How to stop Excel from automatically checking Workbook performance?

Anonymous
2023-03-06T17:17:06+00:00

Performance check??

The Excel sheet is the way I want it to look and don't want to change it for better performance. I just want Excel to stop prompting me.

Every time I open an Excel sheet, it wants me to do a performance check because of:

"Excess formatting and unneeded metadata cause large, slow workbooks. Check for improvements to performance"

So I find myself X-clicking away this message every time. Because there is no 'excess' of formatting. The Excel sheet simply is a nicely layouted workbook and we want it to be looking this way. We don't need Excel trying to outsmart us and giving this suggestion every time you open the workbook to remove information.

It is only very confusing for not-very-experienced users who also make use of my Excel sheet.

How and where can I set Excel in a way that is stops asking this unwanted question?

  • The question mostly pops-up in the Web version of Office 365.
  • I tried unchecking boxes in the performance check tool, in the desktop version, but to no result.

Would be lovely if someone has a workaround or knows which box needs to be un-checked.

And it would be awesome if a MS engineer helps giving priority to this problem, so that it can be switched of universally.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | For business | Windows

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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Answer accepted by question author
Andreas Killer 144.1K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
2025-01-25T10:37:57+00:00

This thread shows that there are a significant number of people complaining about this. Unfortunately, this is only a user forum, we understand your problem, but we cannot do anything to fix it. Only the Excel developers can do this if they are instructed to do so.

As previously stated, this is simply a statistical problem, Microsoft must first recognize that this is a problem. Unfortunately, this is not so easy considering that more than 200,000 people work at Microsoft.

There is a feedback portal where you can cast your vote. There is already a feed on this topic, unfortunately with very few votes. I'm sure if we get as many votes as this post has been viewed, then Microsoft will react.

Anyone reading this, please follow these steps:

Click on this link:
https://feedbackportal.microsoft.com/feedback/idea/89bb523d-b197-ef11-95f6-0022484d7a88

  1. Sign in
  2. Click the Vote button

@HanzieV:

If you mark this reply as answer, it will be the first to appear when someone views this thread. I hope we can encourage as many people as possible to draw Microsoft's attention to this problem. Unfortunately, this is all we can do for you.

Andreas.

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  1. Anonymous
    2023-03-14T18:32:52+00:00

    Thank you Snow Lu, for reaching out and giving this suggestion.

    When I do check the performance, it comes up with a ton of suggestions. Of which however it is not very clear what it exactly will change, so that is scary as it may ruin the setup and layout of the Excel sheet.

    And I also don't want to change anything. Because it is good as it is.

    We know that not all of the layout or formatting is strictly necessary of filled with data even, but it is valuable for users to be guided by the layout and setup of this file. So we like it this way and don't want to fiddle with it.

    Therefore the basic issue remains;

    • I don't want Excel to give the suggestion in the first place.
    • Automation should not try to out-smart human beings.

    The purpose of this excel sheet is to have an annual planning:

    • The first page is an 'overview' page, called 'Overzicht' in Dutch
    • Every sub-team then has a page in the Excelsheet for a year planning. In every sub-team, people can fill out their names and make the planning for their subteam.
    • The information filled out in the sub-pages, automatically feeds the first 'Overview' page.

    This screenshot above is stripped from names and other privacy related data.

    All the coloured tabs at the bottom are obviously tabs in the Worksheet.

    I hope this helps. And I hope someone has the answer how I can switch off Excel to keep asking this question as it may confuse users.

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  2. Anonymous
    2023-07-26T18:24:07+00:00

    Snow Lu, you are not understanding the point it seems. We WANT the formatting. To optimize the sheet, it REMOVES THE FORMATTING THAT WE PUT THERE ON PURPOSE BECAUSE WE WANT IT. Even if the Excel gods think we should not have it, it doesn't matter. We PAY FOR THE SOFTWARE LICENSE TO BE ABLE TO PUT WHAT WE WANT IN THE CELLS. So let us do that without the annoying banner that some yahoo will eventually click on and ruin the file. So now your click to run, store on the cloud file now needs a constant backup to a non-shared, non-cloud location so it can be reverted to the format it was intended to be, after said yahoo accidentally clicks the "check performance" button and ruins the shared file.

    So things like text alignment (for ease of reading), number format (so we can tell what the real date is not the Julian date), and the color coding (for ease of reading) is what you all at MSFT want us to remove? Why would you allow these things to be altered if it is such a problem? Just put a damn box somewhere in the options to check or uncheck "check workbook performance"

    We can turn the accessibility options off and on, why not the performance?
    ImageImage

    ^^ 1000000% this!!!

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  3. Anonymous
    2023-04-01T06:36:19+00:00

    Thanks Prash,

    I think your analysis is quite correct.

    I have tried to optimise the sheet based on advise of Excel, but they are really silly improvements of removing colouring of cells and some formatting issues. Really not big, data-intense formatting.

    So, all in all, I really think it should be possible to eliminate this notification permanently. Because it is confusing for users, especially non-experienced users get the nerves because of this message.

    I hope you can help out or escalate this issue

    All the best,
    Hanzie

    (I could share anonymised the file with you, but don't know how I can easily DM you)

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  4. Anonymous
    2023-10-26T15:48:20+00:00

    "Optimizing" the workbook is subjective. When I gave excel the permission to "optimize" the workbook, it deleted chunks of previously formatted tables and left them blank. Giant rectangular holes in the spreadsheet. There are intentionally blank fields in the tables that should remain consistently formatted.

    I don't want this feature. Provide it as an option for users if you must but don't shove it on all users. This very dumb "smart feature" is not ready for widespread use.

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