One of the most common problems with some Excel workbooks (and other types of spreadsheets) is painfully slow load times and updates. There are three typical cuprits: too many calculations, too much formatting, and unnecessary file overhead. Here’s how to fix them.
Photo remixed from an original by r h.
If an Excel file is taking too long to load or update, there are a couple of things you can try:
- Turn off automatic calculations. This can help in a case where your workbook is very complex and every change requires you to wait for Excel to perform all the calculations. Change the setting to manual workbook calculations in the Options dialog, and then you can hit F9 to update the workbook as needed.
- Save the workbook as a new file and clear the formats. If the new file is much faster, too much formatting was the culprit.
- Copy only the used cells into a new worksheet. Some Excel files may be bigger than necessary due to extra cells without any content being included in the worksheet.
For more tips on solving other Excel nightmares like difficulty working with multiple files or confusion when more than one user works on the file, see the Computerworld article below. Also, if you have any tips or tricks for other Excel users, share them with us in the comments.
Five Excel Nightmares and How to Fix Them [Computerworld]
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