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
    2023-07-26T18:01:14+00:00

    no don't let it optimize!!!! it strips all the formatting and leaves you with an ugly "paste values" type of file in the end...

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  2. Anonymous
    2023-05-03T13:35:28+00:00

    There is no option to disable this notice. You may send feedback to Microsoft.

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  3. Anonymous
    2023-12-08T16:38:01+00:00

    My spreadsheet is optimized for what I use it for. Excel's automatic suggestions will delete about half of my formatting and a quarter of my content.

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  4. Anonymous
    2024-11-18T20:00:50+00:00

    It seems to me that there are 3 types of Excel users:

    1. The "experts" All the posts from users in this thread seem to be from expert users. I have been using spreadsheets for 45 years and would like to think I am part of this group. This thread has shown a myriad of use cases where the Microsoft development is counter productive. I have a few of my own but that is not really the relevant point. What is relevant is that "WE KNOW WHAT WE ARE DOING" and "WE DON'T WANT THIS FEATURE TO RUN OUTSIDE OUR CONTROL"
    2. The business users. Some may have some familiarity with Excel, but those of us on Group 1 often have to cater for users who would not know how to enter a formula. They do not need this feature. "IT IS NO USE TO THEM WHATEVER"
    3. The users who think they know what they are doing but do not have the knowledge or experience of Group 1 users. The feature "MAY" be useful to them but could equally lead to a "CORRUPTION OF WHAT THEY HAVE DONE"

    Microsoft have clearly misjudged the user base. The feature is dangerous in the hands of Groups 2 and 3 and should be optional for group 1.

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