Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated August 26, 2023)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
Isabelle wrote concerning a problem she was having with Excel. It seems that the Formula bar is not persistent for her. It disappears when opening some workbooks, which is quite bothersome.
By default, the Formula bar should be turned on. It is possible to manually turn it off, or to have a macro turn it off. In fact, this last method of turning it off—through a macro—is probably what is happening in Isabelle's case. Some workbooks created by others may have macros in them that run whenever you open the workbook. This is not unusual, as macros are often used to configure the Excel environment to fit the particular needs of whoever programmed the macro.
A problem arises, however, when the expectations of the macro programmer don't match those of the user. For instance, the programmer may see no need for the Formula bar to be on, and so may turn it off. A similar problem arises when the programmer turns off the Formula bar but forgets to turn it back on when the macro is completed or when the workbook is closed.
If the problem is caused by a macro or by an add-in, then the only way to solve it is to either change the macro yourself, or else have the original programmer change it so the Excel interface reflects how you want to work with the worksheet.
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