In Excel, the automatic calculation feature is designed to make it easy for users to quickly obtain results of formulated functions. However, there might be instances where you would prefer Excel to stop calculating automatically. This could be useful when you’re working with large datasets, and the constant calculation is slowing down your computer.
In this blog post, we will walk you through the simple steps on how to stop Excel from calculating automatically.
Step 1: Open the Excel Options
To begin with, open your Excel Workbook. Go to the ‘File’ tab. From the dropdown menu, select ‘Options’.
Step 2: Go to Formulas
After clicking ‘Options’, a new window will pop up, named ‘Excel Options’. From the panel on the left-hand side, choose ‘Formulas’. This will bring you to a page where you can alter how Excel performs calculations.
Step 3: Change Calculation Options
Under the ‘Calculation options’ section, you’ll see a selection for ‘Workbook Calculation’. This is where Excel’s automatic calculation feature is controlled. By default, this will be set to ‘Automatic’. Change this to ‘Manual’ to stop Excel from calculating automatically.
Step 4: Save Changes
Once you’ve made the changes, remember to click ‘OK’ to save and apply them. Excel will no longer calculate automatically. Instead, you will need to press F9 on your keyboard each time you want Excel to perform calculations.
Option Explicit
Sub stopCalculation()
'Prevent Excel from calculating automatically
Application.Calculation = xlManual
MsgBox "Excel will no longer calculate automatically. Press F9 to perform calculations.", vbInformation
End Sub
This VBA code can also be used to stop Excel from calculating automatically. Just press ALT + F11 to open the VBA editor, paste the code into a new module, and run it.
Conclusion
Whether you’re working with a complex model or a large dataset, knowing how to control Excel’s calculation process can be a lifesaver. Remember, you can always switch back to automatic calculation by following the same steps and choosing ‘Automatic’ under ‘Workbook Calculation’.
We hope you found this guide helpful!