How to get out of compatibility mode in Excel on Mac

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.

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 Mode

Compatibility 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.

1. Open the document you want to save in Compatibility Mode.
2. Go to the File menu.
3. Click on Save As.
4. Click on the drop-down menu that displays Excel Workbook (*.xlsx) by default. Here, simply choose an older version of Excel you wish to convert to.
   
   
   
5. Click on the Save button.

Find what Compatibility Mode your document is using

Run 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.

1. Open the document that’s already in Compatibility Mode. You can tell this by looking at the document name, which should display like this: Workbook.xls [Compatibility Mode] - Excel
2. Click on the File menu.
3. Go to the Info tab and click on the Check for Issues button. A drop-down menu should appear where you can select Check Compatibility.
   
   
   
4. You should be returned to your document with a new window open. Click on the Select Version to Show box and look for a checkmark. This is the Compatibility Mode the document is currently using.

How to leave Compatibility Mode

You 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.

1. Open the document you want to convert out of Compatibility Mode.
2. Click on the File menu.
3. Go to the Info tab and click on the Convert button.

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 Mode

Some 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.

1. Open Excel and either make a new document or open an existing one.
2. Click on the File menu.
3. Select Options from the left-side panel. This will open up a new window.
4. Navigate to the Save tab using the left-side menu.
5. Open the drop-down menu next to Save files in this format. Make sure to select Excel Workbook (*.xlsx) and hit OK.
   
   
   

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.

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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 Format

You 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:

1. Launch MS Excel.
2. From the homepage, head to Options on the sidebar. If you don’t see it, select More > Options.
   
3. In the Excel Options window, hop on to Save from the panel to your left.
4. Under Save workbook, locate Save files in this format.
5. Drop the menu down next to it and select your current version of Excel.
   
6. Click on OK on the bottom-right corner of the screen.

Convert File Compatibility

You 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:

1. Open the compatible workbook. 
2. Head on to File from the menu bar.
3. From the sidebar, select Info.
4. Next to Compatibility Mode, select Convert.
   
5. Confirm your action by selecting OK on the pop-up. 
6. Excel prompts you if you want to use the enhanced features available on the current version. Choose Yes or No according to your preference.

Change File Format

If 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:

1. Open your Excel workbook.
2. Head on to File from the menu bar. 
3. From the panel to your left, select Save as.
   
4. Under Other locations, select Browse.
5. From the Save as window, navigate to the location where you want to save your file.
6. Locate the Save as type option and drop the menu down next to it.
   
7. Select your Excel version from the list.
8. Click Save.

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:

1. Open your spreadsheet on MS Excel.
2. Select File on the top-left corner of your menu bar.
3. Hop on to Info from the panel to your left.
4. Next to Inspect Workbook, select Check for Issues.
5. From the drop-down menu, click on Check Compatibility.
   
6. In the compatibility checker window, deselect the option for Check compatibility when saving this workbook.
   
7. Select OK on the bottom-right corner.