Excel worksheet files can get quite large at times. When dealing with such files, you must be patient because they take a long time to update when you make changes. They also take a long time to open. Moreover, emailing these large Excel files is very difficult. There are several methods for reducing the size of Excel files. In this article, we are going to learn about some of the best options to compress the Excel file for email.
How to Compress Excel File for Email: 13 Methods
1. Compress Excel File by Removing Unnecessary Worksheets
Suppose, we have an Excel workbook that contains five worksheets. We can easily compress the Excel file for email by removing the unnecessary worksheets. Let’s say, in this workbook sheets 2, 3, 4, and 5 are unnecessary. The steps to remove them are given below.
Steps:
- Right-click on the Excel sheet that we want to remove.
- Then click on Delete.
- Now, a window named Microsoft Excel will pop up.
- Click the Delete button.
- The worksheet will be removed from the Excel workbook. Just like this, we can remove the other unnecessary worksheets.
2. Remove Unnecessary Formulas to Compress Excel File for Email
Assuming, we have an Excel dataset of range B4:E8 that contains item name and order amount. Here, the rightmost column contains the summation of Order 1 and Order 2. This column uses the formula:
=C5+D5We can easily remove the formula to compress the Excel file for email. The steps to do so are given below.
Steps:
- Select the cells that contain the formula. In our case, the range E5:E8 contains formulas. So, we selected them.
- Go to the Home tab and click the Copy button.
- Next, the cells will be copied.
- Go to the Home tab again and click on the Paste option.
- Select Paste Special.
- A Paste Special window will appear.
- Select Values from the Paste option.
- Click the OK button to remove the unnecessary formulas.
3. Compress Images in Excel for Email
We have an image in Excel. If we compress the image then the size of our Excel file will also reduce. The steps to compress the image are given below.
Steps:
- Select the image we need to compress.
- Click on the Picture Format tab.
- Now, select Compress Pictures.
- Remove the tick mark beside Apply only to this picture in the Compression options.
- After that, select the E-mail (96 ppi) option from the Resolution section and click on OK.
Read More: How to Reduce Excel File Size with Pictures
4. Delete Formatting to Compress Excel File
We can delete formatting to compress the Excel file. There are two types of formatting.
4.1 Data Formatting
Data formatting, for example changing the font style or applying a background color, can all increase the file size. Suppose, we have a dataset of range B2:F8 below which contains some data formatting. If we remove the data formatting then the size of the Excel file will be reduced to a great extent.
Steps:
- Select the entire dataset.
- Go to the Home tab.
- Select Clear from the Editing option.
- Click on the Clear Formats option.
- In the end, we can see that all of the data formatting is removed properly.
4.2 Conditional Formatting
Conditional formatting, like regular data formatting, increases the file size. Suppose we have a dataset in Excel where conditional formatting is applied to the range C5:F8. Now, we need to remove them to compress the Excel file for email. The steps are given below.
Steps:
- Select the range C5:F8 where conditional formatting is applied.
- Go to the Home tab.
- Click on Conditional Formatting and select Clear Rules.
- Select Clear Rules from Selected Cells.
- In the end, all of the conditional formatting will be removed successfully.
5. Save Excel File in Binary Format (.xlsb) for Emailing
Saving Excel files in binary format reduces the size of the file to some extent. The steps for doing so are given below.
Steps:
- Go to the File tab.
- Select Options.
- Click on Save.
- Go to Save workbooks.
- Select Excel Binary Workbook in Save files in this format option.
- Click on the OK button.
6. Compress Excel File by Zipping
After zipping an Excel file, we’ll notice an immediate size reduction of about 10-15%. We can send this zipped file to someone else via email, and they can unzip it and use the Excel workbook. The steps for this are below.
Steps:
- Right-click on the Excel file.
- Click on the Send to option.
- Select the Compressed (zipped) folder.
- The Excel file is zipped successfully.
Read More: How to Zip an Excel File
7. Delete Watches to Compress Excel File for Email
People working on large files with many sheets and formulas are familiar with watches. Multiple watches add weight to the spreadsheets. When you’re finished with them, it’s a good idea to delete them from your files. Let’s assume, we have a dataset where cell E8 contains a watch. Now, we need to remove it. The steps to do so are given below.
Steps:
- Select the desired cell E8 and go to Formulas tab.
- After that click on Watch Window in the Formula Auditing option.
- A window named Watch Window will appear.
- Select the desired cell and click on the Delete Watch button.
- The watch will be removed successfully.
Read More: How to Reduce Excel File Size Without Deleting Data
8. Elimination of Hidden Data to Reduce Excel File Size
We can reduce Excel file size by eliminating hidden data. Suppose, we have an Excel workbook where the Data Formatting worksheet is hidden. We can unhide it by following the process below.
Steps:
- Right-click on any worksheet.
- Click on Unhide.
- A window named Unhide will pop up.
- Select Data Formatting and click the OK button.
- We can see that the Data Formatting worksheet has appeared.
9. Clear Blank Cells to Compress Excel File
When you finish a task in an Excel workbook, there are many unused cells that are no longer useful in your workbook. These unused cells sometimes increase the file size.
Eliminating formatting from these blank cells reduces the file size. The steps to do so are below.
Steps:
- Go to the Home tab.
- Select Clear.
- Click on Clear All.
Another way to clear blank cells is in the below.
Steps:
- Go to the Home tab.
- Click on Find & Select and select Go To Special.
- The Go To Special window will appear.
- Select the Blanks option and click the OK button.
Read More: How to Reduce Excel File Size by Deleting Blank Rows
10. Email Compressed File by Imposing Manual Calculation
Imposing manual calculations actually speeds up your calculations in Excel. However, in large Excel files, performing manual calculations can also help you reduce file size. The steps to impose manual calculation in Excel are below.
Steps:
- Go to Formulas > Click on Calculation Options.
- Finally, select Manual.
11. Use of Pivot Table in Excel File to Email
Using Pivot tables or Excel tables instead of a series of formulas is a more efficient way to display your results. The use of pivot tables also reduces the Excel file size.
Read More: How to Reduce Excel File Size with Pivot Table
12. Use File Properties to Format Files
After completing all of the tasks in Excel, it is easier to reduce the size of an Excel file using file properties. It’s a Windows feature that has nothing to do with Excel. The steps are below.
Steps:
- Right-click on the Excel file and select Properties.
- In turn, a window will appear.
- Go to General and click on Advanced.
- Mark Compress contents to save disk space and click the OK button.
Read More: How to Compress Excel File to Smaller Size
13. Avoid Making References to Entire Rows or Columns
SUMIF or VLOOKUP functions look for data in the entire columns or rows. Instead of referring to the entire dataset, we can refer to just a few cells if necessary. For example:
Instead of using
=SUMIF(D:D,$F4,E:E)Use
=SUMIF(D:D,$F4,E:E)This formula refers to the first 50 cells of column D.
Download Practice Workbook
Download the practice workbook from here.
Conclusion
I hope the above methods will be helpful for you to compress Excel files for email. Download the practice workbook and give it a try. Let us know your feedback in the comment section. Follow our website to get more articles like this.
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