WD97: Word Link to Microsoft Excel Shows Unexpected Information (196503)

SYMPTOMS

If you link information from Microsoft Excel into Word, and then you insert rows or columns in or near the linked area in Excel, Word may not show the expected results.

For example, if you copy the following material from Excel:

   a    b    c
   d    e    f
   g    h    i

and you link it into a Word document, Word shows the expected text.

However, if you insert a row above the copied area in Excel, so that the information in Excel looks like this:

   new text
   a    b    c
   d    e    f
   g    h    i

then Word shows the new row but not the last row:

   new text
   a    b    c
   d    e    f

CAUSE

By design, a Word link always refers to the same area in Excel. If the cell range you originally linked from Excel includes cells B2 through F5, Word always refers to this same range, regardless of where you add rows or columns. You can see which part of the worksheet Word is referring to by choosing Links from the Edit menu.

WORKAROUND

If you want to add rows above or below the linked area, or if you want to add a column to either side, you must redo the link from Excel to Word.

However, if you want to add rows or columns inside the linked area in Excel, you can work around this problem by using a range name in Excel. A range in Excel expands if rows or columns are added inside its boundaries. To name a range in Excel, follow these steps:

Select the cells that you want to link.
On the Insert menu, click Name.
Click Define.
In the Names In Workbook area, type the name you want to give this area, such as "Sales" or "Earnings" (without the quotation marks).
Click OK.

When you copy this area and link it in Word, Word always shows any new rows or columns that have been added inside the boundaries of the named range.