large data sets can surely delay the processing.
- Issues related to the connectivity of your network.
- Glitches in the software.
- The software version of your MS Excel being outdated is also a problem.
- Files being corrupted also cause this error.
Conclusion
Indeed, this error causes a lot of interruption such as bringing your ongoing work to a stop. For the same reason, it is very crucial to find out the cause and fix it. That is how you will be able to work. Undeniably, by trying out the fixes given above, your error will go away for sure. In the world of technology, such errors are pretty common. What’s more is that their fixes are readily available online.
FAQs
Q – While using an offline file of Excel, does this issue go away?
Yes, it does.
Q – Can it also be a hardware issue?
That cannot be the case.
Q – Can configuring Excel settings cause such errors?
They might.
[AUTHOR – PIYUSH CHAUHAN]
