Microsoft Excel Introduces Stale Value Formatting to Notify Users of Unreliable Data

Recently, Microsoft unveiled an innovative feature known as Stale Value Formatting in Excel for Windows. This addition aims to assist users in identifying when a cell’s value has become outdated and requires recalculation.

In Excel, when a formula relies on a certain cell’s value that subsequently changes, the application will recalculate automatically. However, there’s a “Manual Calculation”option, which only updates formulas when prompted by the user. This is particularly beneficial for intricate spreadsheets where performance could be affected. The downside, though, is the risk of overlooking necessary recalculations, which may lead to inaccurate data in your spreadsheet.

Prior to this enhancement, recognizing stale cell values was challenging. Under Manual or Partial Calculation settings, Excel now displays a warning icon next to any stale value and applies a strikethrough to the affected cell’s content, signaling that the value is no longer valid. Users can easily recalculate directly from the cell when this occurs.

This new feature is accessible to users of Excel M365 for Windows who are operating on Version 2409 (Build 18025.20126) or newer.

According to Microsoft, the rollout of Stale Value Formatting will occur gradually to mitigate potential issues; therefore, if you haven’t received this update yet, it should arrive soon. Unfortunately, there’s no option to opt-out of this feature. Stale value formatting is available in Manual and Partial Calculation modes for various rows, columns, and cell grids, though it is currently not implemented for tables, pivot tables, or charts.

In other recent developments, the company, based in Redmond, has faced criticism after reports suggested it may use user-generated Excel and Word documents to train its AI models.

Author: Egor Kostenko

My goal is to make complex technical topics simple and accessible. On this site, I gather unique and useful content that not only solves users’ problems but also helps them better understand the capabilities of Windows.