XL: "Save Changes in 'Sheetname'?" When No Changes Made

 Last reviewed: February 2, 1998
Article ID: Q95888

The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Excel for Windows, versions 2.x, 3.0, 4.0, 4.0a
  • Microsoft Excel for the Macintosh, versions 2.x, 3.0, 4.0
  • Microsoft Excel for OS/2, versions 2.2, 3.0

SUMMARY

When you close a worksheet or workbook in Microsoft Excel, you may receive the following message 

   Save changes in 'Sheetname'?
where 'Sheetname' is the name of your document. You receive this error message even when no apparent changes have been made. This message will appear if the worksheet or any worksheets within a workbook contain volatile functions, linked pictures, iterative formulas, or links to other sheets that contain volatile functions and if the Calculation option is set to automatic.

MORE INFORMATION

If a worksheet is set to automatic calculation, volatile functions, linked pictures, and iterative formulas are automatically recalculated when you open the worksheet. Because the worksheet has been recalculated, Microsoft Excel considers the worksheet to have been modified, and therefore prompts to you to save changes when the sheet is closed. When this occurs in workbooks, you may receive multiple prompts to save changes, especially if there are links between the sheets inside the workbook. This is by design.

To avoid the multiple prompts, choose Save Workbook from the File menu to save the workbook before you close it.

Following is a list of volatile functions: 

   AREAS()         INDEX()        OFFSET()  TODAY()
   CELL()          INDIRECT()     ROWS()
   COLUMNS()       NOW()          RAND()
For more information on volatile functions, query on the following words in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 

   dependent and volatile and function and recalculation

REFERENCES

"Microsoft Excel User's Guide 1," version 4.0, pages 67-70

Additional query words: 2.0 2.00 2.01 2.1 2.10 2.2 2.20 2.21 3.0
3.00 4.0 4.00 today now recalc recalculate
Keywords : xlformula
Version : MACINTOSH:2.0,3.0,4.0,4.0a; WINDOWS:2.0,3.0,4.0; OS/2:2.0,3.0
Platform : MACINTOSH OS/2 WINDOWS
Issue type : kbprb

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Last reviewed: February 2, 1998
© 1998 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Terms of Use.