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
    2025-01-19T22:15:14+00:00

    Even if the feature is used, I wonder how many users wish there was an "undo" feature available after it. Especially if that user saves the changes without realising that they've destroyed the spreadsheet. Monitoring the usage is potentially flawed logic too, if people use it not really understanding what it's going to do!

    I have kept multiple backups in different locations for all the spreadsheets I've create or modified for years. I will not be changing that habit any time soon.

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  2. Anonymous
    2025-01-19T17:49:22+00:00

    And so, we believe most users suffer from performance pain due to Unintentional excessive formatted cells with no data and would benefit from the notification to enhance their productivity. At the same time, we agree that users with Intentional excessive formatted cells with no data need control over the notification with a setting, and we are actively working on releasing this setting soon. We plan to monitor the setting’s usage to determine if future adjustments are needed as well.

     

    We apologize again for the delay. And your feedback and patience are greatly appreciated.

     

    Thank you,

    Prash

    I cannot believe that MOST users suffer unacceptable performance pain. I accept that many could get better performance from not formatting some cells - but that is a different thing altogether.

    I contend that there are a lot of spreadsheet USERS who simply operate a spreadsheet developed for them by an expert user. Many in his category of users may have very limited Excel skills. In the case of users of some of my workbooks they simply enter a few figures ( in cells pre-formatted to indicate they can be updated) and press a few buttons. These users should NEVER be given the opportunity to change the formatting which I have spent many hours refining to give the best user experience I can provide. I have put a lot of effort into the trade off between performance and user experience. It is a conscious decision and allowing a novice user to change this is undermining my professionalism. WE MUST HAVE A WAY TO DISABLE THE FEATURE.

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  3. Anonymous
    2025-01-18T11:56:41+00:00

    are you understand what we looking for??????

    We DO NOT WANT to optimize the tables, because we made it in a way we like it, even if your Excel AI do not understand it.

    But it seems not even you!

    CAN WE DISABLE it or no????????????

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  4. Anonymous
    2025-01-14T04:48:09+00:00

    I want to congratulate Microsoft on going above and beyond in its quest to annoy users of its software. Building on years of experience providing utterly pointless additions to their software that nobody asked for or uses, the inability to turn off the incredibly annoying Check Performance on opening when there is already a Check Performance command on the taskbar has set them apart from their rivals. Well done!

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