Sometimes, you may need to open workbooks created in older versions of Excel, such as Excel 2003 or Excel 2000. When you open these files, Excel switches to Compatibility Mode.

In Compatibility Mode, some features are disabled. This is because only the tools and commands from the older version are available. For example, if you open a workbook made in Excel 2003, you can only use the features from that version.

You can see if a workbook is in Compatibility Mode by checking the top of the Excel window, next to the file name. When this mode is active, some Excel 2016 features will be grayed out and unavailable on the Ribbon.

Why Use Compatibility Mode?

Compatibility Mode is helpful when working with others who use older versions of Excel. Keeping the file in this mode ensures the format stays the same and works for everyone.