Excel cannot complete this task with available resources…

Excel cannot complete this task with available resources. Choose less data or close other applications – this is quite annoying one as its totally intermittent and hard to replicate. I’m posting solution for it here in case someone is experiencing an issue and cannot find anywhere online the way to resolve it … and of course Microsoft Support advise for the issue  is like “have you tried turning it off and on again” kind of type.

Basically … this issue may occur in Office 2007, 2010, 2010SP2. I don’t know excactly why it does that as its very intermittent its hard to say what exactly causes the issue.

I found and tested solution for it and it is confirmed as working.

First: Go to Add/Remove Programs and check for Security update for MS Update for Excel (KB2597166). If there – uninstall.

Open Excel, go to “File”, “Open”, expand “Organize” and go to “Layout”, then deselect “Details pane” and “Preview pane”.

Thats you sorted.