Why the file got large
Learn which ZIP parts, images, caches, and styles make workbooks large, then check your own file.
Guides for workbook size, speed, and repair
These guides explain how to repair a workbook after you have measured it. Each one pairs with a single tool so the how-to and the checker do not compete for the same query. The steps assume you work on a copy and confirm the result in Excel.
Size and bloat
Reduce the file after you measure it
Reduce workbook size by trimming pivot caches, pictures, and unused ranges.
Phantom rows and the last cell
Reset a sheet whose last cell sits far past the data you can see.
Speed and formulas
Causes of slow calculation
Trace slow calculation to volatile formulas, whole-column refs, and formatting.
A list of volatile functions
See which Excel functions recalculate more often than they should, and how to find them.
Fix stored formula errors
Repair #REF!, #VALUE!, and #N/A by finding the cached cells first.
Clean up defined names
Delete hidden names, #REF! names, and names nothing uses, without guessing.
Risk and exposure
When Break Links does nothing
Find workbook links that Excel still wants to update, including names and formulas.
Very hidden sheets and VBA
Unhide a very hidden sheet, and see how that state differs from a macro.
Is the XLSM safe to open?
Judge an XLSM file from its VBA inventory, not from a false sense of safety.
Package integrity
Repair unreadable Excel content
Repair a workbook Excel says it found unreadable content in, starting from the damaged part.