WD2000: Unable to Use "Paste Special" Command to Embed an Excel Object in Word (212033)

SYMPTOMS

When you run Microsoft Excel as an OLE server application, in some cases, you will be unable to paste an Excel object into Word by using the Paste or Paste Special commands on the Edit menu. If you click Paste Special, the Source field in the Paste Special dialog box will specify that the source is unknown.

CAUSE

This behavior occurs because the Excel object is no longer in the Clipboard.

When you run Excel as an OLE server application with Word, after you update the embedded Excel object and return to Word, the Excel object disappears from the Clipboard.

WORKAROUND

To use the Paste Special command to embed an Excel object in your Word document as many times as you want, follow these steps:

Start Excel independent of Word (do not run it as a server application).
Copy the Excel selection that you want to appear in your Word document (do not quit Excel).
Start Word.
On the Edit menu, click Paste Special.

NOTE: The Excel object remains an available option in the Paste Special dialog box until you quit Excel or replace the contents of the Clipboard with something else.

MORE INFORMATION

If you embed an Excel worksheet object in Word by clicking Object on the Insert menu, and then selecting one of the Excel object options (or if you edit an already embedded Excel object), you activate an Excel server session. To quit the Excel server session and to return to the Word document, click Update on the File menu, and then click Exit. When you quit Excel, the Excel object in the Clipboard is deleted from the Clipboard. Because the Clipboard no longer contains the Excel object, the Excel Object options are not available in the Paste Special dialog box.