Look Who it Was Random video

Excel - Unlocking the big grid in Excel - Episode 401

729 views · Published 5 October 2009 · 3:49 · Indexed 20 September 2026

Channel: MrExcel.com · 2009 · Education

Watch on YouTube

Microsoft Excel Tutorial: How to unlock the big grid with 1,048,576 rows in Excel.

Welcome to the MrExcel netcast, where we discuss all things Excel. In this episode, we're diving into one of the most exciting new features of Excel 2007 - the big grid. As we all know, the release date for Excel 2007 is January 30th, 2007, and we can't wait to get our hands on it.

The biggest game-changer in the new Excel is the grid size. If you're someone who regularly imports large amounts of data, you've probably run into the limit of 65,536 rows in the current version of Excel. And let's not forget the 256 column limit, which only allows us to go up to column IV. But fear not, the new Excel has blown through these limitations with a whopping 1.1 million rows and over 16,000 columns. That's right, you can now fit 46 years worth of daily dates or 17 billion cells on a single worksheet. That's just Sheet1, folks!

But here's the catch - when you first open an old legacy workbook in Excel 2007, you'll notice that you can only go up to 65,536 rows. Don't panic, this is because you're in Compatibility Mode. This mode allows you to save the file in an older version of Excel, but it also limits your grid size. There are two ways to solve this problem - you can either convert the file or save it as a new file format.

The first option is to use File, Convert, which will delete your original file and save it in the new Excel 2007 format. However, I personally find this frustrating as it deletes my original file. Instead, I prefer to use Save As and choose either a Macro-Enabled Workbook, Binary Workbook, or an Excel Workbook. This will give you a new file extension, such as xlsm for macro, xlsx for regular, or xlsb for binary. Once you save the file, you'll need to close and reopen it to access the full grid size.

So there you have it, the new Excel with its massive grid size is a game-changer for anyone working with large amounts of data. Just remember, when opening old legacy workbooks, you'll need to convert or save them in a new file format to access the full grid size. Thanks for tuning in to this netcast from MrExcel, we'll see you next time for more Excel tips and tricks.

Buy Bill Jelen's latest Excel book: https://www.mrexcel.com/products/latest/

You can help my channel by clicking Like or commenting below: https://www.mrexcel.com/like-mrexcel-on-youtube/

Table of Contents:
(00:00) Introduction to Excel 2007 and its new features
(00:22) Retail release date and availability
(00:32) Increased grid size: 
(00:44) 1 million rows and 16,000 columns 
(01:05) Illustration of new grid size
(01:26) Examples of the vast number of cells available
(01:43) Compatibility mode and its limitations
(02:08) Solutions to accessing the full grid size
(03:10) How to open old legacy workbooks in the new Excel
(03:20) Clicking Like really helps the algorithm


#excel #microsoft #microsoftexcel #exceltutorial #exceltips #exceltricks #excelmvp #freeclass #freecourse #freeclasses #excelclasses #microsoftmvp #walkthrough #evergreen #spreadsheetskills #analytics #analysis #dataanalysis #dataanalytics #mrexcel #spreadsheets #spreadsheet #excelhelp #accounting #tutorial 

This video answers these common search terms:
Converting Excel files to new format
Excel 2007 file formats
Excel 2007 new features
Excel 2007 release date
Excel Compatibility Mode
Excel grid size
Excel row and column limits
Importing data in Excel
Increasing rows in Excel 2007
Opening old legacy workbooks in Excel 2007
Saving Excel files as Macro-Enabled Workbook
Tips and tricks for Excel 2007

Join the MrExcel Message Board discussion about this video at https://www.mrexcel.com/board/threads/1152660/



Excel 2007 sports a massive grid. Take a tour of cell XFD1084576 to get a sense of just how big the new grid really is. Also: how to unlock the extra rows when you open your legacy workbooks in Excel. Episode 401 shows you how.

This blog is the video netcast companion to the upcoming book, Excel 2007 Miracles Made Easy. Download a new two minute video every Tuesday and Thursday to learn one of the tips from the book!

More from this channel