Excel for Mac defaults to tiny display size compared to Windows on shared workbooks

Question

Excel for Mac defaults to tiny display size compared to Windows on shared workbooks

Cooper Nimmo 20

When opening Excel workbooks on macOS, the default display/zoom level renders text and cells significantly smaller than on Windows. While 100% zoom looks comfortable to my colleagues on Windows PCs, 100% zoom on macOS appears visually scaled down (requiring roughly 150%–175% zoom on Mac to achieve an equivalent visual size).

Whenever I adjust and save a shared workbook at 150% zoom on my Mac so I can comfortably read it, PC users open it and find it double magnified. Then, when PC users adjust it back to 100% and save, it resets to a tiny, hard-to-read scale the next time I open it on macOS.

Is there a way to set a local user-level display preference or default zoom in Excel for Mac that overrides the saved file zoom without overwriting the metadata for other PC users? If not, are there plans to fix the default scale of Excel on macOS?

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Answer 1

Good day Cooper,

Excel stores the zoom level with the workbook when it is saved. This is why you're seeing this behavior.

Unfortunately, Excel doesn't currently offer a user specific setting that allows you to apply a default zoom level locally without affecting the workbook for other users.

I’m really sorry, I know this isn’t the outcome you were hoping for. As a fellow user in this community forum, I hope you understand that I don’t have the ability to modify or escalate product issues directly. However, I strongly recommend submitting your feedback through the Excel · Community. This is the most effective way to ensure your voice reaches the product team and can be considered for future improvements.

Once you've submitted your feedback, feel free to share the link here in the comments. I’ll be happy to upvote it to help bring more visibility.

Additionally, as other users have raised similar concerns and may not be aware of where to share their feedback, I hope this response helps clarify the situation. Highlighting this information can make it more visible to others in the community who may be facing the same issue, making it easier for them to find guidance and contribute their feedback as well.

Thank you again for your time and for raising this important usability concern.

If the answer is helpful, please click "Yes" and kindly upvote it. If you have any extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".

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Cooper Nimmo 20 Reputation points

2026-08-13T19:37:21.44+00:00

Hi Ruby,

I went ahead and submitted that feedback. Here is the link:

https://feedbackportal.microsoft.com/feedback/idea/ced49630-4e97-f111-9b47-7c1e52444ef6

Thank you for your help!
Ruby Nguyen 1,565 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-08-13T23:07:31.5+00:00

Hi Cooper,

I really appreciate you submitting the feedback and sharing the link. I have also upvoted your brilliant suggestion.

To help others with a similar question, you may also mark the answer as accepted if it addressed your concern. Doing so helps highlight the solution for other users who may be looking for the same information.

Thank you again for your contribution to the community.