Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Excel 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Excel, click here: Sudden Increases in Workbook File Size.

Sudden Increases in Workbook File Size

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated December 30, 2020)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


1

Joe has a workbook into which he's been adding information for years. The workbook is normally about 5 MB in size, but recently jumped to 10 MB, two times the normal size. Joe was wondering what could cause such an increase.

Actually there are all sorts of reasons that the workbook size could have jumped. One is that you've added some additional objects to the workbook that were not there before, such as graphics objects. It is also possible that changes in any macros attached to the workbook could have greatly increased the file size.

It could also be due to adding a PivotTable or changing how the PivotTable is saved within the workbook. You might also check to see where the last cell in each worksheet is located (press Ctrl+End on each worksheet). If the lower-right corner of the worksheet seems completely out of whack, then you can delete whatever columns or rows are necessary to get the worksheet size back where it should be.

You might also check to see if the workbook is saved with sharing turned on. If it is, then the size of the file can sometimes increase dramatically.

Finally, if you changed the format used to save the workbook, then the file size can increase. Check to make sure that you are using the proper file format for the version of Excel you are using. It is also a good idea to use Save As (press F12) to save the workbook out into a new file, with the proper format. That way Excel will write the workbook file "from scratch" and have the greatest chance of creating the most compact file possible.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (3115) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Excel (Excel 2007 and later) here: Sudden Increases in Workbook File Size.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Multiple Print Areas on a Single Printed Page

Want to print small, non-contiguous areas of your worksheet all on a single page? You might think that defining a ...

Discover More

Setting Up Your Printer

Need your printed output to look its best? You may need to change the settings used by your printer, then. Here's how to ...

Discover More

Changing Focus when Starting to Print

Sometimes small changes between versions of Word can affect how we do our work. (And, thereby, bug the heck out of us.) ...

Discover More

Program Successfully in Excel! This guide will provide you with all the information you need to automate any task in Excel and save time and effort. Learn how to extend Excel's functionality with VBA to create solutions not possible with the standard features. Includes latest information for Excel 2024 and Microsoft 365. Check out Mastering Excel VBA Programming today!

More ExcelTips (menu)

Finding the Size of a Workbook

Keeping tabs on the size of a workbook can be important when using Excel. You have a couple of options that will allow ...

Discover More

Inconsistent Output for Empty Columns in a CSV File

When you create a CSV file in Excel, the information stored in the file may not contain all the fields that you think it ...

Discover More

Full Path Names in Excel

Need to know what the full path name is for the current workbook? With a simple macro you can display the full path name ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 3 + 7?

2019-03-09 09:21:19

Paul Kent

When adding or moving controls to a userform I regularly end up with many "ghost" controls.
For some reason copies are made of controls when clicking an existing controls.
This caused the workbook size to increase dramatically.


This Site

Got a version of Excel that uses the menu interface (Excel 97, Excel 2000, Excel 2002, or Excel 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.

Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.