Reduce Excel File Size Online – Free Excel Compressor

Choose the Excel file to shrink or drop it here · xlsx, xlsm · processed on your device

No file at hand? (a 4 MB workbook with a big photo, a pivot cache and 17,000 empty formatted rows).

How to reduce the size of an Excel file

Choose the workbook. It is opened in your browser; nothing is uploaded, so confidential files are fine.
See what makes it heavy. The breakdown shows how much each kind of content weighs: sheet data, images, pivot caches, styles, printer data.
Pick the options. Each one says what it removes and whether it has side effects. Lossless options are ticked by default.
Download the smaller copy and compare the before and after sizes. If nothing helped, the tool says so instead of giving you a bigger file.

Private by design

Most “compress Excel” websites upload your workbook to a server. Here the file is unzipped, analysed and repacked by JavaScript on your own device; you can watch the Network tab of your browser’s developer tools to confirm that nothing is sent.

Only the parts you choose are changed. The other parts are copied byte for byte, so formulas, formatting, charts, tables and macros are not rewritten.

Why Excel files get big

Pictures and screenshotsPhotos pasted at full camera resolution are often the single biggest part. Excel stores the original even if it is shown as a thumbnail.
A used range that is too bigFormatting a whole column, or deleting data with Clear instead of Delete, leaves thousands of empty but formatted cells that Excel still saves.
Pivot cachesEvery pivot table keeps a full copy of its source data inside the file, so the data is stored twice.
Old .xls formatConverting an .xls to .xlsx usually makes it smaller, because .xlsx is a compressed ZIP package.
Thousands of stylesCopying sheets between workbooks multiplies cell styles; they make the file and Excel itself slower.
Hidden extrasPrinter driver data, thumbnails and calculation chains are small, but they add up across many sheets.

How to make an Excel file smaller without a tool

Compress pictures: select an image, go to Picture Format › Compress Pictures, untick “Apply only to this picture” and pick a lower resolution such as 150 ppi.
Reset the used range: press Ctrl+End to see where Excel thinks your data ends. If it is far below your data, delete (don’t just clear) the empty rows and columns, then save.
Don’t save pivot source data: PivotTable Analyze › Options › Data, untick “Save source data with file” and tick “Refresh data when opening the file”.
Save as .xlsx or .xlsb: .xls files shrink a lot as .xlsx; the binary .xlsb format is often smaller still for large data sets.

Limitations

No promised percentage. The result depends entirely on what is inside the file. A workbook that is mostly numbers in an already compressed .xlsx may only shrink a little.
Used range is reported, not trimmed. Deleting formatted rows safely needs Excel, because formulas, names and charts may point at them.
Images: EMF, WMF, TIFF, GIF, rotated or CMYK JPEG pictures are kept as they are. Browser image encoders are good but not as strong as dedicated tools.
Formats: .xlsx, .xlsm, .xltx and .xltm. Convert .xls to .xlsx first. Encrypted files need their password removed first.
Memory: there is no size limit, but very large files need enough free memory on your device.

Frequently asked questions

Is it really free?

Yes. It is 100% free, with no usage limits, no account and no sign-up. There is no paid plan and no feature is locked.

Are my files uploaded?

No. The workbook is analysed and repacked inside your browser. The page only downloads its own code and libraries from this site. If you accept analytics cookies, Google Analytics receives anonymous usage data such as page views, never the contents or names of your files.

How much smaller will my Excel file get?

It depends entirely on what is inside. Workbooks with large photos or big pivot caches can shrink a lot; a file that is mostly numbers in an already compressed .xlsx may only shrink a little. The tool shows the real before and after sizes and never hands you a bigger file.

Will it change my data or formulas?

No. Cell values, formulas, formatting and charts are not touched. Only the parts you choose are changed: images are re-encoded, pivot cache records and printer data are removed, and everything else is copied byte for byte.

Is it safe to remove pivot cache records?

Pivot tables keep their layout and current values, and the file is set to rebuild the cache from the source data when it opens or is refreshed. If the source data is outside the workbook or unavailable, the pivot tables can’t be refreshed or filtered until it is available again.

Why is my Excel file so big with little data?

Usually because of pictures, a used range that extends far beyond your data (formatted empty rows), pivot caches or thousands of styles copied from other workbooks. The size breakdown and the used range check show which one it is.

Can I reduce an Excel file to send it by email?

Yes. Downscaling images to 1920 or 1280 pixels is usually the biggest win for email. If it is still too large, also try converting old .xls files to .xlsx and deleting unused formatted rows in Excel.

Analytics: only if you accept cookies, the page loads Google Analytics (through Google Tag Manager) to count visits and see which tools are used. It never receives the contents or names of your files. You can change your choice at any time with “Cookie settings” at the bottom of the page.

Reduce the size of an Excel file