Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Excel, click here: Turning Off Sharing.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated February 22, 2024)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021
At some point you may want to turn off workbook sharing in Excel. For instance, when the end of the development period for the workbook has been reached, you will want to turn off sharing and come up with your final version of the workbook.
You can turn off sharing by following these steps:
When you turn off sharing and click on the OK button, Excel displays a warning that what you are doing may have consequences for other users. Provided there are no other users accessing the workbook, you should go ahead and click on Yes. If there are other users (shown back in the Share Workbook dialog box), you may want to ask them to save their changes and close the workbook before proceeding.
If you are using later versions of Excel, such as Excel 2019 or Excel in Office 365, you will notice that the buttons related to the Shared Workbook feature no longer exist. Microsoft has introduced the concept of Co-Authoring instead. The following Microsoft Office support article explains how you can still use the Shared Workbook feature with newer versions of Word:
https://support.office.com/en-us/article/what-happened-to-shared-workbooks-150fc205-990a-4763-82f1-6c259303fe05
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (8487) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Turning Off Sharing.
Professional Development Guidance! Four world-class developers offer start-to-finish guidance for building powerful, robust, and secure applications with Excel. The authors show how to consistently make the right design decisions and make the most of Excel's powerful features. Check out Professional Excel Development today!
When you starting linking information from one workbook to another, those workbooks become dependent on each other. ...
Discover MoreWhen you are working with workbooks to which multiple people have access, it can be helpful to know who has a particular ...
Discover MoreWhen you start up Excel, you should eventually see a blank workbook, ready for you to work with. If you don't, if you see ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2021-02-24 11:52:12
Protoss
Thank you Allen, saved the day for a co-worker
2020-08-26 03:29:57
Richard Curtis
Who is allowed to turn off sharing? Is it only the creator or can anyone do it?
2020-08-11 22:07:25
Peter
very helpful, thanks
Got a version of Excel that uses the ribbon interface (Excel 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the menu interface.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Excel, click here:
Comments