Performance and limits changedoffice-agents/performance
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3232These limits come from Claude for M365 and from Office itself.
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34| Limit | Value | What it means for you |
35| ------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------- |
36| Wait for a step where Claude runs code | 90 seconds | A heavy step can time out |
37| Wait for other steps, such as writing cells | 5 minutes on the desktop, 2 minutes on the web | A heavy step can time out |
38| Wait for a Word text edit | 30 seconds | A heavy edit can time out |
39| Cells returned by one Claude read in Excel | 2,000 cells with data | Claude reads a large sheet in several steps |
40| Cells Office reads from one range | 5,000,000<sup id="cite-ref-3-b" className="scroll-mt-24"><a href="#cite-note-3">\[3]</a></sup> | A larger read can fail |
41| One request in Excel on the web | 5 MB<sup id="cite-ref-3-c" className="scroll-mt-24"><a href="#cite-note-3">\[3]</a></sup> | Large reads and writes can fail on the web |
42| Command batches waiting in Office | 50<sup id="cite-ref-4-a" className="scroll-mt-24"><a href="#cite-note-4">\[4]</a></sup> | More batches cause errors |
43| Workbook opened in a browser | Up to 100 MB, depending on your subscription<sup id="cite-ref-5" className="scroll-mt-24"><a href="#cite-note-5">\[5]</a></sup> | Open larger files in Excel on the desktop |
44| Memory for 32-bit Excel | Up to 4 GB on 64-bit Windows<sup id="cite-ref-6" className="scroll-mt-24"><a href="#cite-note-6">\[6]</a></sup> | Use 64-bit Office for large workbooks |
34| Limit | Value | What it means for you |
35| - | - | - |
36| Wait for a step where Claude runs code | 90 seconds | A heavy step can time out |
37| Wait for other steps, such as writing cells | 5 minutes on the desktop, 2 minutes on the web | A heavy step can time out |
38| Wait for a Word text edit | 30 seconds | A heavy edit can time out |
39| Cells returned by one Claude read in Excel | 2,000 cells with data | Claude reads a large sheet in several steps |
40| Cells Office reads from one range | 5,000,000<sup id="cite-ref-3-b" className="scroll-mt-24"><a href="#cite-note-3">\[3]</a></sup> | A larger read can fail |
41| One request in Excel on the web | 5 MB<sup id="cite-ref-3-c" className="scroll-mt-24"><a href="#cite-note-3">\[3]</a></sup> | Large reads and writes can fail on the web |
42| Command batches waiting in Office | 50<sup id="cite-ref-4-a" className="scroll-mt-24"><a href="#cite-note-4">\[4]</a></sup> | More batches cause errors |
43| Workbook opened in a browser | Up to 100 MB, depending on your subscription<sup id="cite-ref-5" className="scroll-mt-24"><a href="#cite-note-5">\[5]</a></sup> | Open larger files in Excel on the desktop |
44| Memory for 32-bit Excel | Up to 4 GB on 64-bit Windows<sup id="cite-ref-6" className="scroll-mt-24"><a href="#cite-note-6">\[6]</a></sup> | Use 64-bit Office for large workbooks |
4545
4646## File size and risk
4747
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5454
5555The risk rises steadily, without a sharp threshold. Treat the bands as guides.
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57| File | Works well | Higher risk, so narrow your requests | Use at your own risk |
58| ----------------------------------------- | --------------- | ------------------------------------ | -------------------- |
59| Excel, total used cells across all sheets | Under 1 million | 1 to 5 million | Over 5 million |
60| PowerPoint, slides | Under 100 | 100 to 199 | 200 or more |
57| File | Works well | Higher risk, so narrow your requests | Use at your own risk |
58| - | - | - | - |
59| Excel, total used cells across all sheets | Under 1 million | 1 to 5 million | Over 5 million |
60| PowerPoint, slides | Under 100 | 100 to 199 | 200 or more |
6161
6262To estimate the total for a workbook, go to each sheet and press Ctrl+End to
6363move to its last cell.<sup id="cite-ref-7-a" className="scroll-mt-24"><a href="#cite-note-7">\[7]</a></sup> Multiply the number of the last row by the
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100100Excel has built-in tools that show what makes a workbook heavy.
101101
102| Task | Where in Excel |
103| ------------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
104| See counts of cells, formulas, and objects | Review, Workbook Statistics<sup id="cite-ref-9" className="scroll-mt-24"><a href="#cite-note-9">\[9]</a></sup> |
105| Remove formatting from empty cells | Review, Check Performance<sup id="cite-ref-10-a" className="scroll-mt-24"><a href="#cite-note-10">\[10]</a></sup> |
106| Find hidden shapes and pictures | Home, Find & Select, Selection Pane<sup id="cite-ref-11-a" className="scroll-mt-24"><a href="#cite-note-11">\[11]</a></sup> |
102| Task | Where in Excel |
103| - | - |
104| See counts of cells, formulas, and objects | Review, Workbook Statistics<sup id="cite-ref-9" className="scroll-mt-24"><a href="#cite-note-9">\[9]</a></sup> |
105| Remove formatting from empty cells | Review, Check Performance<sup id="cite-ref-10-a" className="scroll-mt-24"><a href="#cite-note-10">\[10]</a></sup> |
106| Find hidden shapes and pictures | Home, Find & Select, Selection Pane<sup id="cite-ref-11-a" className="scroll-mt-24"><a href="#cite-note-11">\[11]</a></sup> |
107107
108108Save a copy of the workbook before you run Check Performance. It removes
109109formatting from cells that look empty, including cells used for pixel
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165165Large pictures and media make a presentation larger.<sup id="cite-ref-16-a" className="scroll-mt-24"><a href="#cite-note-16">\[16]</a></sup> Compress them
166166before you ask Claude for large changes.
167167
168| Task | Where in PowerPoint |
169| ------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
170| Compress pictures | Picture Format, Compress Pictures, with "Apply only to this picture" cleared<sup id="cite-ref-16-b" className="scroll-mt-24"><a href="#cite-note-16">\[16]</a></sup> |
171| Compress audio and video | File, Info, Compress Media, in PowerPoint on Windows<sup id="cite-ref-17" className="scroll-mt-24"><a href="#cite-note-17">\[17]</a></sup> |
168| Task | Where in PowerPoint |
169| - | - |
170| Compress pictures | Picture Format, Compress Pictures, with "Apply only to this picture" cleared<sup id="cite-ref-16-b" className="scroll-mt-24"><a href="#cite-note-16">\[16]</a></sup> |
171| Compress audio and video | File, Info, Compress Media, in PowerPoint on Windows<sup id="cite-ref-17" className="scroll-mt-24"><a href="#cite-note-17">\[17]</a></sup> |
172172
173173Save a copy of the presentation before you compress. Deleting cropped picture
174174areas and discarding editing data cannot be undone.<sup id="cite-ref-16-c" className="scroll-mt-24"><a href="#cite-note-16">\[16]</a></sup>
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179179
180180Use this table when Office stops responding during a request.
181181
182| Situation | What to do |
183| ------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
184| Claude waits on a step | Wait. Do not click repeatedly. |
185| Claude reports a timeout | Wait until Office responds, save, then ask for a smaller step. The step can still be running in Office. |
186| Office closes | Reopen the file and look for the Document Recovery pane.<sup id="cite-ref-18-a" className="scroll-mt-24"><a href="#cite-note-18">\[18]</a></sup> Start a new chat with a smaller request. |
187| It happens often | Send your IT admin the transcript and the time of the problem. |
182| Situation | What to do |
183| - | - |
184| Claude waits on a step | Wait. Do not click repeatedly. |
185| Claude reports a timeout | Wait until Office responds, save, then ask for a smaller step. The step can still be running in Office. |
186| Office closes | Reopen the file and look for the Document Recovery pane.<sup id="cite-ref-18-a" className="scroll-mt-24"><a href="#cite-note-18">\[18]</a></sup> Start a new chat with a smaller request. |
187| It happens often | Send your IT admin the transcript and the time of the problem. |
188188
189189When something goes wrong, keep your work and the chat for your admin.
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