How to Edit Status Property in Excel | Metadata Made Simple

The Status property in Excel is a straightforward text field you edit via File > Info > Properties > Advanced Properties, letting you label a workbook as Draft, Final, or any custom status.

Editing the Status property in Excel is a straightforward way to track a workbook’s progress. You can set it to Draft, Final, Pending, or any label that fits your workflow. The process takes about ten seconds once you know where to look — here’s the exact path.

How to Edit the Status Property in Excel

The Status property lives in the Advanced Properties dialog. Open your workbook, click the File tab, then Info, and look for the Properties button near the top right.

1. Open your Excel workbook.
2. Click the File tab to enter Backstage view.
3. Click Info on the left pane.
4. Hover over the Properties button at the top right and select Advanced Properties.
5. In the Properties dialog box, select the Summary tab.
6. Locate the Status field. If it’s not visible, click Show All Properties.
7. Type your desired status (e.g., Draft, Final, Pending).
8. Click OK. The change saves automatically.
9. Click the Back arrow to return to the workbook.

Once done, the new status appears in the workbook’s properties and can be seen in Windows File Explorer under the “Content status” column. For full details, check Microsoft’s official instructions.

What Status Values Should You Use?

The Status field is a plain text box — there are no predefined options. You can type anything that makes sense for your workflow. Common choices include Draft, Final, Pending, On Hold, and Completed.

Common Mistakes When Editing the Status Property

The Status field is a text entry — there is no dropdown menu. Users often miss the “Show All Properties” button or confuse the Status property with the Excel status bar at the bottom of the window.

• The field is hidden unless you click Show All Properties in the Advanced Properties dialog.
• No dropdown exists — it’s a plain text box, so type exactly what you want.
• The Status bar at the bottom of Excel (showing zoom, calculations) is a completely different feature.
• If you use “Mark as Final” under Protect Workbook, the status becomes “Final” and the file becomes read-only (you can override by clicking Edit Document).
• Templates inherit the status set in the template file — edit the template directly to set a default for new workbooks.

Alternative: Setting Status via Mark as Final

The built-in Mark as Final feature automatically updates the Status property to “Final” and makes the workbook read-only. Use this when the document is complete and you want to signal that editing should stop.

1. Go to File > Info > Protect Workbook.
2. Select Mark as Final.
3. Confirm the dialog. The Status property now reads “Final” and a banner warns readers that the file is final.

Putting It All Together: The Status Edit Steps

• Click File > Info > Properties > Advanced Properties.
• On the Summary tab, click Show All Properties if the Status field is hidden.
• Type your status label.
• Click OK.

That’s all there is to it — your workbook now carries the status label you need.