Many Excel users aren’t aware of the existence of Compatibility Mode and how to use it properly. It can save you a lot of time and effort, especially if you work with people that use different versions of Excel. Show
This article goes in-depth about everything you need to know related to the Compatibility Mode view. What is Excel’s Compatibility Mode?Compatibility Mode is a viewing mode in Excel that helps you create documents viewable by everyone. Excel is available in many versions since it has been around for over a decade. This inevitably means that documents made in newer versions may not be compatible with old releases. It depends on the contents of a document, which is a tricky thing to take into consideration. For example, a feature implemented in Excel 2019 most likely won't display properly in Excel 2013. However, most users aren’t aware of this. To deal with the issue, Microsoft added Compatibility Mode to Excel. When creating a workbook in Compatibility Mode, it's going to be viewable in old Excel versions. If you're using an older version, Compatibility Mode ensures that you can view workbooks made in newer releases as well. Without Compatibility Mode, some documents may display incorrectly or not open at all. This is common when software updates change the core of an application over time. Since Excel has been around for so long, a lot has changed in its fundamentals which are addressed by Compatibility Mode. How to save a document in Compatibility ModeCompatibility Mode applies to documents saved in or saved for older versions of Excel. This means that you can only enter this viewing mode if you’re working with a file specifically created for this mode. If you’re using an older Excel version, all files you create will be opened in Compatibility Mode when someone using a newer version of Excel views your workbook. On the other hand, those who work with recent releases have to prep their documents to ensure others can open it properly.
Find what Compatibility Mode your document is usingRun Excel's compatibility checker to see what mode is being used to view the document you have open. This is useful when you’re viewing a document you received from someone.
How to leave Compatibility ModeYou can easily leave the Compatibility Mode view when you're done working with a document. However, don't convert a document if you or someone else needs to work with it using an older version of Excel. In this case, keeping the workbook in Compatibility Mode will ensure that the older format is preserved.
Excel will issue a warning that your document might appear different after the conversion. If you agree to this, the Compatibility Mode will be removed from the document and you might notice some things displaying differently than before. If needed, make edits to correct these changes. To finalize the conversion, save the document as a modern Excel document. Doing so ensures that it no longer opens in Compatibility Mode. How to turn off Compatibility ModeSome users are faced with an issue that all new documents are opening in Compatibility Mode. Don’t worry, this can be fixed with ease. It’s most likely caused by your default setting being an older version of Excel, which causes the software to only use Compatibility Mode.
Your documents should open normally now. We hope that this article was able to help you learn what the Compatibility Mode is in Excel. Feel free to return to our page any time you need further guidance regarding Microsoft’s spreadsheet app. If you’re looking to read more articles related to modern technology, consider subscribing to our newsletter. We regularly publish tutorials, news articles, and guides to help you in your day-to-day tech life.
The compatibility mode on Excel allows users with previous versions of Excel to view documents created in newer versions of Excel. However, the compatibility mode disables features like PivotTables, Scalable Vector Graphics, and Timelines as they’re not available in the previous versions of Excel. You can easily turn off the compatibility mode if you believe it is no longer useful to you. In this article, we will cover everything from turning off the compatibility mode for a single document to all documents you will create in the future on Excel, so keep reading! Why Turn Off Compatibility Mode?There can be a range of reasons why you would want to disable the compatibility mode in Excel. For starters, it creates issues using newer features like the Label information, 3D models, Slicers, etc. This can be an issue if you want to use the disabled features. The compatibility mode will also be of no use to you if the peers you share your documents upgraded to the same version of Excel you have. When you share the same version of Excel, all the tools you use in your document will be available on your peer’s version of Excel. How to Turn Off Excel Compatibility Mode?There are three ways to turn the compatibility mode off in Excel. If you use the Office 365 version of Excel, there is an additional way to turn this feature off. You can turn the compatibility mode off for a document you’ve already created or the entire Excel application. Change Save FormatYou can change the save format for all future files on Excel. Depending on the format you choose, Excel will now save your files in that format. To disable the compatibility mode, you must change the save format to your current version of Excel. Follow these steps to change the save format of your documents on Excel:
Convert File CompatibilityYou can also convert an Excel file compatible with an older version to the version of Excel you own. You get the Convert feature when you open an older version of an Excel document in a newer Excel program. Using this feature, you can upgrade your document to be compatible with your version of Excel. Follow along with the steps mentioned below to convert an Excel file to the version you own:
Change File FormatIf you want to change the compatibility for a single document in Excel, you can change the file format for that document. You can conveniently change the file format when you’re saving your file on your device. Here are the steps to change the file format for a single document for Excel:
Disable Check for Compatibility (Office 365)This method is exclusive to the Office 365 version of Microsoft Excel. The Office 365 version of Excel allows users to see if any feature can cause a compatibility issue in the older versions. You can disable this feature if you do not want Excel to check for compatibility issues. Use the following steps to disable the check for compatibility feature in the Office 365 version of MS Excel:
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