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Note

Office 365 ProPlus is being renamed to Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise. For more information about this change, read this blog post.

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Summary

Microsoft excel mac 2011 why does my page turn grey and white

Microsoft Excel now has a built-in AutoRecover feature that has replaced the AutoSave add-in that exists in versions of Excel that are earlier than Microsoft Excel 2002. The AutoRecover feature saves copies of all open Excel files at a user-definable fixed interval. The files can be recovered if Excel closes unexpectedly, for example, during a power failure.

This article contains an overview of the AutoRecover feature.

More Information

How to configure the AutoRecover settings

Microsoft Office Excel 2007 and Excel 2010

The controls to configure the AutoRecover feature are in the Save settings in Excel Options.

Note To open the Save settings, click the Microsoft Office Button in Excel 2007 or the File menu in Excel 2010, clickExcel Optionsin 2007 or Options in Excel 2010, and then click Save.

To configure the AutoRecover settings, follow these steps:

  1. Under Save Workbooks, click to select the Save AutoRecover info everycheck box to turn on the AutoRecover feature.

  2. In the minutes box, you can type any integer from 1 through 120. This box sets the number of minutes that will occur between saves.

    The default is 10 minutes.

  3. In the AutoRecover file location box, you can type the path and the folder name of the location in which you want the AutoRecover files to stay.

    The default location is as follows:

    drive:Documents and Settings*user_name*Application DataMicrosoftExcel

    Notes

    • If the location that you type is local (on your hard drive) or is on a network drive, and if this location does not exist, you receive the following error message:

      Cannot access directory path.

      To determine the unique number that is associated with the message that you receive, press CTRL+SHIFT+I. The following number appears in the lower-right corner of this message:

      100100

    • If you click to clear the AutoRecover file location box but do not enter a new location, AutoRecover files will continue to be saved to the location that you cleared. This will occur until you type a new location.

      The AutoRecover file location box remains empty until you type a new location.

  4. You can turn off the AutoRecover feature in an individual workbook. To do this, click to select the Disable AutoRecover for this workbook only check box under the AutoRecover exceptions for box. Make sure that the workbook name is selected in the AutoRecover exceptions for box.

Microsoft Office Excel 2003 and earlier versions of Excel

The controls to configure the AutoRecover dialog box are on the Save tab of the Options dialog box.

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Note To open the Options dialog box, click Options on the Tools menu.

To configure the AutoRecover dialog box, follow these steps:

  1. Under Settings, click to select the Save AutoRecover info everycheck box to turn on the AutoRecover feature.

  2. In the minutes box, you can type any integer from 1 through 120. This box sets the number of minutes that will occur between saves.

    The default is 10 minutes.

  3. In the AutoRecover file location box, you can type the path and the folder name of the location in which you want the AutoRecover files to stay.

    The default location is as follows:

    drive:Documents and Settings*user_name*Application DataMicrosoftExcel

    Notes

    • If the location that you type is local (on your hard drive) and if the location does not exist, you receive the following error message:

      Cannot access directory path.

    • If the location that you type is on a network drive, you will not receive an alert until your first AutoRecover attempt. You receive the following error message:

      Microsoft cannot save AutoRecover info to path. Please check the network connection or change the location on the Save tab of the Tools, Options dialog.

    • If you clear the AutoRecover file location box but do not enter a new location, AutoRecover files will continue to be saved to the location that you cleared. This occurs until you type a new location.

      The AutoRecover file location box remains empty until you type a new location.

  4. You can turn off the AutoRecover feature in an individual workbook. To do this, click to select the Disable AutoRecover check box under Workbook options.

When an AutoRecover event is triggered

When an Excel file is open and AutoRecover is turned on, AutoRecover does not save the file until the first change is made to the file, the AutoRecover save time interval passes, and Excel has been idle for some time (the default is 30 seconds). After AutoRecover saves the file, the file is only saved at subsequent save intervals if further changes are made.

When AutoRecover files are deleted

To keep from filling up your AutoRecover location with unneeded files, AutoRecover files are automatically deleted in the following situations:

  • When the file is manually saved.
  • The file is saved with a new file name using Save As.
  • You close the file.
  • You quit Excel, whether you choose to save the file or not.
  • You turn off AutoRecover for the current workbook.
  • You turn off AutoRecover by clearing the Save AutoRecover info every check box.

AutoRecover save timing

The AutoRecover timer checks for changed Excel files at the interval you set in the minutes box on the Save tab in the Options dialog box. The timer starts when you start Excel.

Note

In Excel 2007, the minutes box is in the Save category in the Excel Option dialog box. In Excel 2010, the minutes box is in the Save category under File, Options.

When the first save interval passes, Excel checks to see whether any open files have been changed. If Excel locates changed files, an idle timer starts. The purpose of the idle timer is to make sure that the user does not make entries in the worksheet while the save operation occurs. The idle timer restarts each time that the user makes an entry into the worksheet so the AutoRecover save file is not created until both the save interval passes and no entries are made for the duration of the idle time.

The default idle time is 30 seconds. To change the default idle time, use the AutoRecoverDelay registry key. To do this, follow these steps.

Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

322756 How to back up and restore the registry in Windows

  1. Quit Excel if it is running.

  2. Click Start, click Run, type regedit in the Open box, and then click OK.

  3. Locate and then select one of the following registry keys, as appropriate for the version of Excel that you are running.

    For Microsoft Excel 2002:

    HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftOffice10.0ExcelOptions

    For Excel 2003:

    HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftOffice11.0ExcelOptions

    For Excel 2007:

    HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftOffice12.0ExcelOptions

    For Excel 2010:

    HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftOffice14.0ExcelOptions

  4. On the Edit menu, click New, and then click DWORD value.

  5. Type the following name for the new value:

    AutoRecoverDelay

  6. Press ENTER.

  7. Right-click the AutoRecoverDelay registry key, and then click Modify.

  8. In the Value data box, type a number between 1 and 600. This is the number of seconds before AutoRecover tries to save.

  9. When you are finished, click OK.

  10. Quit Registry Editor.

Note

Only manually performed actions in the program affect the idle timer. Formulas that automatically update the file do not affect the idle timer. Excel saves the file when the idle time is reached, between the automatic updates to the formulas.

File formats that are saved by AutoRecover

AutoRecover saves all file formats that can be opened in Excel. To maintain speed and simplicity, AutoRecover saves all files as the current Excel file format, regardless of the original file format opened. The file is saved as a hidden file with an arbitrary filename with the extension .xar (for example, ~ar18a.xar).

When you try to save a recovered file upon reopening Excel after it closed unexpectedly, the original file format and name is suggested as the Save file type. Excel stores the original file name and its related .xar file name in the registry for the purpose of recovery.

AutoRecover and multiple instances of Excel

When more than one instance of Excel is running and one instance closes unexpectedly, a new instance of Excel is automatically started and the AutoRecover files are opened. If all instances of Excel close unexpectedly, but the computer is still running, a single instance of Excel is started and all AutoRecover files are opened. In the case of a power outage, all recovered files are opened when you start Excel again.

Compatibility

All AutoRecover settings, except the Disable AutoRecover workbook option, are stored in the system registry. AutoRecover settings are compatible with files from previous versions of Excel is not an issue.

When the Disable AutoRecover workbook option is set, and the file is opened in an earlier version of Excel, saved, and then reopened in a later version of Excel, the Disable AutoRecover workbook option is not affected.

References

For more information about how to troubleshoot errors when you save Excel files, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Microsoft Excel Mac 2011 Why Does My Page Turn Grey Paint

271513 How to troubleshoot errors when you save Excel files

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Note

Office 365 ProPlus is being renamed to Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise. For more information about this change, read this blog post.

Symptoms

One or more toolbars are missing and cannot be added in Microsoft Excel for Mac.

Cause

There are two possible causes of this behavior:

  • The oval button in the upper-right corner of the document was clicked. This button 'toggles' the display of toolbars on and off.
  • There is an issue with Excel preferences.

Microsoft Excel Mac 2011 Why Does My Page Turn Grey Hair

Resolution

To resolve this issue, use the following methods in order.

Microsoft Excel Mac 2011 Why Does My Page Turn Grey And White

Method 1: Make sure that toolbar display is not turned off

  1. In the upper-right corner of the Excel window, click the oval button.

    Note

    When this button is clicked, the toolbars are hidden (in any Microsoft Office for Mac application). A second click causes the toolbars to be displayed.

  2. If the toolbars reappear, quit Excel, and then restart Excel to make sure that the appropriate toolbars are displayed.

If Method 1 did not resolve the problem, try Method 2.

Method 2: Remove the Excel preferences

Step 1: Quit all applications

To quit active applications, follow these steps:

  1. On the Apple menu, click Force Quit.
  2. Select an application in the 'Force Quit Applications' window.
  3. Click Force Quit.
  4. Repeate the previous steps until you quit all active applications.

Warning

When an application is force quit, any unsaved changes to open documents are not saved.

Step 2: Remove the Excel Preferences

To remove the Excel preferences, follow these steps.

  1. Quit all Microsoft Office for Mac applications.

  2. On the Go menu, click Home.

  3. Open Library.

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    Note

    The Library folder is hidden in MAC OS X Lion. To display this folder, hold down the OPTION key while you click the Go menu.

  4. Open the Preferences folder. Click View, click Arrange by, and then select Name.

  5. Look for a file that is named com.microsoft.Excel.plist.

  6. If you locate the file, drag the file to the desktop. If you cannot locate the file, the application is using the default preferences.

  7. If you locate the file and move it to the desktop, start Excel, and check whether the problem still occurs. If the problem still occurs, quit Excel, and restore the file to its original location. Then, go to the next step. If the problem seems to be resolved, you can move the com.microsoft.Excel.plist file to the trash.

  8. Quit all Office for Mac applications.

  9. On the Go menu, click Home.

  10. Open Library.

    Note

    The Library folder is hidden in MAC OS X Lion. To display this folder, hold down the OPTION key while you click the Go menu.

  11. Open the Preferences folder.

  12. Open the Microsoft Folder.

  13. Look for a file that is named com.microsoft.Excel.prefs.plist.

  14. If you locate the file, move it to the desktop. If cannot locate the file, the application is using the default preferences.

  15. If you locate the file and move it to the desktop, start Excel, and then check whether the problem still occurs. If the problem still occurs, quit Excel, and restore the file to its original location. Then, go to the next step. If the problem seems to be resolved, you can move the com.microsoft.Excel.prefs.plist file to the trash.

  16. Close all Office applications.

  17. On the Go menu, click Home.

  18. Open Library.

    Note

    The Library folder is hidden in MAC OS X Lion. To display this folder, hold down the OPTION key while you click the Go menu.

  19. Open the Preferences folder.

  20. Open the Microsoft Folder.

  21. Open the Office 2008 or Office 2011 folder.

  22. Look for a file that is named Excel Toolbars (12) or Microsoft Excel Toolbars.

  23. If you locate the file, move it to the desktop. If you cannot locate the file, the application is using the default preferences.

If you locate the file and move it to the desktop, start Excel, and check whether the problem still occurs. If the problem still occurs, quit Excel, and restore the file to its original location. If the problem seems to be resolved, you can move the Excel Toolbars (12) file or the Microsoft Excel Toolbars to the trash.

Note

If the problem still occurs after you follow these steps, the problem is not related to these files. If the problem no longer occurs, one of these files was causing the problem. If this is the case, restore the files to their original location one at a time. Test the application after you restore each file. Continue to do this until the problem occurs again. When the problem recurs, you can then assume that it is caused by the last file that you restored. Drag that file to the trash.