Excel Data Pastes into Word with Incorrect Cell Alignment

• Microsoft Word for Windows, versions 1.0, 1.1, 1.1a, 2.0, 2.0a, 2.0a-CD, 2.0b, 2.0c, 6.0, 6.0a, 6.0c
• Microsoft Word for Windows 95, versions 7.0, 7.0a
• Microsoft Word 97 for Windows

SYMPTOMS

When you copy data from a Microsoft Excel version 3.0 or 4.0 spreadsheet and paste or paste link it into a Word for Windows document, the cells are usually formatted for right alignment. This can cause alignment problems if you insert tabs in Word. For example, if you insert a decimal tab in the table that you pasted from Microsoft Excel, Word may not automatically align the data correctly. In some cases, Word moves the data into an adjacent column.

By contrast, when you copy data from a Microsoft Excel version 5.0 spreadsheet and paste it in your Word document, the cells are formatted for the correct paragraph alignment. However, if you later modify the spreadsheet so the cell alignment changes in Microsoft Excel, the alignment does not change in Word. For example, if a cell was originally right- aligned and you switch it to left-aligned in Microsoft Excel, the cell remains right-aligned in Word, even after you update the LINK field.

CAUSE

With Microsoft Excel 3.0 and 4.0, Word uses right alignment, which is the default format for numbers in Microsoft Excel. When a cell is right aligned, tabs may behave unexpectedly.

With Microsoft Excel 5.0, Word applies the correct alignment formatting when you initially create the link. Then, if you change the alignment of a cell in a spreadsheet, Microsoft Excel sends the correct formatting information to the link in Word; however, the \* mergeformat switch in the Word LINK field prevents the new formatting from being applied.

STATUS

By default, Word includes the \* mergeformat switch when you insert a LINK field. The \* mergeformat switch preserves the formatting of the original field result, so if you change the formatting and then update the LINK field, Word replaces the new formatting with the original formatting.

WORKAROUNDS

Method 1

First, remove the \* mergeformat switch from the LINK field in Word. Then in Word, apply the correct alignment formatting to the linked Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. When you update the spreadsheet, Word retains the formatting you apply.

Method 2

If you change the formatting in Microsoft Excel and want the LINK field result to reflect the correct formatting in Word, delete and reinsert the LINK field. When you use this method, you do not need to remove the \* mergeformat switch from the LINK field.