Excel for Mac: Where to Find Stuff That’s on the File Tab in Excel for Windows (Part 2)

This week in our series about Microsoft Excel for Mac, we have our second article discussing where to find the features that appear in the File tab of the Ribbon in Excel for Windows.  We focus on the Info panel, which contains many features in Windows, but they’re in different places on Mac.

Overview

This is Part 2 of our post, covering just the Info panel of the File tab.  Look for Part 1 of this post to find out about where the other features and options from the File tab of the Ribbon in Windows can be found in Excel for Mac.

Windows: File -> Info

On Windows, the Info panel contains a collection of features that are scattered in various places on Mac, because there’s no Info panel on Mac (nor in Word and PowerPoint).  Below we show you all the features and where to find them in Excel for Mac.

• ALWAYS OPEN READ-ONLY: This is on the File menu on Mac
• ENCRYPT WITH PASSWORD: This is called ‘Passwords’ on the File menu on Mac
• PROTECT CURRENT SHEET: On a Mac, go to the Review tab of the Ribbon or the Tools menu - > Protection -> Protect Sheet…
• PROTECT WORKBOOK STRUCTURE: On a Mac, go to the Review tab of the Ribbon or the Tools menu - > Protection -> Protect Workbook…
• RESTRICT ACCESS: On a Mac, go to the Home tab of the Ribbon -> Sensitivity or File menu - > Restrict Permissions -> Restrict Access...
• ADD A DIGITAL SIGNATURE: Not available on Mac
• MARK AS FINAL: Although it’s not directly available as a command on Mac, you can accomplish the same effect.  You need to create a custom property to do it.  Go to File menu -> Properties -> Custom, then enter a new property called ‘_MarkAsFinal’.  Choose ‘Yes or No’ as the Type and set the Value to Yes.  Then press the Add button to add it.

Inspect Workbook

• INSPECT DOCUMENT: Check for Issues (Document Inspector) - this doesn't exist on Mac, but you can set an option to protect your privacy.  We have an article that explains it in detail - https://www.sumproduct.com/blog/article/excel-for-mac-privacy-for-your-workbooks
•  CHECK ACCESSIBILITY: On a Mac, this is found on the Review tab of the Ribbon and on the Tools menu
•  CHECK COMPATIBILITY: Not available on Mac.

 
Version History

On a Mac, either click on the document name in the Title bar at the top of the window or else choose the File menu -> Browse Version History.

Manage Workbook

• CHECK OUT / CHECK IN: You can find the Check Out / In option on the File menu on Mac
• RECOVER UNSAVED WORKBOOKS: The option to recover unsaved workbooks is automatically shown on Mac when you launch Excel.  If there are files to recover, they will be opened and will have a yellow banner asking if you want to save them.

Reset Changes Pane

You can find this option on the File menu on Mac

Browser View Options

Not available on Mac.  On Windows, this allows you to set options for how the workbook can be viewed using embedding code designed for displaying the file on a web page.

Word to the Wise

If you can’t find a feature you’re looking for in Excel for Mac, try using the Search feature in the Title bar (commonly referred to as TellMe).  Type what you want to do or the name of the command you’re looking for.  If it’s available on Mac, it should be shown to you in the search results.

We hope you found this topic helpful.  Make sure to look for Part 1 if you use a Mac and need to learn where to find the other features on the File tab of the Ribbon in Windows.  Check our blog for many more posts about Excel for Mac and how it’s different from Excel for Windows.