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.
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13 Quick Methods to Compress Excel File for Email
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 worksheet sheets 2, 3, 4 and 5 are unnecessary. The steps to remove them are given below.
Steps:
- First, right-click on the Excel sheet which we want to remove.
- Then click on Delete.
- Now, a window naming Microsoft Excel will pop up.
- At this time, click the Delete button.
- Finally, 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 (B4:E8) that contains the names and Orders of some Items. 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:
- In the beginning, select the cells which contain the formula. In our case cells E5:E8 contain formulas. So, we selected them.
- Secondly, go to the Home tab and click the Copy button.
- Next, the cells will be selected.
- After that, go to the Home tab again and click on the Paste option.
- Now, select Paste Special.
- In turn, a Paste Special window will appear.
- At this time, select Values from the Paste option.
- Lastly, click the OK button to remove the unnecessary formulas.
Read More: How to Compress Excel File to Zip (2 Suitable Ways)
3. Compress Images in Excel for Email
Let’s say, 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:
- First, select the image we need to compress.
- Next, click on the Picture Format tab.
- Now, select Compress Pictures.
- Now, remove the tick mark beside Apply only to this picture in Compression options.
- After that, select the E-mail (96 ppi) option.
- In the end, click on OK.
Read More: How to Reduce Excel File Size with Pictures (2 Easy Ways)
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 (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. The steps to do so are given below.
Steps:
- Firstly, select the entire dataset.
- Second, go to the Home tab.
- Thirdly, select Clear from the Editing option.
- Then, click on the Clear Formats option.
- In the end, we can see that all of the data formattings are 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 cells C5:F8. Now, we need to remove them to compress the Excel file for email. The steps are given below.
Steps:
- First, select the cells (C5:F8) where conditional formatting is applied.
- Then, go to the Home tab.
- Next, click on Conditional Formatting and select Clear Rules.
- Now, select Clear Rules from Selected Cells.
- In the end, all of the conditional formattings will be removed successfully.
Read More: How to Compress Excel File to Smaller Size (7 Easy Methods)
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:
- In the beginning, go to the File tab.
- Secondly, select Options.
- Now, click on Save.
- At this time, go to Save workbooks.
- Now, select Excel Binary Workbook in Save files in this format option.
- Finally, 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 then 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:
- First, right-click on the Excel file.
- Secondly, click on the Send to option.
- Now, select the Compressed (zipped) folder.
- Finally, the excel file is zipped successfully.
Read More: How to Zip an Excel File (3 Easy Ways)
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 the E8 cell contains a watch. Now, we need to remove it. The steps to do so are given below.
Steps:
- First, select the desired cell (E8) and go to Formulas.
- After that click on Watch Window in the Formula Auditing option.
- In turn, a window naming Watch Window will appear.
- Now, select the desired cell and click on the Delete Watch button.
- Lastly, the watch will be removed successfully.
Read More: How to Reduce Excel File Size Without Deleting Data (9 Tricks)
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:
- First, right-click on any worksheet.
- Secondly, click on Unhide.
- At this moment, a window naming Unhide will pop up.
- Now, select Data Formatting and click the OK button.
- Lastly, we can see that the Data Formatting worksheet has appeared.
Read More: How to Reduce Excel File Size Without Opening (with Easy Steps)
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:
- First, go to the Home tab.
- Then, select Clear.
- After that, click on Clear All.
Another way to clear blank cells is in the below.
Steps:
- Firstly, go to the Home tab.
- Next, click on Find & Select.
- Now, select Go To Special.
- In turn, a window naming Go To Special will appear.
- Now, select the Blanks option and click the OK button.
Read More: How to Compress Excel File More than 100MB (7 Useful Ways)
10. Email Compressed File by Imposing Manual Calculation
Imposing manual calculation 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:
- In the beginning, go to Formulas.
- Second, 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.
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:
- First, right-click on the Excel file.
- Then select Properties.
- In turn, a window will appear.
- Now, go to General and click on Advanced.
- After that, select Compress contents to save disk space.
- Lastly, select the OK button.
Read More: How to Reduce Excel File Size with Pivot Table
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.
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 ExcelDemy to get more articles like this.
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