MS Excel: Unlocking General and Formula Options Boost Performance, Ensure Data Integrity, and Streamline Your Workflow

Excel’s Options dialog is where you stop fighting your workbook and start shaping Excel to suit the way you work. Two tabs you’ll open many times as a power user or teacher are General (personalisation and defaults) and Formulas (how Excel calculates). Below you’ll find an easy-to-follow walkthrough, practical examples, step-by-step how-tos, VBA snippets you can drop into a workbook, AI-sized ways to speed your workflow, and a short FAQ tailored for audiences.

Excel Options window displaying general settings for user interface customization, workbook creation, and Microsoft Office personalization.

Quick overview — why these tabs matter

• General controls your Excel environment: user name, theme, default new-workbook settings (how many sheets, default font), and startup behaviour — small things that speed up classroom demonstrations and day-to-day work. Microsoft Support

• Formulas controls calculation mode, iterative (circular) calculation, multi-threading, and error-checking rules — settings that can make or break large financial models and complex dashboards. Changing these affects how and when Excel recalculates your formulas. Microsoft Support+1

How to open Excel Options (one-line)

1. In Excel: File → Options. The Excel Options dialog appears with the list of categories on the left (General, Formulas, Proofing, Advanced…). Microsoft Support

Part A — The General tab in Excel

Excel settings interface showing options for customizing user interface and workbook preferences. Features include display optimization, toolbar settings, font selection, and personalization options.

1. User Interface Options

This section controls how Excel looks and responds while you interact with it.

• When using multiple displays

  • Optimize for best appearance: Keeps Excel’s interface sharp and well-scaled, ideal for modern high-resolution or multi-monitor setups.

  • Optimize for compatibility (restart required): If Excel looks blurry or text/icons scale incorrectly on secondary monitors, this option adjusts display rendering for stability, but may reduce visual sharpness.

• Show Mini Toolbar on selection: Displays a small floating toolbar with common formatting tools (bold, italic, font color, etc.) when you highlight text or cells. It saves time by avoiding constant ribbon navigation.

• Show Quick Analysis options on selection: When you highlight a data range, Excel shows the Quick Analysis tool, giving instant access to features like conditional formatting, charts, totals, and sparklines. This is particularly useful for quick insights.

• Enable Live Preview: Lets you see how a formatting option (e.g., font style, chart type, theme color) will look before actually applying it. Hover over an option, and the worksheet preview updates temporarily.

• Collapse the ribbon automatically: Hides the Ribbon after you click a command, maximizing worksheet space. The Ribbon reappears only when you click a tab again.

• Collapse the Microsoft Search box by default: Reduces the visibility of the search bar in the Ribbon, leaving more room for commands. It’s helpful if you rarely use the “Tell Me” or “Search” box.

• ScreenTip style

  • Show feature descriptions in ScreenTips: Displays full tooltips with both the feature name and a description of what it does.

  • Don’t show feature descriptions in ScreenTips: Shows only the feature name when you hover.

  • Don’t show ScreenTips: Hides tooltips completely — useful for advanced users who already know the commands.

Excel Options window is open, displaying settings for customizing new workbooks, including default font, font size, and default view. The interface also shows additional personalization options for Microsoft Office.

2. When Creating New Workbooks

These settings decide how all new workbooks will look and behave by default.

• Use this as the default font: Sets the font used for every new workbook (e.g., Calibri, Arial). This ensures consistent formatting across all your reports.

• Font size: Sets the default text size in all new workbooks. Common defaults are 10 or 11, but trainers and presenters may prefer 12 or larger for readability.

• Default view for new sheets: Determines how a worksheet opens by default. Options:

  • Normal View: Standard grid view (most common).

  • Page Layout View: Shows margins, headers, and how the sheet would look when printed.

  • Page Break Preview: Highlights page breaks to help with printing setup.

• Include this many sheets: Sets how many worksheets are included automatically when you create a new workbook (e.g., 1, 3, or more).

Screenshot of the Excel Options dialogue box showing customization settings, including interface preferences, new workbook defaults, and personalization options for customizing Microsoft Office appearance and functionality.

3. Personalize Your Copy of Microsoft Office

These options allow you to brand your Excel environment.

• User name: The name stored in document properties and comments. Typically, this is the name of the PC user or company employee.

• Always use these values regardless of sign in to Office: If checked, Excel will always use the name entered here, even if you sign in with a different Microsoft account.

• Office Background: Adds a decorative background design (such as Circles and Stripes, Clouds, or Calligraphy) that appears in the Ribbon. It’s cosmetic only.

• Office Theme: Adjusts the overall color scheme of Excel. Options include:

  • Colorful: Bright with Excel’s signature green.

  • Dark Gray: Softer, darker tone for eye comfort.

  • Black: High-contrast dark theme for low-light environments.

  • White: Clean, bright background (default in most versions).

Excel options menu displaying customization settings for workbooks, themes, privacy, and integration with LinkedIn features.

4. Privacy Settings

• Privacy Settings button: Opens the Trust Center’s privacy panel, where you can control how Excel handles data collection, document inspection, and linked services. Important for users handling sensitive data or working under compliance rules (finance, healthcare, etc.).

Screenshot of the Excel Options window showcasing customizable settings, including user personalization for Microsoft Office and startup options.

5. LinkedIn Features

• Enable LinkedIn features in my Office applications: When enabled, Office apps can pull LinkedIn profile information for improved collaboration (e.g., showing colleagues’ LinkedIn details while viewing comments). If disabled, LinkedIn integration is removed for privacy or reduced distraction.

Illustration of configuring Excel options, highlighting settings for personalizing Microsoft Office and startup preferences.

6. Start Up Options

Controls how Excel opens and whether it’s the default app for spreadsheets.

• Default Programs…: Opens Windows settings where you can assign Excel as the default program for file types like .xlsx, .xls, .csv, etc.

• Tell me if Microsoft Excel isn’t the default program for viewing and editing spreadsheets: If checked, Excel will prompt you whenever another program tries to take over as the default spreadsheet app.

• Show the Start screen when this application starts: Displays the welcome screen (with templates and recent files) when you open Excel. If unchecked, Excel opens directly to a blank workbook.

Part B — Formulas tab: calculation control & performance

The Formulas tab in Excel’s Options window is where you control how Excel handles calculations, formulas, and error checking. These settings directly affect how accurate your spreadsheets are, how quickly they process, and how efficiently you can troubleshoot issues.

The tab is divided into four main sections:

• Calculation Options

• Working with Formulas

• Error Checking

• Error Checking Rules

Let’s go through each section in detail.

Excel Options interface displaying various formula calculation settings, including options for automatic calculation, iterative calculation settings, and error checking features.

1. Calculation Options

This section determines how and when Excel recalculates formulas. By default, Excel tries to keep everything up to date in real time, but you can change this behavior for performance reasons.

Workbook Calculation Modes

• Automatic: Excel recalculates all dependent formulas instantly whenever a value changes. This is the default and best for everyday work.

• Automatic except for data tables: Same as Automatic, but data tables (which are often large and slow) will only recalculate when you press F9. This saves time in big models.

• Manual: Excel won’t update formulas automatically. Instead, you must press F9 to refresh. This is useful for extremely large or complex workbooks where constant recalculation would slow you down.

Extra setting:

• Recalculate workbook before saving (checkbox): Even in manual mode, Excel will refresh all formulas when saving, so you don’t accidentally save outdated results.

Iterative Calculations

Normally, Excel does not allow formulas to refer to themselves (circular references). But with Enable iterative calculation (checkbox), you can allow circular formulas to run repeatedly until they converge on a result.

You can control:

• Maximum Iterations – How many times Excel should loop the calculation.

• Maximum Change – The precision threshold for stopping (smaller numbers = more accuracy, but slower).

Common uses:

• Financial models (e.g., calculating interest based on a changing balance).

• Engineering simulations.

• Custom iterative algorithms.

Multi-Threaded Calculation

Modern computers have multiple CPU cores. With Enable multi-threaded calculation (checkbox), Excel can split formula calculations across them for faster performance.

• Use all processors on this computer: Default and fastest option.

• Manual: Choose exactly how many cores Excel should use. This is useful if you want Excel to leave some CPU power available for other programs.

Example: A financial analyst working on a huge forecasting model might set calculation to Manual mode and press F9 only when needed. This avoids waiting for recalculations after every small edit.

Exploring Excel Options: The 'Formulas' tab is highlighted, showing settings for calculation, formula reference style, and error checking preferences.

2. Working with Formulas

This section defines how Excel interprets and displays formulas.

• R1C1 reference style (checkbox):

  • Default Excel style is A1 (e.g., A1, B2, C3).

  • R1C1 style uses row/column notation (e.g., Row 1 Column 1 = R1C1).

  • Useful for programmers, VBA coders, or advanced modelers.

• Formula AutoComplete (checkbox): When typing a formula, Excel suggests function names, defined names, and table references. This speeds up work and reduces typing errors.

• Use table names in formulas (checkbox): Instead of referencing cell ranges like =SUM(A2:A10), Excel uses structured references like =SUM(Sales[Revenue]). This makes formulas easier to read and maintain.

Adjusting Excel Formula Settings: The image shows the "Excel Options" interface, focusing on the "Formulas" section. Options for calculation, error checking, and working with formulas are displayed, allowing users to customize how Excel handles formula errors and calculations.

3. Error Checking

This section manages how Excel alerts you about potential formula issues.

• Enable background error checking (checkbox): Excel continuously checks for formula mistakes in the background. Potential issues are flagged with a small green triangle in the corner of the cell.

• Indicate errors using this color: You can choose the color used for error flags (default is green).

The image shows the "Excel Options" menu with the "Formulas" tab selected. It highlights various settings related to calculation options, working with formulas, and error checking. The error checking rules section outlines conditions that trigger alerts, such as cells containing errors or numbers formatted as text.

4. Error Checking Rules

Here, you control which specific formula mistakes Excel should warn you about. Each rule is a checkbox that you can turn on or off:

• Cells containing formulas that result in an error (e.g., #DIV/0!).

• Inconsistent calculated column formula in tables (one row differs from the rest).

• Cells containing years represented as 2 digits (e.g., 99 instead of 1999, which can cause confusion).

• Numbers formatted as text or preceded by an apostrophe (can prevent calculations from working properly).

• Formulas inconsistent with other formulas in the region (Excel spots patterns and warns if one formula looks out of place).

• Formulas which omit cells in a region (for example, adding A1:A9 but leaving out A10 by mistake).

• Unlocked cells containing formulas (may be risky if workbook protection is applied).

• Formulas referring to empty cells (could be unintentional).

• Data entered in a table is invalid (doesn’t meet the table’s validation rules).

Example: If you accidentally divide by zero, Excel will highlight the cell with a small triangle, making it easy to spot and fix.

Final Note: The Formulas tab is all about balancing speed, accuracy, and error prevention. Whether you’re working with large datasets, financial models, or simple reports, adjusting these options ensures Excel behaves the way you need.

AI & this topic — how AI helps, and which AI to use

Ways AI can help

• Explain settings in natural language and suggest defaults for your scenario (e.g., which iteration count for iterative financial model).

• Generate VBA macros to set Options on workbook open/close.

• Audit a workbook: spot formula bottlenecks and suggest optimizations (e.g., volatile functions to remove).

• Create step-by-step lesson plans or cheat-sheets for students.

Which AI suits best

• ChatGPT (GPT-4 / GPT-5 families) — best for conversational explanations, code generation, and crafting classroom materials. (Ask for runnable VBA snippets and short explanations.)

• Microsoft 365 Copilot — best when you want in-app help tied to files in Office (contextual suggestions inside Excel).

• GitHub Copilot — useful if you write a lot of VBA or scripts and want code-completion inside an editor.

• Specialized performance analyzers — use Excel profiler add-ins and performance guides (combine AI advice with actual profiling).

FAQ (5–7 questions) — focused for audiences

Q1: Will changing calculation mode to Manual break shared files I send to colleagues?

A: Calculation options are application-level and affect your open workbooks; other users opening the file on their machines may have different calculation defaults. To enforce behavior for everyone, use a small Workbook_Open VBA macro to set the desired mode when the file is opened. Microsoft Support+1

Q2: How many iterations should I pick for iterative calculation?

A: Start with 100 and 0.001 for MaxChange. Increase iterations or reduce MaxChange for more accuracy, but expect slower calc times. Test until results stabilize. Microsoft Support

Q3: Does enabling multi-threading always speed calculations?

A: Usually yes, for CPU-bound recalculation, but some models with many small dependencies may show little benefit; in rare cases multi-threading can expose race conditions with volatile external links — test with your workbook. Microsoft Learn

Q4: Can I set default font and templates for all new workbooks?

A: Yes — use File → Options → General to set default font and number of sheets. For richer templates (styles, number formats), save an .xltx into your XLStart or custom templates folder. Microsoft Support

Q5: Is there a recommended setting for large data analysis (Power Query / Power Pivot)?

A: Use Manual while performing big transformations, then switch to Automatic (or trigger full recalculation) once the final load is done. Leverage Power Query / Power Pivot to push heavy work out of cell formulas. (Also enable multi-threading.) Microsoft Learn

Q6: Will changing these Options affect Excel for web?

A: Settings described here are for desktop Excel. Excel for the web has its own behavior and fewer low-level options.

Final quick checklist (copy/paste to students)

• File → Options → General → set default sheets & font.

• File → Options → Formulas → pick calc mode (Auto / Manual).

• Turn on Iterative calculation only if you need circular formulas.

• Use VBA to enforce settings across users.

• Test multi-threading on one copy before applying in production.

The General tab and the Formulas tab in Excel’s Options window may seem like small parts of the software, but together they shape how Excel looks, feels, and performs for you.

• The General tab is about personalization and usability. It allows you to set up the Excel environment so it feels natural and efficient: choosing your default font and sheet layout, customizing the ribbon and toolbars, applying your preferred theme, and even integrating with LinkedIn. These adjustments save time and make your workspace more intuitive.

• The Formulas tab is about calculation power and accuracy. It gives you direct control over how Excel computes results, manages circular references, leverages multiple processors, and checks for formula errors. Whether you’re an analyst working with massive datasets or a casual user making simple budgets, these settings ensure that your results are both fast and reliable.