WD: After Update Excel Object Not a Paste Special Option

 Last reviewed: February 2, 1998
Article ID: Q78580
The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Word for Windows, versions 2.0, 2.0a, 2.0a-CD, 2.0b, 2.0c
  • Microsoft Word for Windows, versions 6.0, 6.0a, 6.0c
  • Microsoft Word for Windows 95, versions 7.0, 7.0a
  • Microsoft Word 97 for Windows
  • Microsoft Word for the Macintosh, versions 6.0, 6.0.1, 6.0.1a
  • Microsoft Word 98 Macintosh Edition
  • Microsoft Excel for Windows, versions 5.0, 5.0a, 5.0c
  • Microsoft Excel for Windows 95, versions 7.0, 7.0a
  • Microsoft Excel 97 for Windows
  • Microsoft Excel for the Macintosh, versions 5.0, 5.0a
  • Microsoft Excel 98 Macintosh Edition

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 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 Microsoft Excel as an OLE server application with Microsoft 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 like, follow these steps:

  1. Start Excel independent of Word (do not run it as a server application).

  2. Copy the Excel selection you want to appear in your Word document (do not quit Excel).

  3. Start Word.

  4. On the Edit menu, click Paste Special.

Note that 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 choosing Object from the Insert menu and 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 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 Paste Special.

REFERENCES

"Microsoft Word for Windows User's Guide," version 2.0, pages 690-695

Additional query words: object linking and embedding
Keywords : macword winword winword2 word6 word7 word8 word95 word97 kbinterop
Version : WINDOWS:2.0,2.0a,2.0a- CD,2.0b,2.0c,6.0,6.0a,6.0c,7.0,7.0a,97;MACINTOSH:6.0,6.0.1,6.0.1a,98
Platform : MACINTOSH WINDOWS
Issue type : kbhowto

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Last reviewed: February 2, 1998
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