How can I prevent my excel spreadsheets from reverting back to the original format when updates are done?

Question

How can I prevent my excel spreadsheets from reverting back to the original format when updates are done?

Renee Roberts 0

I keep spreadsheets for my financial accounts. I merge cells for the title, I change the width size of the columns, I frequently change the height of the horizontal column and I wrap text, I use fill color for some cells and if I use a dark fill color I change the font to white. In recent updates which are becoming more frequent, the merged cells revert to unmerged, the column sizes revert back to the original size, the height of the horizontal columns I have wrapped text in goes extremely high and the font that I changed to white disappears. I just in the last week changed from Microsoft Windows 10 to 365 and office to hopefully prevent this but it happened again yesterday. This is very time consuming having to fix everthing back for my purpose. What can I do to prevent this from happening?

2 answers

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Answer 1

Thomas4-N 2,660 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hello Renee Roberts, thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Q&A forum.

I understand how frustrating it can be to spend time formatting your spreadsheets only to see those changes disappear after updates.

First, make sure you always save your file in the .xlsx format instead of CSV or other text-based formats, because those will remove all formatting when reopened.

Another step you should try is to run an Online Repair for Microsoft 365. Close all Office apps, go to Control Panel > Programs > Microsoft 365 > Change, and select Online Repair. This will reinstall Office components and reset settings that might be causing the issue.

If the problem continues, please share whether the workbook uses Power Query, PivotTables, or OneDrive sync so I can provide more targeted advice.

Warm regards,

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Thomas4-N 2,660 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-10-21T04:37:52.4166667+00:00

Hello Renee Roberts,

Just checking in to see if the above information was helpful.

If you have any further updates on this issue, please feel free to post back.

If you think my reply is helpful to you, please remember to mark it as Accepted Answer. Warm thanks.
Renee Roberts 0 Reputation points

2025-10-23T01:00:03.0133333+00:00

Thanks for responding. I havent had much time to work on this but my 365 is set up to automatically update and I have always in the past updated my spreadsheets. What do you mean when you said save your file in the .xlsx format instead of CSV?
Thomas4-N 2,660 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-10-23T08:36:06.51+00:00

Thank you for the follow-up.

To clarify, .xlsx is the default Excel format and it supports all your formatting—merged cells, column widths, colors, fonts, and formulas. .csv is a plain text format used mainly for data exchange. It only stores raw values and strips out all formatting, formulas, and styles every time you reopen the file.

To check, look at the file name in the title bar or in File Explorer. If it ends with .csv, go to File > Save As > Excel Workbook (.xlsx) and save it again.

If the file is already in .xlsx format and the issue continues, the next step is to run an Online Repair for Microsoft 365. Let me know if the problem persists, along with more details such as whether your workbook uses features like Power Query, PivotTables, or OneDrive sync.
Renee Roberts 0 Reputation points

2025-10-24T16:40:07.7166667+00:00

Thank you for responding. My spreadsheet is in .xlsx format. So I if it happens again I will run an online repair. Thanks again for your help!!

Answer 2

Renee Roberts 0

Hopefully I won't have any more issues but if I do I will have to run an Online Repair.

Is there a way to save a copy of this conversation?

Thomas4-N 2,660 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-10-26T08:40:15.08+00:00

Hello,

You can do so by printing the page to PDF: Press Ctrl + P (or Cmd + P on Mac). In the print dialog, select Save as PDF. Choose a location and click Save.

If the issue happens again, running an Online Repair would be the next step. Feel free to return to this thread if you encounter further errors. Have a nice day!

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How can I prevent my excel spreadsheets from reverting back to the original format when updates are done?

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