Exporting a Crosstab to Excel 2016 Takes a Long Time

Resolution

Use one of the following workarounds to improve performance:

Option 1: Exclude Formatting

If the export dialog prompts you to include formatting, choose No. Skipping formatting can significantly reduce export time.

Option 2: Copy and Paste Crosstab

1. In Tableau Desktop, select Worksheet > Copy > Crosstab.
2. Paste the data directly into an Microsoft Excel 2016 worksheet.

Option 3: Export via Microsoft Access

1. In Tableau Desktop, select Worksheet > Export > Data.
2. Save the file as a Microsoft Access database.
3. Open the file in Microsoft Access.
4. In Datasheet View, right-click the table and select Export > Excel.
5. In the Export dialog, specify the file name and format, then click OK.

Note: This option requires Microsoft Access to be installed.

Option 4: Reduce Data Volume

Limit the number of marks in the worksheet to decrease the amount of data being exported, which can improve performance.