Named ranges: the key idea
Every link points to a named range in Excel: a cell or block of cells you've given a name,
like TotalRevenue or SalesTable. Because the link follows the name, not a cell
address, you can insert rows, move tables, or reorganize the sheet and the link still finds the right data.
To create a named range in Excel:
- Select the cell or cells.
- Click in the Name Box (the box to the left of the formula bar that shows something like
B7).
- Type a name without spaces (for example
ClosingDate) and press Enter.
You can see and edit all names in Excel under Formulas › Name Manager.
Tip: names used as values in a sentence work best as a single cell. Name a whole block
(including its headings) when you want the table to appear in Word.
Inserting a link
The quickest way:
- In Excel, select the named range: select exactly its cells, or pick the name from the Name Box's
drop-down list.
- In Word, click where you want the value or table to go.
- Click
Insert on the Links tab. The link is inserted right away.
This works however many workbooks are open. If nothing named is selected, Insert uses the
workbook if it's the only one open in Excel; otherwise it asks you to choose the workbook file (the window
starts in your document's folder). Then it lets you pick the named range from a list of the workbook's
names.
What you get depends on the range:
- A single cell becomes text in your sentence. It shows the value exactly as
Excel displays it, including currency, percentages, and decimals, unless you apply a
case or date effect. It takes on your document's font and style. Blank cells stay blank.
- A range of cells becomes a picture of the table, looking just as it does in
Excel: fonts, borders, shading, and number formats included.
Managing links
Reset Selected / Reset All: clears links back to a placeholder (Reset Selected: the links you've selected, as with
Update Selected; Reset All: every link). Text links show the
name of their named range (for example TotalRevenue) and picture links are emptied. Use this to
turn a finished report back into a template; Update All fills everything in again.- Change Workbook: lists the workbooks the document links to. Pick one, then choose the new
workbook, and every link to the old one now points to the new one. The new workbook needs the same range names;
you're told right away about any it's missing. Click Update All afterwards to pull in the new
numbers.
Highlight All / Unhighlight All: marks every link in turquoise (a highlight on text links,
a border around table links) so you can see at a glance what's linked, then removes it before you send the
document.- Break Selected: turns the selected links into ordinary text or pictures (select them as
with Update Selected). The content stays; the connection to Excel is removed.
Convert OLE Links: upgrades a document built with Word's Paste Special links
(Paste Link) to Best Link Manager links, including links in headers and footers. Keep the linked
workbooks where the document expects them while converting.
Moving files: links store the workbook's location relative to the document, so you can
move or copy a folder containing both and the links keep working. Files synced with OneDrive
are supported.
Headers and footers: Update All, Reset All, Change Workbook, Highlight All, Unhighlight All
and Convert OLE Links all include links in headers and footers.
Text link effects
Put your cursor in a text link and click an effect. It's reapplied automatically every time the link updates.
lower case, UPPER CASE, Title Case, Sentence case
OrIgInAl CaSe: removes the case or date effect and shows the value exactly as Excel displays it. Use it to undo Long Date or Short Date as well.
Long Date (January 1, 2027) and Short Date (1/1/2027): for a link to a
single cell containing a date.
Example: Excel has "QUARTERLY SALES REPORT" but you want "Quarterly Sales Report" in Word.
Apply Title Case once and it stays that way.
