Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Excel 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Excel, click here: Don't Update Links to Other Programs.

Don't Update Links to Other Programs

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated December 8, 2018)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


You know that Excel allows you to create links to data in other workbooks. Excel also allows you to link to non-Excel data from other programs, as well. For instance, you could link to pictures or to Word data or to data in any number of other programs. The linking is done via OLE and DDE, as is discussed in other issues of ExcelTips.

Normally, data from other programs is updated whenever you open an workbook, and thereafter whenever the source data changes. If you want to tell Excel to not update linked data from other programs, follow these steps:

  1. Choose Options from the Tools menu. Excel displays the Options dialog box.
  2. Make sure the Calculation tab is displayed. (See Figure 1.)
  3. Figure 1. The Calculation tab of the Options dialog box.

  4. Clear the Update Remote References check box.
  5. Click OK.

Changing this setting is only effective for the current session in Excel. The next time you open the workbook, Excel reverts to updating links automatically. If you want to turn off specific links so that they are not continually updated, choose Edit | Links, locate the link, and change its update method to Manual.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (3039) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Excel (Excel 2007 and later) here: Don't Update Links to Other Programs.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Creating a List

You can format both numbered and bulleted lists very easily in Word. The tools available on the Home tab of the ribbon ...

Discover More

Manual Line Breaks in STYLEREF Results

The STYLEREF field returns all the text referenced by a given style. When the text includes special characters, such as a ...

Discover More

Looking Backward through a Data Table

Sometimes you need to look backward, through the information above your formula, to find the data you need. This can be ...

Discover More

Best-Selling VBA Tutorial for Beginners Take your Excel knowledge to the next level. With a little background in VBA programming, you can go well beyond basic spreadsheets and functions. Use macros to reduce errors, save time, and integrate with other Microsoft applications. Fully updated for the latest version of Office 365. Check out Microsoft 365 Excel VBA Programming For Dummies today!

More ExcelTips (menu)

Determining If a File Exists

Before you have your macro open and read a file from disk, you'll want to check to make sure it is really there. Here's ...

Discover More

Sudden Increases in Workbook File Size

Workbooks can get rather large rather quickly. If you think your workbook has gotten too big too fast, here are some ...

Discover More

Stopping Date Parsing when Opening a CSV File

Excel tries to make sense out of any data that you import from a non-Excel file. Sometimes this can have unwanted ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is one more than 9?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


This Site

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.

Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.