How to Remove Compatibility Mode in Microsoft Excel

When you open an older Excel file, typically with the .xls extension, Excel runs it in Compatibility Mode. This preserves legacy behaviors but locks out many modern features, such as new chart types, dynamic arrays, modern collaboration tools, and certain formatting options. Converting the workbook to a current format (.xlsx, .xlsm, or .xlsb) removes Compatibility Mode and lets you use all of Excel’s latest capabilities. This article explains why Compatibility Mode appears, how to remove it for individual and multiple files, how to prevent it in the future, and common troubleshooting tips.

Why Compatibility Mode Appears

Microsoft has released various versions of Office to date. Hence, there are different versions of Microsoft Excel. Excel files created in older versions may not be compatible with newer versions and vice versa. That’s why Microsoft introduced the Compatibility Mode for Microsoft Excel and other applications. Compatibility Mode allows users to open Excel files created in earlier versions of Excel.

Turn off Compatibility Mode in Excel

If you’ve upgraded to a new version of Microsoft Excel and are worried that you won’t be able to share workbooks with people who haven’t upgraded yet, Compatibility mode will resolve those issues before you start sharing files. Still, if you would like to disable the feature, here’s how to do it. 

1. Open an Excel file. Click File in the upper-left corner. 

2. Choose Options. Then select the Save option from the side panel.

3. Find the Save files in this format option heading.

4. Hit the drop-down menu next to it and select .xlsx Excel workbook.

5. Click OK.

There’s also an alternative way to disable the Compatibility mode in Excel. Here’s how:

1. Go to File Menu > Info. 

2. Then, hit the Check for issues drop-down button under the Inspect Workbook heading.

3. Select the Check compatibility option from the list.

4. When the Compatibility Checker window opens, uncheck the box next to check compatibility when saving this workbook heading as shown in the image above.

Conclusion

Removing Compatibility Mode in Excel simply means converting your workbook from the old .xls format to a modern Office Open XML format (.xlsx, .xlsm, or .xlsb). Once converted, you’ll enjoy full access to Excel’s latest features, faster performance, and improved collaboration tools.