How to Compress Excel File More than 100MB (7 Useful Ways)

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If you are looking for how to compress an Excel file of more than 100 MB, then you are in the right place. In our practical life, we often need to use Excel files and transfer these files to various devices and need to share them. The file size is an important factor there. So, we often need to compress it. In this article, we’ll try to discuss how to compress Excel files of more than 100MB.


How to Compress Excel File More than 100MB: 7 Useful Ways

There are various ways to compress an Excel file or to reduce the size of it. Let’s discuss the methods to compress Excel files.

1. Compress Excel File More than 100 MB to ZIP/RAR

We can compress Excel files to ZIP/RAR and thus reduce the size of it.

  • Right-click on our Excel file named Compress Excel File.
  • Choose to Add to archive.

compress excel file more than 100mb

  • An Archive name and parameters window will appear.
  • Go to General > Select RAR or ZIP in the Active format. We have selected RAR.
  • Finally, click OK.

compress excel file more than 100mb, ZIP/RAR

So, now our Excel file is compressed to a RAR file.

Disclaimer: We used WinRAR software as an example. No business issue or advertisement is involved.

Read More: How to Compress Excel File to Smaller Size


2. Using Excel Binary Format for Saving Excel File to Compress Excel File More than 100 MB

Saving the workbook as a Binary file in the format .xlsb can save a great amount of space by reducing the file size by almost up to 60%. This is one of the simplest methods to reduce the Excel file size i.e. to compress it.

  • Go to File.

compress excel file more than 100mb, binary format

  • Select Save As > Choose file type as Excel Binary Workbook (*.xlsb) > Click Browse and keep the file in the specified place on the device.

compress excel file more than 100mb, binary format

  • Excel Binary Workbook named Compress Excel File is created and the size is decreased from 24KB to 20 KB.

compress excel file more than 100mb, binary format


3. Clearing Blank Cells to Reduce Excel File Size

Blank cells occupy spaces in an Excel file. If we clear the blank cells then the size of the file is reduced by a large amount.

  • To clear blank cells, click CTRL + SHIFT + ↓ + →. The arrow signs indicate where we need to put our command.

compress excel file more than 100mb, clearing blank cells

  • Go to Home > Select Editing > Choose Clear > Click Clear All.
  • All the blank cells will be cleared.

compress excel file more than 100mb, clearing blank cells

Additionally, we can do this by following another way.

  • Go to Home > Select Editing > Choose Find & Select > Pick Go to Special.

compress excel file more than 100mb, clearing blank cells

  • The Go to Special window will appear.
  • Select Blanks and click OK.

compress excel file more than 100mb, clearing blank cells

Read More: How to Reduce Excel File Size by Deleting Blank Rows


4. Reducing the Number of Worksheets to Compress Excel File More than 100 MB

If we have any worksheets with data that we are not using or any formula in those worksheets that are not of any use, then just delete the worksheets. Additional worksheets just make the size of the Excel file bigger and deleting those unnecessary worksheets reduces the size a lot.

Read More: How to Compress Excel File for Email


5. Saving Pictures at Lower Resolution

Sometimes, we have pictures in our Excel file which actually takes up a handsome space and thus increases the file size. We can solve this issue by saving those pictures at a lower resolution.

  • Go to File.

compress excel file more than 100mb, saving pictures at lower resolution

  • Choose Options.

compress excel file more than 100mb, saving pictures at lower resolution

  • An Excel Options window will appear.
  • Go to Advanced.
  • Check Discard Editing Data in the Image Size and Quality. Make sure that Do not Compress Images in file is unchecked.
  • In the Default Resolution option, choose 150 ppi or lower. In most cases, we don’t need the resolution to be higher than that.

compress excel file more than 100mb, saving pictures at lower resolution

Read More: How to Reduce Excel File Size Without Deleting Data


6. Compressing Pictures

We can compress the pictures in an Excel file and it will also reduce the size of the file a lot.

  • Click on the picture > Go to Picture Format > Select Compress Pictures.

compressing pictures

  • The Compress Pictures window will appear.
  • In the Compression options, mark Delete cropped areas of pictures. If we need to compress only the selected picture then select Apply only to this picture. But if we need to compress all the pictures in the file just deselect this option.
  • In the Resolution box, select Use default resolution and click OK.

compressing pictures

Read More: How to Reduce Excel File Size with Pictures


7. Not Saving the Pivot Cache with the File

If our spreadsheet contains PivotTable, we can reduce the file size by not saving the PivotTable source data cache with the file. Suppose, we have the following PivotTable in our spreadsheet.

not saving pivot cache

  • Select any cell in the PivotTable to reduce the file size by not saving the Pivot cache with the file.
  • Go to PivotTable Analyze > Select PivotTable > Choose Options.

not saving pivot cache

  • The PivotTable Options window will appear.
  • Select the following options shown in the picture below and click OK.

not saving pivot cache

Read More: How to Reduce Excel File Size with Pivot Table


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Conclusion

We can compress or reduce Excel file size efficiently if we study this article properly. Please feel free to visit our website for further queries.


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Shajratul Alam Towhid
Shajratul Alam Towhid

Md Shajratul Alam Towhid, a BSc graduate in Naval Architecture & Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, holds a pivotal role as an Excel & VBA Content Developer at ExcelDemy. Fueled by a deep passion for research and innovation, he actively engages with Excel. In his capacity, Towhid not only adeptly tackles complex challenges but also exhibits enthusiasm and expertise in gracefully navigating tough situations, emphasizing his unwavering commitment to consistently delivering exceptional, high-quality content that... Read Full Bio

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