Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated October 21, 2020)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
Graham wrote to ask about a nagging problem he has with one particular Excel workbook. This workbook contains seven worksheets, one for each month, January through July. The worksheets contain quite a few formulas, and a graph is inserted in each worksheet. The first six graphs were created just fine, but whenever Graham tries to create the graph on the seventh sheet, he gets an "out of memory" error.
Chances are good that you aren't actually running out of memory, but are somehow running out of resources. The end result, however, is the same--Excel doesn't have what it needs to continue with the operation.
This situation seems to be a known problem with Excel 97, and Microsoft has addressed it in Knowledge Base article 168650:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/168650
If this doesn't solve the problem, it could be that the workbook itself is corrupted in some manner. The only way to determine if this is the cause is to recreate the workbook, from scratch (no copying and pasting), and see if the problem goes away.
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2732) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003.
Dive Deep into Macros! Make Excel do things you thought were impossible, discover techniques you won't find anywhere else, and create powerful automated reports. Bill Jelen and Tracy Syrstad help you instantly visualize information to make it actionable. You’ll find step-by-step instructions, real-world case studies, and 50 workbooks packed with examples and solutions. Check out Microsoft Excel 2019 VBA and Macros today!
When entering data into a range of cells, the cell in which you are working appears in a different color than the other ...
Discover MoreNeed to clear out a large amount of information saved on the Clipboard? All you need to do is to replace it with a small ...
Discover MoreUnlike some other programs (like Word), Excel doesn't provide a way for you to embed fonts in a workbook. Here's a ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)
Got a version of Excel that uses the menu interface (Excel 97, Excel 2000, Excel 2002, or Excel 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2026 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments