How to Turn Off Excel Compatibility Mode?

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.