Disable Cursor and Menu Animations in Office 2013

Disable cursor and menu animations in Office 2013
Slow scrolling in Excel 2013
Slow cursor positioning in Excel 2013 (Office 2013)

Issue:
In Office 2013, when clicking cells, typing, scrolling, selecting menus, etc., especially in Excel and Word, it now uses animation to give the movement to the action.  For most of us, it "feels" intolerably slow.

Solution:
Microsoft did not expose an option for disabling this feature.  Use the Registry Editor to correct.  If you have never worked in the Windows Registry, do not panic; the steps are easy.

1.  Run "RegEdit"  (the Windows Registry Editor)

  Steps:
- From the Windows 8 tile menu, click anywhere on the background
  or from the Windows 7 Start Menu, press and hold the Windows key-R (for "Run")

- Type the word "Regedit" (press Enter)  e.g. Start, Run "Regedit"


2.  On the left-side tree diagram, scroll to this location, expanding folders, as needed.

HKey_Current_User\Software\Microsoft\Office\15.0\Common

Steps:
a.  In the Registry Editor's left-nav, scroll down the tree, opening these folders by clicking the "triangle" next to each folder:
 
HKey_Current_User
Software
Microsoft
Office
15.0
Common

b.  Highlight (single-click) the "Common" folder.
"other-mouse-click" the highlighted Common folder, choose  "New, Key"

Click all images for a larger size

c.  In the new Key name field (see new folder on left-nav), type "Graphics"  (case-sensitive).  You are renaming the "New Key #1" field.  Press Enter to accept the new key-name.


3.  Look to the right side of the program.  In the newly-built Graphics folder, which is empty except for a "default" value, activate the right-side of the panel by clicking once on a blank area (the detail side of the panel).

- In the detail pane, "other-mouse-click" a blank area on the panel,
- Choose "New", "DWord (32-bit) Value"

- Name the new value "DisableAnimations" (case-sensitive, no spaces).  Press Enter

- When prompted, assign "DisableAnimations" a value of 1 (hex).  Click OK to save.
If you are not prompted, double-click the new DWord value:

4.  Close the Registry Editor.  Changes take effect immediately.

Notes:
This value is set per-user.  Multiple users (or roaming users), who login to the Windows Computer, will each need to make this change. This change will not work if applied to HKLM.


Here is the Registry Merge file, if you are so inclined:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\15.0\Common\Graphics]
"DisableAnimations"=dword:00000001

Many sites on the web recommend turning off all Windows (8) animation, using
My Computer, Desktop, Properties, Advanced System Settings, Performance, and disabling "Animate controls and elements inside Windows".  This would be a mistake, disabling all animation, everywhere in Windows.  If you just wanted to target office, this document is a better solution.

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