The more data our spreadsheet has, the larger the file in question will be. This can be a problem, especially when we have to send it by email or WhatsApp, for example. In these cases it is essential that we know how to reduce the size of an excel fileIt will help save us a few headaches.
Reduce the size of an Excel file by deleting spreadsheets
Obviously, the use of different spreadsheets in Excel allows us to better organize the structure of the file. The problem is that the more spreadsheets we use, the larger the file size will be; so it is best to delete the ones that are not necessary.
The first thing we will have to do is make sure that the spreadsheet we want to delete does not have any data that is necessary or references another sheet. To get started, we’ll right-click on the sheet tab at the bottom.
In the context menu, we are going to have to choose Delete and in this simple way we have managed to delete one of the spreadsheets.
Clear pivot table cache
Pivot tables are an ideal way to analyze our data, although they can have a significant impact on the size of our files. This is because, by default, Excel caches the PivotTable’s source data along with the file. Although it is feasible to change the configuration and update the data cache when we open the file.
For this we are going to select any cell in our table, then we will open the Analyze PivotTable menu.
Here we will select Options.
Then we go to the Data tab.
We’ll need to make sure that Save source data with file is not checked.
Save formulas as values
Formulas give us the ability to do just about anything we want. However, we must consider that evaluating formulas consumes more space than values. So if we have too many formulas in a spreadsheet that have already been calculated, perhaps it would be ideal to convert them to values and save space.
We will select the cell that contains the formula. We will use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + C or right click and select copy.
Right click on the cell and select Paste Special and then Values. The formula will end up being replaced by the result.
Delete or compress images
Although, images are generally not used in Excel. Some documents may require them, the problem is that they can make our file weigh much more.
So we are going to select the image in the spreadsheet and we go to the Image format tab that we will see in the ribbon.
Here we are going to click on the Compress Images icon.
We will select a resolution. Obviously, the less resolution it has, the smaller the size it occupies.
We must also check Delete cropped areas of images.
In case we want all the images to have the same compression, we will have to uncheck the option Apply only to this image, otherwise, we will leave it checked.
