How to stop Excel from automatically checking Workbook performance?

Question

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.

Answer 1

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.

Answer 2

A simple equivalent of the "default sheet size" would be to simply hide the columns and rows beyond the maximum size of the sheet. If you do that first and then format cells after selecting all you'll only format those which you might use and no excess cells. Just a thought...

No, a user should know how to use Excel, I want to have access to all columns and rows. If I have a table where data is getting added, I may decide to format the cells in advance, even they are empty at the moment. And then people would complain too :)

Answer 3

Same - I just want to be in control of my own work. In my case, I am tracking annual activity for multiple locations with multiple locations. I don't need reminders that I have "excessive empty cells" - they are there by design.

Thank you for acknowledging and working to fix this issue.

Answer 4

So basically it's a setting many people wish to turn off but it's a personal preference to be notified and so far has taken 18 months to not correct.
I just wish these settings were looked into with the option of giving users a choice to use the "feature" or not.

Answer 5

Agreed. It cannot be that difficult to just turn the feature off. Especially since this does seem to be a thread that continues to grow.....

Starting to hope for an option OTHER than apple OR microsoft. There used to be a difference.....