The copy of source data each PivotTable saves
Extra. Off by default.
Removes the copy of source data each PivotTable saves.
The file opens slower while Excel rebuilds it.
Why it takes space
A PivotTable reads from a cache, a copy of its source data, rather than from the source itself. Excel saves the cache in the file with one record per source row, so a PivotTable over a large table stores that table twice.
What ShrinkExcel does
ShrinkExcel removes the saved records and changes two settings on the cache, the ones PivotTable Options shows on its Data tab. It turns off "Save source data with file" and turns on "Refresh data when opening the file". Excel then rebuilds the cache from the source when the file opens.
It does this only when the source is inside the workbook: a range on one of its sheets, one of its tables, or a defined name that does not read another workbook. A cache fed by another workbook, a data connection, the Power Pivot data model or a consolidation of ranges keeps its records, because the file alone could not rebuild it.
The PivotTables themselves, with their layout, filters and formatting, stay as they are.
What you will notice
Excel rebuilds the caches every time the file opens, not only the first time, so a large source means a slower open each time.
A PivotTable whose source changed since its last refresh shows new figures when the file opens. If you keep a PivotTable as a record of how the numbers stood on a date, keep the original file too.
Excel keeps both settings when it saves, so later saves leave the records out too. Checking "Save source data with file" again in PivotTable Options brings them back at the next save.
In a check in Excel for Mac on 2026-09-24, every cache rebuilt on open to the same number of records as the original, and the PivotTables showed the same cells.
Doing it in Excel
Right-click a PivotTable and choose PivotTable Options. On the Data tab, clear "Save source data with file", check "Refresh data when opening the file", then save. Both settings belong to the cache, so PivotTables built on the same cache share them.
To use it, switch it on under Advanced settings on the front page before you drop a workbook.