# Project settings
> Excel Modern project settings enable you to configure multiple properties that are common to Excel activities designed for StudioX globally for your current project.
Excel Modern project settings enable you to configure multiple properties that are common to Excel activities designed for StudioX globally for your current project.
:::note
In releases prior to v2.11.0 of the Excel activities package, the settings category was named **Excel Business**.
:::
To configure Excel Modern project settings:
1. Select **Project** > **Project Settings**.
2. Under Activities Settings, select the **Excel Modern** tab.
3. The settings are split into different categories. All settings except **Excel Design Experience** have a **Run value** and a **Debug value**. Expand the categories to update the desired settings. You can reset all settings to their default values or copy all values between the debug and production fields using the Bulk Actions drop-down menu at the top of the window.
## Excel Modern
#### Excel Design Experience
Introduced in v2.11.0 of the Excel activities package, this setting determines the [Excel design experience](https://docs.uipath.com/activities/other/latest/productivity/about-the-excel-activities-pack) in the Studio profile in UiPath Studio releases starting with 2021.10. The modern design experience is always used in the StudioX profile.
Property Name
Property Description
Default Setting
Excel Design Experience
UseGlobalSetting - Let the Modern Design Experience project setting determine whether the Classic or Modern experience is enabled.
UseClassic - Use the classic activities from the category that do not support interacting with Excel from the Plus menu, hide the modern activities by default.
UseModern - Use the modern activities that support interacting with Excel from the Plus menu, hide the classic activities by default.
UseGlobalSetting
#### Launch Excel
These settings determine how Excel is started at **runtime**.
Property Name
Property Description
Default Setting
Launch method
Automation - Excel is started by the automation APIs. This is faster, but not all add-ins load, so it can caused problems if the workbook relies on an add-in to function correctly.
Application - Excel is started like a user manually opened it, ensuring that all aspects of Excel load, such as add-ins.
Application
Time to wait for Excel to start (in seconds)
How many seconds to wait for Excel to open the file before generating an error.
20
#### Excel Visibility
These settings determine whether Excel windows are visible during the automation.
Property Name
Property Description
Default Setting
Show Excel window
True - Excel files are opened by the project with their windows visible to the user.
False - Excel files are opened by the project in the background, with their windows hidden.
:::note
If an Excel file is already open, this property is ignored and the visibility setting of the already open Excel instance is used (usually visible).
:::
True
Show Excel alerts
True - Excel alerts are displayed to the user during the automation.
False - Excel alerts are hidden during the automation.
Note: This option can't be set to True when the Show Excel window option is set to False.
False
#### Excel Process Scope
These settings determine how Excel processes and conflicts are handled in different scenarios and whether macros are enabled or disabled for the specified Excel file.
Property Name
Property Description
Default Setting
Process mode
AlwaysCreateNew - A new Excel process is always created to load all of the associated files.
AttendedUser - Enforces that there is only one Excel process on the machine. If more than one Excel process is found, the user is prompted.
ReuseIfExists - Searches for any open Excel processes when the first Use Excel File activity is executed to verify if a file is already open. If an open file is found, that process is associated with Excel Process Scope.
OnlyIfExists - Searches for any open Excel processes when the first Use Excel File activity is executed to verify if a file is already open. If an open file is found, that process is associated with Excel Process Scope. If no open files are found, an exception is thrown.
ReuseIfExists
Existing processes action
None - No action is taken in relation to the existing processes on the machine.
ForceKill - Closes any open Excel processes without making any attempt to save the file.
None
File conflict resolution
None - No action is taken when conflicting files are found.
CloseWithoutSaving - Closes any Excel files that are in conflict, without saving pending changes.
PromptUser - Shows the user a prompt saying that files need to be closed.
ThrowException - Raises an exception that can either be handled in a Try Catch activity or cause the workflow to terminate.
ThrowException
Macro settings
EnableAll - All macros are enabled and can be run.
DisableAll - All macros are disabled in the specified Excel file. No macros can be run.
ReadFromExcelSettings - Reads the current Excel Macro settings.
EnableAll
#### Use Excel File
These settings determine what formatting should be applied to values read from Excel when using the [Use Excel File](https://docs.uipath.com/activities/other/latest/productivity/excel-application-card) activity.
Property Name
Property Description
Default Setting
Read Formatting
Default - Use the default formatting returned by Excel.
RawValue - Use the raw values and ignore all formatting.
DisplayValue - Retrieve the values as displayed in Excel.
Default
:::note
These settings can be configured individually for each Use Excel File activity by changing the **Read Formatting** property in the **Properties panel**.
:::
#### Excel Preview
These settings determine how Excel is accessed at **design time**, when using the **Plus** menu.
Property name
Property Description
Default Setting
Excel preview type
Default - Let StudioX decide the preview type to use.
UseXmlFile - Parses the contents of the Excel file. This is limited to only .xlsx files that do not rely on add-ins to load.
UseExcelInstance - Uses Excel to read the contents of the file. This enables previewing any file that can be opened by Excel. Previews are faster if the file is already open in Excel.
Default
:::note
In order to use the **UseExcelInstance** preview type with the **Application** launch method, the file must be already open in Excel.
:::