If you are working with an older, legacy Microsoft Excel file or utilizing specific robust save settings, you might notice a strange behavior when saving your work. Every time you press Ctrl+S to save your spreadsheet (e.g., Financials.xlsx), Excel automatically generates a duplicate, hidden file in the exact same folder named Backup of Financials.xlk.
This is a legacy safety feature designed to preserve the previously saved version of your workbook. If you make a catastrophic error and hit save, the .xlk file allows you to roll back the clock one version. However, if you are using modern version control (like OneDrive, SharePoint, or Dropbox), this local file generation is completely redundant. It doubles the storage space required for every spreadsheet and violently clutters your network directories with dozens of useless `.xlk` files.
You can turn off this legacy backup generation on a per-file basis.
How to Stop Excel from Creating .xlk Files
This setting is hidden inside the “Save As” dialogue box, not the main Options menu.
- Open the specific Excel workbook that is generating the backup files.
- Click on File in the top-left corner of the ribbon.
- Select Save As (or “Save a Copy” depending on your Office version).
- Click on Browse to open the traditional Windows File Explorer save dialog.
- Look at the very bottom of the “Save As” window, right next to the “Save” button. You will see a small drop-down menu labeled Tools.
- Click on Tools and select General Options… from the menu.
- A small dialog box will pop up. Look at the very top for a checkbox labeled Always create backup.
- Uncheck this box.
- Click OK.
- Click Save to overwrite the file with the new settings.
From now on, when you press save, Excel will simply overwrite the primary file without dumping a secondary .xlk backup into your folder. You can now safely go into your file explorer and manually delete any existing .xlk files to clean up your directory.