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:

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:

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:

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:

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title: “How To Turn Off Excel Compatibility Mode " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-29” author: “Helen Gambill”


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:

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:

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:

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:

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