Excel - Increase to high performance (Windows 11):

About:

This tutorial explains how to configure Microsoft Excel on Windows 11 to run in high-performance mode.
Adjusting Excel this way can resolve performance issues, especially with large or complex spreadsheets, by giving the app priority in Windows’ graphics and processing management.

Why does this help?

Windows 11 has a Graphics Performance Preference feature that lets you assign specific applications to high performance, power saving, or default GPU modes. By selecting High Performance for Excel, Windows prioritises system resources for Excel, reducing lag, rendering delays, and crashes caused by large or complex files.

Additionally, Auto Save in Excel can create live sync conflicts with very large files. Disabling Auto Save temporarily avoids these slowdowns and ensures smoother performance.

STEP 1:

1, Click the Start button, then select Settings ⚙️.

2, Navigate to System → Display.

3, Scroll down and click Graphics.

4, Click Browse, and navigate to:
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office\EXCEL.EXE

5, Select the EXCEL.EXE file and add it to the graphics preferences list.

6, After adding Excel, click Options next to the app.

7, Select High Performance. Click Save to apply the setting.

STEP 2:

1, Open Excel and ensure Auto Save (top-left corner) is turned OFF.

Excel should now run with improved performance on Windows 11, handling large or complex files more smoothly and efficiently.

And you are done 😄